Everybody missing the real story here: My girl Holly Marie Combs being an awesome actress with incredible range, the first 3 seasons being the insecure middle sister, turning into the bad ass confident oldest sister in the last 5 seasons.
Right? And she retained that kinda anxious snappy thing she had from the original seasons. She didn't change, necessarily, she just developed as she dealt with, frankly, having the most shit dumped on her by the universe of the show.
They all should have just been blood sisters who grew up together! Page the lost sister they found. Yeah that did not make any sense at all. I like page's powers, she was half angel and half witch. But that's it. No pure should have stayed there, she was the best witch on the show!
I loved Piper in the first 4 seasons but she became a total nagging harpy in the later seasons, so much so that you had to wonder how Leo managed to stay with her lol.
@@decadentgamer3108 Agreed!! As a big fan of Charmed myself, you can't help but to call out it's many faults, especially with the characters. Piper Halliwell was one of my favorites out of Charmed sisters too, until they completely made her a shrew-ish homemaker from hell who was basically tethering on villain territory in the later seasons. The once shy, but witty and driven middle sister turned into the miserable older sister that constantly bitched at Leo and was hesitant to use her magic to kick demon ass and save lives after Prue was killed off. The true definition of character assassination!!.
@@caneimcdonald9226 For real. Piper and Phoebe were ruined to the nth degree but Piper got it worse because so many of us loved the shy, sensitive, but driven character that she was in season 1-2, she started showing the shrew signs in season 3 but it wasn't excessive. In Season 4 it was excusable since she was grieving Prue's loss but after that, oh man was she insufferable...
Or rather once Doherty left. Rose only had a slight amount of control compared to Milano and her direction. Just look at the show about Maids that was very Desperate house wives that milano was in control of
Perfect comment ever. Although I loved Season 7 so much, the first 3 seasons esepcially Season 1 and my favorite Season 3 were most deff Buffy with witches. Idk why especially in Season 6 did it become Sex and the city 🙄
@@guillermodebaskerville7117 Rose McGowan didn't have anything to do with the change at all, i'm highlighting the overall shift in direction and tone with HER seasons (4-8).
I agree. But sadly that's not how showbusiness works. Alyssa was the more established and well known actress at that point. Holly did get final billing though ("And Holly Marie Combs as Piper").
I'm not gonna lie, I liked Rose McGowan's Paige, but she was the only sister who cared about helping people! That was a big problem with Phoebe and Piper, they seemed too overly focused on their own petty problems to bother caring about people. With Shannen Doherty, they seemed to focus more on helping people than their own petty problems, which was kind of you know the entire plot of the show. Then it became about who the Charmed Ones happened to be dating that week, or about kissing Alyssa or Holly's butt because they were producers from Season 5 onwards, but they mostly focused on how awesome Alyssa was.
That’s actually fits piper character. She doesn’t like change. Wether it’s good or bad. Its why she was always the quickest to give up magic. Especially because it’s tied to lost for her.
Shannon allegedly took more of a creative control after season 1, she fought for better stories and archs for the girls. Which is why the was better in the first 3 seasons
Yesss, Charmed was my show back in the day and i'm still a fan til this day, but the best seasons of the show by far was when Shannen Doherty was around. Once Rose McGowan came on it became a whole other show LOL.
I always preferred Prue...didn't hate Paige at all, but the first 3 series always felt better and like the sisters actually gelled, despite the alleged behind the scenes arguments
Yeah same. I missed seeing Prue, Piper, and Phoebe having their morning talks in the kitchen before Prue and Piper left for work, gave total warm feelings that were lost when Piage came in. I don't hate Paige but the chemistry between Prue, Piper, and Phoebe was just so good despite the background fighting.
Even if they weren't talking if the cameras weren't rolling, Milano and Doherty still really played well together on screen. I think the fact that they were written to be, to paraphrase how Vee put it, siblings siblings who couldn't care less about each other until they were forced to live together again.
