While the TV-watching public may be getting tired of reboots and remakes of old shows, it's pretty clear that the powers that be in the television landscape are still pretty damn committed to relying on known properties to help fill out their schedules. When we first heard that a new version of the (semi) classic WB show Charmed was in the works, fans of the first series (as well as some of the stars) nearly rioted. A lot of changes were clearly going to be made, and people were up in arms that yet another beloved television show from years past would be reworked for today, with the idea that the first series couldn't possibly have held up.
The new Charmed focuses on half sisters Maggie and Mel Vera, and their newly found eldest half sister Macy Vaughn. After their mother is killed by a (currently unknown) demon, the sisters find themselves with some cool witch powers, and a combined destiny that calls for them to protect humanity from all manner of magical baddies. Hilltowne, Michigan, the fictional town where the series is set, is a college town better known by some locals as "Helltown," so it's incredibly likely that the area has already seen many unexplained events that simply couldn't have been stopped or solved by their mom on her own. Now, of course, this trio will be the point people involved in stopping happenings in Hilltowne from getting out of hand.
Well, now that the Charmed reboot has finally aired on The CW and fans have decided whether they're happy with it or not, we can go over the biggest ways that the new show is actually a lot like the original. And, even with all the updates made to the witchified series, there are quite a few aspects that OG fans will recognize.
What's In A Name?
One of the biggest differences with the rebooted Charmed is that the family at the center of the story is Latin. So, instead of the Halliwell sisters, we have the Vera sisters invoking the Power of Three and trying to fulfill their destiny as The Charmed Ones. But, just like in the original show, each sister has a first name that begins with the same letter. In Charmed 1.0 were were introduced to Prue, Piper, Phoebe and (later) Paige, and now Charmed 2.0 has given us Mel, Macy and Maggie. And, in keeping with that idea, their mother is Marisol, whereas the Halliwell's mom was named Patty. All this basically means is that anyone who loves alliteration and writes about Charmed will have their dream assignment if they play their cards right.
Everyone Gets A Superpower!
Obviously, you can't be one of The Charmed Ones without discovering your new witchy powers, and the gifts used by two of the Vera sisters are identical to those given to the corresponding Halliwell sisters in the first series. Eldest sister Macy has telekinesis, much like Prue Halliwell, and middle sister Mel can freeze time, just like Piper Halliwell. And, in case you're wondering, youngest sister Maggie is a telepath, which is a bit of a change from Phoebe Halliwell having the gift of premonition. We don't know if there's a story-based reason as to why this change was made yet, but I'm hoping there's a pretty cool explanation for it (An even more secret fourth sister!) that we'll understand before long.
Home Is Where The Heart Is
I don't know what it is about shows with families of witches, but they never live in cramped apartments or shotgun houses with the roof falling in. Oh, no, like the Halliwell sisters before them, the Veras have inherited a lovely, sprawling, Victorian home from their witchy ancestors; this time from their recently departed mother, as opposed to their grandmother. Aside from the fact that the homes also look almost identical from the outside, they also have similar crowded, potentially creepy attic spaces from where the sisters can cast spells from the Book of Shadows and then try not to die when bad things happen anyway. I can't wait for the scene where they magically fight a demon in the attic, and, during the process, all the junk in the room begins to float and whirl around. You know that's coming before the end of Season 1, right?
A Little Witchy Help
Seeing as how Maggie, Mel and Macy just had their witch powers unbound and are trying to get used to vanquishing demons and other baddies from the Earth, it would make sense that they'd need some help getting used to all the rules of witchdom, as well as all the ins and outs of the demon world and how to fully use their new powers. Even though they lost their mom, who could have taught them about all these things, they are not alone. Just like the Halliwell sisters, these ladies have their own Whitelighter, Harry Greenwood, to advise and guide them. There's no telling right now if Harry will end up marrying one of the Vera sisters like previous Whitelighter Leo did, but if he does we certainly hope that all doubts about his ability to be trusted by them have been cleared up long before that time comes.
Mmmmm, Sisters
As in the original version of Charmed, the whole show hinges on Maggie, Mel and Macy drawing on the Power of Three and being able to join each other in the fight against supernatural evil. Even though the sisters have radically different personalities - with Maggie being bubbly and fun-loving, Mel being strong-willed and outspoken, and Macy being practical and shy - the sisterly bonds are strong with these ladies. Mel and Maggie are also quickly committed to Macy by the end of the pilot, even though she wasn't raised with them, and, in fact, they didn't know about her (or vice versa) until after their mom died and their powers were unbound. So, you can bet that Charmed will continue to focus on these sisters having each others' backs in dire times and using their gifts to fight the good fight against a whole host of evil for as long as possible. Along with, I'm sure, having the occasional sisterly spat. And, we wouldn't have it any other way.
