Alyssa Milano is the latest Charmed star to broadcast her feelings about the show’s upcoming reboot. Milano, who played Phoebe Halliwell in the original, made her view clear in an interview with ET, saying she won’t be making an appearance in the new series. “I wish that they would have come to us and we would have been involved since the beginning,” Milano is quoted. “But having said that, I do hope that it reaches the newer generation and impacts that generation the way ours was able to do for its generation.”
Other Charmed stars Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs have also critiqued the reboot. Doherty complained earlier this year about the series announcement which said it was “a fierce, funny, feminist reboot” implying the original series wasn’t any of those things. “Their wording is terrible and a bit offensive,” she tweeted.
Combs took an even harsher tone, but also shed light on the significant issue with trying to revive a television show. Her tweet read, “Here’s the thing. Until you ask us to rewrite it like Brad Kern did weekly don’t even think of capitalising 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.”
Staying clear of the concern is Rose McGowan, who joined the show in 2001. In an Instagram post she wrote, “Is the reboot really that bad? I hope not” and wished “nothing but the best for the new female actors.”
The original Charmed series ran from 1998 to 2006 and became one of the longest running shows featuring all female leads. Only time will tell if this Charmed reboot will add to the show’s legacy. In the meantime watch the trailer for the new series and check out some of the differences yourself.