Yeah it's so weird that they supposedly hated each other so much when their work together on screen was so good. I mean it probably helped that they actually had a lot of scenes where they were like real sisters and sometimes were at odds with each other. But the dynamic was actually good.
my Aunt once said that once Pru left their taste in clothes went down the drain, and this perfectly sums my feelings about the show. in a fight I will back Pru every single time.
Yeah I noticed that the wardrobe became either tacky (mostly Phoebe's wardrobe) or overtly sexualized. The first 2 seasons of Charmed, the wardrobes felt more personalized yet somewhat realistic.
While I mostly agree about the fashion getting a bit tackier, let’s not give Shannen too much credit. Let’s not forget the numerous episodes where they dressed Shannen so you could basically see Prue’s nipples through her shirt. 👀
There definitely was a difference between Prue Charmed and Paige Charmed, but I feel like the show peaked during season 4 as the sisters had to reinvent themselves again. The show declined from season 5 onwards.
Exactly lol, I wrote it as a separate comment but I'll say it here, for me Charmed seasons 1-4 were dark and Buffy-like and 5-8 was too Sabrina the Teenage Witch lol
I always liked Paige .... but it always annoyed me that the power of 3 was actually the power of 4 ... and it made the flashbacks to previous lives really not make sense
It annoyed me really because if the prophecy was three sisters then really they shouldn’t have been the charmed ones because regardless of whether they knew her Paige was their sister so there was always four
This was addressed in a comic (which I believe is canon). Basically Prue was still connected to the sisters' "source" in the Po3, so the other girls could/have never actually tapped into the apex of what theyre capable of. That's why Billy and Christie were even considered a threat to them. The sisters' power is essentially at its strongest/fullest potential when there are only three of them tapping into it.
@@pinkpowercoin3341 the comics are Canon yes, and I think Paige was never me at to be born, no one foresaw her birth because it so against the rules that it wasn't even envisioned and therefore the power of three was given to Prue, Piper and Phoebe before Paige was conceived (remember Patty could use Phoebe's connection the Po3 when pregnant) and then it was bound and protected by Grams. (I also believe that no other member of the family had more than two children and thus those people could never be the Charmed ones) - we also know that Paige only inherited whatever power wasn't in use at the time "according to the prophecy the third sister has the power to move objects with her mind" so that leads me to believe had Piper died that Paige would have the molecular manipulation powers, but no matter what she obvs had her whitelighter powers (which also leads me to believe that her whitelighter side automatically removed her from the Charmed legacy until it was needed)
@@thegeek4145 Paige does get a lot of flack, but I like her character. And I do enjoy the first three seasons very much. Season 4 was well done, including Season 5, but Season 6... something just wasn't right. Season 7 did a little better, and Season 8 ended it quite well.
Remember Paige never properly tapped into the power of three. Remember when Phoebe casting the spell she said "three" thinking of her and the sisters she knew.
I felt the show got really crap during season 4. I enjoyed the first 3 seasons and then they killed off the most interesting sister. By the end of season 4 onwards the three sisters became completely self absorbed and obnoxious
Agreed!! During the years with Rose McGowan, the Halliwells were mean spirited twats towards each other and other characters. The biggest offender imo was Piper who went from being the shy and witty sister to the complete homemaker from hell that constantly bitched at Leo, while Phoebe pretty much blamed everything on Cole LOL.
Canei McDonald Ummm, what? Dating Cole is like dating a drug addict and getting mad at their spouse when they have had enough. They gave him so many chances, after a while you just getting tired of hoping. Next, that so called nagging bitch piper was willing to go against death to save her husband Leo, raised her kids when he was up there’s, all while fighting the forces of evil.
@@awesomeatronik I think he had a great ending, he helped the sisters out in the end and even though they will never know all the good he did it doesn’t matter. He knows he’s doing good.
She must be good at what she does because in these clips it was the other two women that came off poorly. Especially Rose, she sounded like the villain of a crime movie in these interviews " you think I dont know these people".
