It's official: 2018 is the year of the witch. First, news broke the CW is making a Riverdale sister series about Sabrina the Teenage Witch. (That show is still happening, by the way; it's just been moved to Netflix.) And now a reboot that was announced last year is officially, officially happening: Charmed. Yes, members of my coven, the show that essentially brought witches into the mainstream is coming back. And we finally have some details.
The logistics from last year's vague report still hold up: The reboot is happening at the CW. According to Entertainment Weekly, the network has already put in a pilot order. Jessica O’Toole and Amy Rardin, who have credits on Jane the Virgin, are writing the script, so get excited.
That's not all we know, though. This reboot is also receiving a great—and necessary—feminist twist. Per EW, the CW describes this new incarnation as a "fierce, funny, feminist reboot." "Between vanquishing supernatural demons, tearing down the patriarchy, and maintaining familial bonds, a witch’s work is never done," the network's official description reads.
Oh, and there's one more detail that'll really make fans happy: The reboot's happening in the present-day—not the '70s, as previously reported—which opens the opportunity for the Charmed OGs (Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan, Holly Marie Combs, and Shannen Doherty) to make cameos. Milano and McGowan are both vocal feminist activists now, so they should especially consider dropping by Halliwell Manor again. Cast a spell, and maybe it'll happen.
There's no official premiere date for the Charmed reboot yet, but fingers crossed it happens sooner rather than later. It's high time for a new generation to learn all about Prue, Piper, and Phoebe.
UPDATE, January 26, 2018 at 11:44 A.M: It seems like Holly Marie Combs isn't too happy with the Charmed reboot. The actress took a few swipes at it on Twitter this morning. "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," she wrote. See it for yourself, below:
Specifically, it appears Combs isn't happy with the reboot rebranding itself as "feminist" because the implication is that the original was not.
However, she did write in several tweets that she wishes the reboot runners "well," so maybe the beef isn't as deep as we think.
However, she did write in several tweets that she wishes the reboot runners "well," so maybe the beef isn't as deep as we think.
