The ‘Charmed’ Reboot Is Coming And Original ‘Charmed’ Star Holly Marie Combs Is Still Not Happy About It
“Charmed” she is not!
It’s been 12 years since the “Charmed Ones” battled their last evil and fans believed that Charmed was done for good after its eight-season run from 1998-2006 on the CW. But in 2017, the network announced that they would be making a Charmed reboot. The reboot was initially intended to be a prequel set in the ’70s but plans changed and the CW opted to set the series reboot in the present day. Original Charmed star Holly Marie Combs, who portrayed Piper Halliwell, took to Twitter to voice her disapproval of the CW’s decision in January. As the reboot date looms near, the actress is voicing her disdain again on Twitter and is basically calling out the network for being “ageist.”
“I will never understand what is fierce, funny, or feminist in creating a show that basically says the original actresses are too old to do a job they did 12 years ago. I hope the new show is far better than the marketing so the true legacy does remain.”
The reboot immediately caused backlash among the original Charmed universe as it was announced that the original actors (Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano, and Rose McGowan) would not be reprising their original roles and instead, three new sisters would be introduced. Since the reboot announcement, Sarah Jeffery, Melonie Diaz, and Madeleine Mantock have been cast as the new “Charmed Ones” and series will be set in a “college town.”
“Reboots [fare] better when they honor the original as opposed to taking shots at the original. Reboots also do better when they listen to a still passionate fan base which is what it’s all about, isn’t it? That’s why we do reboots.”
If you’re gonna quote me then actually quote me @yahoo. pic.twitter.com/hQ35cXTg40
— Holly Marie Combs Ryan (@H_Combs) May 22, 2018
The 44-year-old actress makes a strong point. Reboots are wildly popular right now with classic shows such as Fuller House, Will & Grace, and Roseanne making comebacks. These show revivals have received tremendous success, and part of that would definitely be due to the fact that the original cast members were brought back. In the case of Fuller House, some of the original cast members make frequent guest appearances. All-in-all, these shows have remained true to their fan base.
Comb’s newest comments come after the actress slammed the CW back in January.
Here’s the thing. Until you ask us to rewrite it like Brad Kern did weekly don’t even think of capitalizing on our hard work. Charmed belongs to the 4 of us, our vast amount of writers, crews and predominantly the fans. FYI you will not fool them by owning a title/stamp. So bye.
— Holly Marie Combs Ryan (@H_Combs) January 26, 2018
And the actress does not stand alone in how she feels. Her former Charmed co-star, Shannon Doherty, who portrayed the oldest Halliwell sister, Prue, until the end of Season 3, also shared her feelings about the manner in which the CW described the reboot, tweeting, “Perhaps with the backlash they will be more thoughtful in the future. I love ‘Charmed’. I also want it to be respected.”
The CW has described the Charmed reboot as “fierce, funny feminist” because apparently there was nothing fierce or feminist (with touches of “funny” here and there) about the original Charmed, even though strong female leads were more a rarity in the ’90s to early 2000s than they are now.
Although the reboot definitely deserves to be given a chance as the new cast and crew have put in the hard work to make the reboot happen, it was shocking to hear that this revival would not have the original cast.
The Charmed reboot is set to air Sundays this fall. You can watch the promo below.