If you look at the post-Prue seasons, it was all about Phoebe's love life and bad taste in clothes. Once Alyssa and Holly became producers, it became an ego trip.
If anything I would have loved a show with piper boys being witches and Holly being very involved simply because she seemed like a breath of fresh air in those last season's.or maybe she ends up with a nother boy and they somehow become the charmed ones and take over
I do believe that the moment Shannen left , the show died. She was a presence, and the writing and stories were much better with her in it. Come on, all hell breaks loose was directed by her and is still the best episode of the series. I read that she wanted to keep the show at that level of energy and story. It’s a shame she left, I think had she became a producer like the other two actresses, the show would have been amazing. She was missed
The thing I like about Shannon Doherty, I guess, it's the very thing that gets her in the "drama". It shows the public who she really is, and she isn't putting an act on to please anyone. People with an ego hate a person who's comfortable in their own position.
You also forgot to mention with the departure of Shannen Doherty, the actual creator of the show Constance M. Burge left in that same season. They were both undermined with the creative direction of the show, and were basically cast out. They hated the direction that the WB wanted them to go in. I do believe that Shannen did leave before she was fired in an effort to be the one who ended her relationship with the show first. But the god's honest truth is that the WB basically had a weird hatred for Charmed and the actors, the company was always stifling the creative input of the creator and the team. My basic takeaway is that it's Brad Kern, who basically retains the Charmed rights, and Alyssa Milano that were the root of all the unnecessary drama. And yes, my favorite was Prue, she definitely impacted my childhood the most.
Notice how Charmed never ever got the same promo as a Dawsons Creek or Buffy. sad to say but the only decent promo of Charmed is the Season 3 premiere trailer.
To this day, Holly still speaks ill of how Brad was like. She even laughed when he started getting accused of shit, course that was also due to him stealing the Book of Shadows prop when the series ended.
Idk why. As a Charmed fan, it always made me feel sad knowing the actresses had problems with each other behind the scenes. Dealing with actors and actresses can be problematic. 😵
I remember in 6th grade EVERYBODY was obsessed with this show at my school. The girls for the drama & shit The boys for Cole & the demons. Because Cole was SO BADASS
I'm a girl and I definitely kept watching for Cole for a time. Even when the writing wasn't the best and they couldn't decide how to handle the character, he was so damned interesting.
i stopped watching charmed when they replaced prue. about 10 years later, i finally got over it and watched the rest of the series in reruns. now i've seen the entire series all the way through 3 times (before netflix was a thing. i had to record them off tnt.) and i think paige is my favorite character.
Really liked the show back in the day but when Doherty left, my interest left with her. She was the prettier, the more charismatic and the best character in the show. That they kicked her out instead of Milano was just stupid.
Not gonna lie, when I was a kid, I only watched Charmed because Rose McGowan n Alyssa Milano were ultra hot. Other than that, it was too girly for me. Opinions of a 13 year old child
My faves in order: Prue, Piper, Paige, Andy, Leo, and Pheobe. And I agree with Shannen that the show could have had better writing and more direction--after all, her first gigs were working opposite Michael Landon (who allowed absolutely NO slacking or monkey-shine on his set, and Wilford Brimley and Deirdre Hall (both of whom had stellar acting chops and dedicated work experience). The show was okay for the fourth season, but it was never the same. Shannen brought something to the show that made it special. JMHO.
