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10 Things From 'Charmed' Pilot You Never Noticed...
Jun 15, 2015 18:37:17 GMT
Prue Brianna Johnna Halliwell likes this
Post by Elizabeth Turner on Jun 15, 2015 18:37:17 GMT
10 Things From The 'Charmed' Pilot You Never Noticed Because Alyssa Milano Wasn't Always Phoebe
In the late 1990s, the defunct network The WB took up real estate in my pre-teen heart. There was Felicity, Dawson’s Creek, and the show that I still have a complicated obsession with, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. When Charmed premiered in 1998 I was quickly hooked. A part of me is still bitter about Prue (the superior sister) being killed off because of the tempestuous disagreements between Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty and behind the scenes drama. There were rumors of a Charmed reboot last year. But for any worried Charmed diehards there is no need to worry, the reboot was nixed soon after the announcement.
Charmed may not be considered a great show especially by the prestige standards of today’s television but I have great fondness for its first few seasons. That’s why I decided to rewatch the first three seasons and i was surprised at how much I still enjoyed the pilot. At its best Charmed mixes strong female characters, intense sibling dynamics, frothy romance, and a fun take on witchcraft. It’s interesting to compare the pilot episode to where the show ends up eight seasons later. Why don’t we take a look back to how Charmed started all the way back in 1998?
1) Alyssa Milano Wasn’t The First Actress Cast To Play Phoebe
Lori Rom was the first actress cast as soon-to-be fan favorite, Phoebe Halliwell. But she quit after filming the unaired pilot. Alyssa Milano definitely fits the role much better than Lori did. Just check out the Youtube video comparing their different takes on the character to see why it’s best Milano took on the role.
2) The Animosity Between Alyssa Milano & Shannen Doherty Is Evident
Very evident. But that’s why their dynamic worked so much better than how it was with the original actress cast as Phoebe.
3) It Feels Like A Real Sisterhood
What’s wonderful about the pilot episode that I forgot about was how much Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and Alyssa Milano imbued their characters with a sense of sisterhood. It was the perfect mix of sibling rivalry and genuine caring. This is why it doesn’t surprise me that Doherty and Combs are still good friends to this day.
4) Charmed Is Totally ’90s
Just look at the fashion.
5) Charmed Gets Compared to Buffy A Lot But It’s More Like This ’90s Show…
I get why Charmed gets compared a lot to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. WB ordered Charmed after witnessing the critical and cult success of the better written Buffy take shape a year into the series. But these two show only have a superficial resemblance. Charmed far more resembles Xena: The Warrior Princess with its mix of drama, wacky humor, intensely layered mythology, and feminism-lite vibe.
6) Witchcraft Is More Central In The Early Seasons
Charmed was very interested in making potions, spells, how the badass Halliwell family line gives these sisters their powers, and legit wicca terminology. But in the later seasons with mystical beings introduced the show moved away from witchcraft as a central theme and had the sister rely more on their increasing powers sans intricate spells and potions.
7) The Writing Wasn’t Always Ridiculously Cheesy
Re-watching the pilot made me realize that Charmed wasn’t always a love obsessed, cheesy show more interested in fantastical creatures rather than the witchy sisterhood at its center. The pilot mixes a compelling dynamic of sisters reconnecting and finding out their true calling.
8) Demons Aren’t The Only Issue For These Sisters
These women have a lot of dating issues. The first few seasons find a balance between modern womanhood and the sister’s lives as witches. But somewhere around Season 4 and 5 the show tips over into caring much more about the drama that comes from the men in their lives rather than how the sister’s relate to each other.
9) Love Is The Main Theme
At it’s heart Charmed has always been about love between sisters and true romantic love.
10) The Show Lost A Lot By Killing Prue
Charmed definitely lost something when the big sister went to the great beyond. While a lot of people blamed Alyssa Milano for Shannen Doherty being fired it has much more to do with other behind the scenes tensions. Doherty felt the show could be better and wanted it have more depth while going for a darker tone but keeping the theme of sisterhood intact.
The powers that be behind the show weren’t keen on her demands and fired her. They felt they could lose her since Milano had the fan base. The other person who left the show when Doherty did? Series creator and writer Constance M. Burge. Charmed got pretty bad in its last few seasons and I can totally understand where Doherty is coming from. It was a fun show that never really amounted to much and lost track of its core theme instead becoming obsessed with increasingly soap plots and the sister’s love lives rather than their own sense of sisterhood in the five seasons that followed after Prue died. Even then I still have a soft spot for Charmed and recommend you to fire up Netflix to watch the show. Just stop around Season 3 for your own sanity.
