tv show Charmed: Original Series Discussion | Complete Blu Ray Boxset Released

[livelikemusic]

2 hours ago, Dream said:

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Totally agree. Charmed was at its best when it combined darker storytelling with campier elements. The first four seasons nailed this but the show became way too lighthearted from season 5 onward. Even the cinematography of the show changed, with the show being brightly lit like a sitcom in seasons 5-6.

 

Phoebe as Queen of Evil should've been the climax of the whole show. It would've been a game changer and those final few episodes in season 4 are so good. I love We're Off to See the Wizard and Long Live the Queen. I also think they messed up the Cole as The Source storyline because at one point ('Three Faces of Phoebe'), it seems that he's being possessed by The Source's essence but then they retcon it in season 5 to completely blame him for everything that happened. But he only took in The Hollow and absorbed The Source's powers because he was trying to save the girls.  They never acknowledge that and instead lean into the abusive stalker ex storyline in season 5, which was such an unsatisfying way to conclude his character on the show.

True about 7 bringing back darker elements compared to 6. I think I slightly prefer 6 to 7 because the budget is bigger, the set pieces are grander, and the standalones are slightly more fun. But 5-7 almost blur into one for me after the 100th episode tbh. I definitely agree that 7 felt more mature than 6.

Spoiler

They de-humanized Cole for the demon... and that was so dissatisfying. SO dissatisfying. And, truth be told, in S3 when Phoebe is told her true love's name begins with "C", I fully believe the intent was for it to be Cole. And when they got to the eighth season, they said, "Oh s**t! We forgot about this!" and retconned Coop into the mix. Overall, TPTB were messy with this show. Absolutely messy.

Honestly, I only remember S6 for the Chris storyline and Gideon. Other than that, I remember nothing.

[Nano]

With the exception of the Avatars storyline and the occasional decent standalone episode, this show was a disgrace after S4. Really felt like the showrunners gave zero Fs.

[ithinkheknowsoutsold]

Rewatching the show for the first time in years, and the first 3 seasons have been amazing so far. I always preferred the Prue seasons but I do love Paige as a character, I'm excited to see how the rest of it goes.

[chosensparkles]

1 hour ago, ithinkheknowsoutsold said:

Rewatching the show for the first time in years, and the first 3 seasons have been amazing so far. I always preferred the Prue seasons but I do love Paige as a character, I'm excited to see how the rest of it goes.

I think I still like to rewatch the first 4 seasons... and then going downhill

overall I think it's one of those shows that is just a product of its time, didnt' age really well in terms of feminism and how female characters were portrayed

[Gorjesspazze9]

I got some of my highschool students to watch Charmed😆 they love it. 

[Power love]

4 hours ago, chosensparkles said:

think I still like to rewatch the first 4 seasons... and then going downhill

[livelikemusic]

4 hours ago, chosensparkles said:

I think I still like to rewatch the first 4 seasons... and then going downhill

Same. My canon stops at the end of the fourth season. Season seven mid-day to end had some better points... but I really wish a petition for the eighth season hadn't happened.

[Dream]

The first four seasons really do feel like a completely different show versus seasons 5 - 8. "Witch Way Now?" has a series finale vibe to it.

 

Season 5 onwards is Sex and the City with witches. I still enjoy watching it but it's not the same.

[americanlife]

I always go back to seasons 1-3, they’re so rewatchable. I don’t often watch season 4 and after. 

[Eóghan]

6 minutes ago, americanlife said:

I always go back to seasons 1-3, they’re so rewatchable. I don’t often watch season 4 and after. 

you're giving prejudice to season 4 because that's when Rose McGowan replaced Shannen Doherty but season 4 is in the same continuation as 1-3. same writers, same showrunner, same time slot, same directive as 1-3 given by the network.

season 4 actually motivated the whole crew in front and behind the camera to double down to prove that they can do it without Shannen.

 

season 5 is where things really changed.

'Constance M. Burge', the creator, left the show for good.

they changed time slot for the first time from thursday (teen oriented slot) to sunday (a familial slot). and the WB asked the showrunner to completely abandon the serial system. this led to the largely episodic structure of season five and resulted in the two systems being balanced from the sixth season onwards.

[Dylangaga]

I love rewatching every season!

[Gabers05]

Need to do a rewatch of this it's been so long since I've watched it, like a decade.

 

Season 1-5 are my favorites by far I start to love it a little less in Seasons 6-8. 

 

Seasons 3-4 are the peak of the show for me, really really love season 2 as well. 