The coolest thing about this show is that when I used to watch it 20 years ago nobody seemed to watch it, now it's 2020 and people are still talking about it and rewatching it. Ok maybe it wasn't the best show ever, but it was iconic in many ways. When I heard Shannen Doherty was leaving I couldn't believe it, because you couldn't think of Charmed without Prue. But when they introduced Rose/Paige I liked her from the very beginning because (long story short, believe it or not) I had had a sort of premunition about her even before knowing Shannen was leaving. Paige was a good addition to the show, I'm only sorry she didn't have a decent storyline (irrelevant relationships and had to quit her job to be a witch) and she never met Prue. I also prefer the first seasons where there was Prue, I think that despite their offscreen arguments and their different features, they were pretty believable as sisters. However in some of my favourite episodes there was Paige. After season 4 I thought the show would run out of ideas and come to an end soon, but season 5 is probably my favourite straight after season 2 with Piper's pregnancy and all. Season 8 was full of bad ideas for me, considering it was the last season, it should've been more focused on the sisters while we waisted time with Billy and her sis. They rushed everything, from Paige getting married to Phoebe moving out and meeting Coop, but at least the end was nice with most of the family together. And yes, it was weird that the had photos of everybody in their family except Prue!
I'm also a 27 year old guy and God I love Charmed so freaking much. 😂 The decline you felt after season 3 has a reason: along with Shannen (who was pushing for better, deeper and darker storylines), Constance M. Burge, the creator of the show, also departed from it. Constance based the characters on her own sisters and their relationship, so she knew how to write them very well and were to take their storylines. About Paige: I hate her. I like Dawn better than her. Seriously. We've already had the quirky, irresponsible, free spirited sister growing up thing with Phoebe through 3 seasons. It was like getting a second Phoebe only way more self-centered. I couldn't stand her, but I like Rose McGowan though. Thanks for your video! 🇧🇷
Prue. Not only did she have the coolest/strongest powers but Shannen was also the strongest actress of the three. With her the show had more of a dark tone and she was also the eldest and the leader. Alyssa aka Phoebe was the weakest of the three not only because of her passive powers but also acting wise. She was ditzy and her look would change from one episode to another on a whim. Kind of distracting to go from pale skin and long hair and then suddenly tan with short hair then back again. I could never really believe any of the emotions she was supposedly attempting to convey. Good thing Holly aka Piper was there to hold it together since she herself was also a great actress. Then enters Rose McGowan, another weak actress who couldn't get her footing. We were left with two of three sisters being mediocre but now It was far more obvious when there was no more balance between the three. It became melodramatic and goofy the plotlines got more ridiculous as the show went on and it also looked like they lost there budget since it looked cheap. Now saying that I've recently been watching season 4 for the first time since re-runs back in the day and with all its faults I still enjoyed it. At least I did for the ~14 episodes I've watched. But that might be because I enjoy the Or he references it makes it feel like any episode now she'll be back.
I watched Charmed when it first aired, I loved it. I stopped watching when they killed off Prue, I hated Rose McGowan at the time. But, years later, I watched the entire series. I love it all now. When I watch Prue, I wish she had stayed. When I watch Paige, I wish she'd been there from the beginning. Seems my initial assessment was right, on a personal level, though, because Rose McGowan is kinda nutty.
God video. I disagree about Shannen and Alyssa's on screen chemistry though their chemistry was fantastic and I never felt the characters didn't care for each other (not even during the first few episodes of season one when they were supposed to hate each other) . I think all of the orginal 3 actresses had amazing chemistry with each other onscreen. Little things like playful looks they'd shoot each other during dialog, when they'd walk hand in hand while out and about, the inside jokes the characters had with each other, etc. There was just a genuine sister bond that came across onscreen with the orginal three actresses. That chemistry was severely lacking with Paige, Rose always seemed disinterested in the role and just phoned it in the entire 5 seasons she was there.
I don't get why people loved Prue. She never grew as a character, and she got the chance to do so for three seasons. Phoebe, by the second season decides to take resposibility for herself and her own life. She goes to college, and becomes a professional journalist. Piper does change too, she becomes more confident and grows from Prue's death. Prue even lashes back at Phoebe for not being present when Piper first got shot in the 3rd season finale. Phoebe was in the underwold trying to help defeat the demon. What kind of sister does that?
