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Popularly known to fans as The Charmed Ones, the three Halliwell sisters from the television series "Charmed", Prudence (Prue), Piper and Phoebe, played by Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano respectively, certainly live up to that title both on and off camera. Before "Charmed" made its successful debut back in October 1998, the three main stars of the show did not gain any measure of success in their career following the end of each of their own breakthrough hit television shows. For Shannen Doherty, it was her role as Jason Priestley´s twin sister, Brenda on "Beverly Hills, 90210" that brought her untold fame and notoriety while Holly Marie Combs found her first supernatural calling on David E. Kelley´s Twin Peaks-esque series "Picket Fences". As for Alyssa Milano, who can forget her role as the maddeningly cute and syrupy sweet Samantha, opposite Tony Danza in the 1984 sitcom, "Who´s the Boss?"? Although Milano later went on to star in the "Beverly Hills, 90210" spin-off, "Melrose Place", she never quite gained the same level of attention she received in the 80´s until "Charmed" came along.
Now in its 7th season, "Charmed" is a major component of the WB television network´s teen-oriented TV series onslaught. Together with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "7th Heaven", "Dawson´s Creek" and "Felicity", "Charmed" formed a formidable programming line-up in the late 90´s that was aimed directly at the keenly sought after teen demographic. At present time, only "Charmed" and "7th Heaven" have managed to survive the programming changes throughout the years on the WB. The rest have been swapped with more than able replacements like "Gilmore Girls", "Smallville", "Everwood" and "One Tree Hill", which continue the WB´s ongoing tradition of catering to a younger audience.
For the fans of "Charmed", who have been loyally following the supernatural exploits of the Halliwell sisters since Day One, there is certainly no need for any introduction or to convince you one way or another about its quality. For many others who have either only heard about the show or have perhaps caught several episodes every now and then, you might want to find out if "Charmed" is really as good as some of your friends might have you believe. Well, let´s find out, shall we?
"Charmed" tells the story of the three Halliwell sisters, who unfortunately do not get along very well with one another. The first episode, titled "Something Wicca This Way Comes", provides an explanation about how our three heroine witches came to be and firmly sets the tone for the rest of the series. Prue, the eldest of the three, and Piper, the middle sister, just recently moved into their grandmother´s gorgeous Victorian house in San Francisco after her death about six months before. Phoebe, the youngest of the three sisters, who had a falling out with Prue earlier and moved away to New York City, has just returned to live with her sisters after losing her job there. The tension between Prue and Phoebe are still simmering when Phoebe chances upon the Book of Shadows in the attic, presumably a book of spells belonging to their grandmother. The book foretells a prophecy about the Charmed Ones, three sisters in the family who will be the strongest witches of all and who will use their powers for good to battle evil warlocks and demons. Upon finishing speaking an incantation from the book, Phoebe accidentally unleashed a spell that bestowed unique magical powers to each of the three sisters. Pru can now move objects with her mind; Piper can freeze time while Phoebe has premonitions about the future. Together, the sisters must now use their combined powers to combat evil each week.
Certainly, "Charmed" has its own unique char....er...allure. First, it is hard not to take instant notice of the show´s three very attractive lead actresses. Like most, if not all, of WB´s other shows, "Charmed" features attractive young stars that appeal directly to its intended teen and young adult audience. Couple the show´s eye-catching stars with a weekly array of sexy designer wardrobe, together with a wide choice of hit songs from Warner Bros.´s music label, and you will have the secret formula for the WB network´s success down cold. In the television business, image is everything. While CBS is known to cater to an older demographic and Fox is famous for churning out quirky shows, the WB primarily sticks to attracting the younger, hipper set, who in turn, attracts flocks of advertisers trying to capture that lucrative market.
Second, "Charmed" has an uncomplicated storyline that is easy to follow and does not need its audience to know every nuance or subplot in order to keep in touch with the general comings and goings of the show. It is somewhat like a "procedural" cop show where every episode can more or less stands alone on its own without having to know what happened previously. This is good news for the casual viewers. However, there is a caveat to this. As the show is currently in its seventh season, some major changes have occurred over the years, including the departure of Shannen Doherty (replaced by Rose McGowan) after the third season and Piper´s and Phoebe´s marriages. These character evolutions aside, each episode of "Charmed" remains a standard story arc that gets resolved in its usual 42-minute runtime.
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