A Beloved 1990s Reboot Series Has Been Canceled
The boom of 1990s nostalgia might be finally slowing down, as another reboot of a beloved series has been summarily canceled.
When we think of reboots of successful television shows from the 1990s, often it might relate to Saved by the Bell or Beverly Hills, 90210. While both shows have been reprised several times over, it should come as no shock that audiences are still longing for the nostalgia of more 90s flair. Cut to one of the more iconic Aaron Spelling-produced series that premiered in the late 1990s to much admiration from a devoted fan base: Charmed. Recently, the hit show was rebooted for a new generation, but it looks like the adventures of three witchy sisters are coming to an end.
After debuting on the CW to a new set of audiences in 2018, Charmed is being canceled, per a report from Deadline. Intended to be a modern-day reboot of the original series, the newest CW show to get the ax went through significant changes along the way. After four seasons and several showrunners, as well as one main cast change later, the series is saying goodbye. Starting after the first season, original showrunner Carter Covington was replaced by Liz Kruger and Craig Shapiro, who were then replaced after the third season by Jeffrey Lieber, Joey Falco, and Nicki Renna. To make matters worse, original cast member Madeleine Mantock left and was replaced by Lucy Barrett.
The 2018 version of Charmed starred Mantock, Melonie Diaz, and Sarah Jeffrey as three sisters. After their mother dies, they uncover the truth that they are “Charmed Ones, valued as good witches who protect the world from evil forces. When Mantock’s character died in the third season, Barrett came in as Mikaela, another witch and “Charmed One.” As Variety reported back in 2018, this reboot was slated to follow alongside another 90s reboot, Roswell: New Mexico, which was also canceled this month, per TV Fanatic.
The Charmed reboot was grounded on change and desired to set itself apart from its predecessor. Unlike the 90s version, this incarnation was heavily focused on a diverse cast with all three leads being women of color. Melonie Diaz’s character of Mel Vera was a lesbian, which marked a major shift into greater LGBTQ+ representation on the network. There was some slight controversy at first, per TV Guide, when the show was debuting, when original series cast member Holly Marie Combs expressed her disappointment on Twitter about the CW not asking for the involvement of the original’s cast and crew before the reboot took place.
The 90s version of Charmed aired on the precursor to the CW, the WB, for 8 seasons starting in 1998. Costarring with Combs (Piper Halliwell) were her TV sisters Shannen Doherty as Prue Halliwell and Alyssa Milano as Phoebe Halliwell. Doherty left after the third season, and was replaced by Rose McGowan as Paige Matthews, the Halliwell’s half-sister who appears after Doherty’s character is killed off. Much like the circumstances of the reboot series, the original was canceled when it couldn’t cast a spell on audiences to remain a hit in 2006 after its eighth season.
