Entertainment

Dean Buscher/The CW

The Original 'Charmed' Cast Has Criticized The Reboot

by Megan Walsh

When a beloved show is rebooted or revived, the original stars will often make an appearance in the newest version as a treat for the fans. It's always fun to see actors return to their most memorable roles, especially when the show has as devoted a following as Charmed did in its heyday. The series returns to the CW with a new cast on Oct. 14, but will the original cast be on the Charmed reboot too, even if only for a guest appearance?

It doesn't look likely. In fact, there seems to be some tension between the old and new versions of Charmed that make a crossover between the two all the more improbable. The trouble seems to have begun when it was announced that the reboot would add a "feminist storyline. In response, original cast member Holly Marie Combs tweeted, "Guess we forgot to do that the first go around. Hmph."

Though she also wished them well, Combs later tweeted, "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 [sic]."

Combs' co-star Alyssa Milano told Entertainment Tonight that she didn't have any interest in making a cameo or directing an episode of the Charmed reboot, saying that she believed "that ship has sailed" for her. And while she wished there had been more involvement with the original cast, she hoped for the best for the new show. Milano said:

I wish that they would have come to us and we would have been involved since the beginning. 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.

Shannen Doherty initially tweeted that she found the description of the show "terrible and a bit offensive," though she conceded, "Everyone makes mistakes. Perhaps with the backlash they will be more thoughtful in future." She also saw many positives in the show returning, including the idea that it might inspire a new generation and provide more great roles for women.

But even if she was more open to the idea of the reboot, Doherty still wouldn't be signing on for a guest spot. That's because she's already been in so many revivals of past projects — including the CW's 90210 reboot, Paramount's Heathers, and Kevin Smith's potentially upcoming Mallrats sequel — that she told Entertainment Weekly she felt she couldn't be the "reboot queen."

The cast and crew of the CW's Charmed have expressed some disappointment over the negative reactions from the original stars. Executive producer Jessica O'Toole explained to TV Guide that they all loved the original, though she also felt it effectively concluded the story of the Halliwell sisters. O'Toole said:

We're only here because of [that show]. We were huge fans of the original, by the way. That show wrapped everything up so wonderfully — they all got their happy endings, and there were even glimpses of their future. We felt like it told a complete story.

If that's the case, there may be no need to bring those characters back. However, Melonie Diaz, one of the actresses starring in the reboot, said that they were "really open" to including the original cast. "I'm thankful to them and I hope they can be part of our show," she told the New York Post.

While right now it seems highly unlikely that the original cast will feature into the Charmed reboot, it doesn't look like that door is closed forever, either.