[americanlife]

I’ve been rewatching season 5 and I’m gonna work on rewatching seasons 6-8 since I always stay watching 1-4. I found out Shannen, Holly, and Rose will be at Comic Con in my state this fall! I’m gonna go.

[Miley Cyrus]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxA5Q8PL16U/

 

ahhh our toxic faves  king and queen of the underworld

they're doing a convention in france ill share the video when it gets posted!

[GraceRandolph]

On 7/23/2023 at 10:03 PM, Gabers05 said:

Need to do a rewatch of this it's been so long since I've watched it, like a decade.

 

Season 1-5 are my favorites by far I start to love it a little less in Seasons 6-8. 

 

Seasons 3-4 are the peak of the show for me, really really love season 2 as well. 

Season 4 is so ******* rewatchable. 

[Gabers05]

8 hours ago, GraceRandolph said:

Season 4 is so ******* rewatchable. 

Right it's so good! My first Charmed episodes were in Season 4.

 

So I was like wait where is Paige when I started from season 1 but I loved Prue and it became my favorite show at the time. I was known as the Charmed stan during high school.

[shark_heather]

I wish Charmed was on Netflix or at least Disney+

[Kevin2803]

8 hours ago, shark_heather said:

I wish Charmed was on Netflix or at least Disney+

It's available on Paramount+

[Buffy]

On 7/23/2023 at 7:52 PM, Dream said:

The first four seasons really do feel like a completely different show versus seasons 5 - 8. "Witch Way Now?" has a series finale vibe to it.

 

Season 5 onwards is Sex and the City with witches. I still enjoy watching it but it's not the same.

It’s because Constance M Burge who is responsible for the “sisterhood” dynamic and better writing of Seasons 1-3 left the show after Brad Kern wanted to take the show in a different direction (more comedic and more sex appeal). Seasons 5-8 are a huge joke. I hate everything about them. 
 

After rewatching the show this past year, Season 1 is by far the most superior followed by Season 3.

[Dylangaga]

Charmed is also on Peacock

[chosensparkles]

On 9/18/2023 at 7:30 AM, Buffy said:

It’s because Constance M Burge who is responsible for the “sisterhood” dynamic and better writing of Seasons 1-3 left the show after Brad Kern wanted to take the show in a different direction (more comedic and more sex appeal). Seasons 5-8 are a huge joke. I hate everything about them. 
 

After rewatching the show this past year, Season 1 is by far the most superior followed by Season 3.

exactly, had the show kept the quality of 1-4, it would have been a nice show to rewatch but it became so bad after that with Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan fighting for the title of which one will get the most undressed

I know it wasn't their personal choice but gosh it truly sucked how reductive it became

I'd say my fav seasons were:

S1 - S3 - S2 - S4

[livelikemusic]

I remember thinking how bad I wanted that eighth final season... and now, I wish it had just ended on the seventh season finale.

[Buffy]

1 hour ago, chosensparkles said:

exactly, had the show kept the quality of 1-4, it would have been a nice show to rewatch but it became so bad after that with Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan fighting for the title of which one will get the most undressed

I know it wasn't their personal choice but gosh it truly sucked how reductive it became

I'd say my fav seasons were:

S1 - S3 - S2 - S4

I believe it was all of their faults in the end. I remember reading an interview with Holly and she supported the magic fairytales and sex appeal because it was female empowering or whatever. 

[chosensparkles]

4 minutes ago, Buffy said:

I believe it was all of their faults in the end. I remember reading an interview with Holly and she supported the magic fairytales and sex appeal because it was female empowering or whatever. 

mess!

I remember Krista Vernoff who worked on S4-5-6 and said the executives and the WB were demanding those kind of episodes and asked writers to find ways for Alyssa or Rose to get the less clothes per episodes to make the male demographic go up

[Buffy]

1 minute ago, chosensparkles said:

mess!

I remember Krista Vernoff who worked on S4-5-6 and said the executives and the WB were demanding those kind of episodes and asked writers to find ways for Alyssa or Rose to get the less clothes per episodes to make the male demographic go up

It got so stupid. Phoebe became unbearable to watch. I don’t know how the main actors didn’t see the decline in the show’s writing. How do you go from S1-S4 and then suddenly break out into episodes with dwarves, mermaids, dragons, elves, and Excalibur (which happens to be Holly’s favorite episode ever  - no wonder the show was doomed)? They also got super lazy with the vanquishes too. All they ever did was throw potions in S7-S8. 
 

Look at this, the Triad got vanquished by potions. Hearing them cast spells and seeing unique vanquishes was what made the show fun to watch