In the late 1990s, the defunct network The WB took up real estate in my pre-teen heart. There was Felicity, Dawson’s Creek, and the show that I still have a complicated obsession with, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. When Charmed premiered in 1998 I was quickly hooked. A part of me is still bitter about Prue (the superior sister) being killed off because of the tempestuous disagreements between Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty and behind the scenes drama. There were rumors of a Charmed reboot last year. But for any worried Charmed diehards there is no need to worry, the reboot was nixed soon after the announcement.
Charmed may not be considered a great show especially by the prestige standards of today’s television but I have great fondness for its first few seasons. That’s why I decided to rewatch the first three seasons and i was surprised at how much I still enjoyed the pilot. At its best Charmed mixes strong female characters, intense sibling dynamics, frothy romance, and a fun take on witchcraft. It’s interesting to compare the pilot episode to where the show ends up eight seasons later. Why don’t we take a look back to how Charmed started all the way back in 1998?
1) Alyssa Milano Wasn’t The First Actress Cast To Play Phoebe
Lori Rom was the first actress cast as soon-to-be fan favorite, Phoebe Halliwell. But she quit after filming the unaired pilot. Alyssa Milano definitely fits the role much better than Lori did. Just check out the Youtube video comparing their different takes on the character to see why it’s best Milano took on the role.
2) The Animosity Between Alyssa Milano & Shannen Doherty Is Evident
Very evident. But that’s why their dynamic worked so much better than how it was with the original actress cast as Phoebe.
3) It Feels Like A Real Sisterhood
What’s wonderful about the pilot episode that I forgot about was how much Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and Alyssa Milano imbued their characters with a sense of sisterhood. It was the perfect mix of sibling rivalry and genuine caring. This is why it doesn’t surprise me that Doherty and Combs are still good friends to this day.
4) Charmed Is Totally ’90s
Just look at the fashion.
5) Charmed Gets Compared to Buffy A Lot But It’s More Like This ’90s Show…
I get why Charmed gets compared a lot to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. WB ordered Charmed after witnessing the critical and cult success of the better written Buffy take shape a year into the series. But these two show only have a superficial resemblance. Charmed far more resembles Xena: The Warrior Princess with its mix of drama, wacky humor, intensely layered mythology, and feminism-lite vibe.
6) Witchcraft Is More Central In The Early Seasons
Charmed was very interested in making potions, spells, how the badass Halliwell family line gives these sisters their powers, and legit wicca terminology. But in the later seasons with mystical beings introduced the show moved away from witchcraft as a central theme and had the sister rely more on their increasing powers sans intricate spells and potions.
7) The Writing Wasn’t Always Ridiculously Cheesy
Re-watching the pilot made me realize that Charmed wasn’t always a love obsessed, cheesy show more interested in fantastical creatures rather than the witchy sisterhood at its center. The pilot mixes a compelling dynamic of sisters reconnecting and finding out their true calling.
8) Demons Aren’t The Only Issue For These Sisters
These women have a lot of dating issues. The first few seasons find a balance between modern womanhood and the sister’s lives as witches. But somewhere around Season 4 and 5 the show tips over into caring much more about the drama that comes from the men in their lives rather than how the sister’s relate to each other.
9) Love Is The Main Theme
At it’s heart Charmed has always been about love between sisters and true romantic love.
10) The Show Lost A Lot By Killing Prue
Charmed definitely lost something when the big sister went to the great beyond. While a lot of people blamed Alyssa Milano for Shannen Doherty being fired it has much more to do with other behind the scenes tensions. Doherty felt the show could be better and wanted it have more depth while going for a darker tone but keeping the theme of sisterhood intact.
The powers that be behind the show weren’t keen on her demands and fired her. They felt they could lose her since Milano had the fan base. The other person who left the show when Doherty did? Series creator and writer Constance M. Burge. Charmed got pretty bad in its last few seasons and I can totally understand where Doherty is coming from. It was a fun show that never really amounted to much and lost track of its core theme instead becoming obsessed with increasingly soap plots and the sister’s love lives rather than their own sense of sisterhood in the five seasons that followed after Prue died. Even then I still have a soft spot for Charmed and recommend you to fire up Netflix to watch the show. Just stop around Season 3 for your own sanity.
I wonder