To me Prue’s development was that she was never self absorbed, she was constantly putting her sisters lives and welfare into consideration before hers. Which I think is why a lot of people loved her because she had (first-child) habits, which was being the parent and adult to protect the others. Now I would’ve like to see that she changes as seasons went on and stop being so uptight. To soon realize that the magic wasn’t stopping the happiness in her life but herself.
I think that's the point prue was always that I got your back no matter what. And the writers failed to make her grow which is why I'm researching it and comparing it to the remake
my Aunt once said that once Pru left their taste in clothes went down the drain, and this perfectly sums my feelings about the show. in a fight I will back Pru every single time.
Each Charmed era is unique in their own way. The first one was drama centered and mainly focused on the 3 sisters. The second era was drama-comedy centered and expands the lore of the "Charmed" universe. Is no wonder why my favorite seasons are 3 (the end of Prue's era) & 4 (the begining of Paige's era)
This is like Oasis the Band and the Brothers, i was surprised that those brothers stayed for that long without anyone being hurt or killed as they really hate each other like oil and water. This edition is TV and girls than Rock and Roll, and bad blood brothers.
Prue is by and far my favourite, with Piper a close second. I can't even explain how upset I was when season four aired and I found out Prue was, like, dead dead.
It’s Shannon Doherty, not Dorothy. Also, Shannon was actually fired but was planning on staying. Yes she had issues and wanted to get let out of her contract so she could do a new pilot but instead of letting her out early, she made it seem like they were going to have another season with Prue. Then, they gave her the pink slip while she was filming in Canada. Alyssa and Holly have both said this was a really crappy way to let her go. She would have stayed, but who knows. Honestly, I think Brad Kern had issues with her and we’ll never really know what happened. I’m not saying Alyssa and Shannen didn’t have their bad days but I also think there’s way more to the story. Shannen definitely likes to manipulate the facts, her story always changes. The final truth is, she wanted out. They said no. Season ended, they went behind her back and fired her anyways. She was pissed that they screwed her over, and no she didn’t actually plan her death like she said she did. She likes to spin, Shannen likes to have the power.
I love the first 3 seasons of Charmed especially the third one. Half way through Season 4 the show just goes downhill turning more into Sex and the City. I do think the introduction to Paige was done really well though. Prue is the best sister by far out of the 4, but after she left, Paige became the only likeable sister for me. Phoebe and Piper become very self centered.
But even Paige was starting to get unlikeable in season 6, it felt like the nastiness of Phoebe and Piper rubbed off onto her a little. She was still likeable compared to post OG Phoebe and Piper but yeah lol.
The fact that Rose n Holly had an issue with Alyssa, says a whole lot. (Common sense would say who the problem was all the time.) Plus, Shannen was actually right about how the show needed a change. The 4th season and on, they started doing theme episodes. The sisters had individual lives; in love. I notices when Shannen left, she didn't say a whole lot afterwards. Alyssa was on every program complaining and almost gloating! I didn't believe her at all! I've met many ppl in my 50 years that does alot of bad things; causes problems. And then they act like they're the victim and wants to tell everybody. 😒
Prue made the show. When she was gone, the show declined and honestly, I don't even bother watching any seasons after season 3. Her character made the show so much better. Night and day.
*Time to sleep* Algorithm: Here's a video about Charmed. Me: Never really watched it, but.. Alright I'll bite. Vee: *Mentions Jennifer Love Hewitt* Me: "I recognize that name! She has some great songs! sees other recommended songs..." *a few hours later* "Curse you Algorithm!"
When it comes to the decline to Charmed's quality there's a severe misplace in using Rose McGowan as the reason for this. As her introduction was NOT the reason Charmed got bad. In fact Rose's character Paige became the only likable or rootable character on the show and was the only one focused on what the show's intent was suppose to be. The real reason the show got bad was because of Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs creative control, once Piper and Phoebe were written as perfect characters and became a massive ego project the show's tone changed. Piper and Phoebe themselves became absolutely insufferable versions of themselves. Not only did Piper and Phoebe become less interested in helping others or doing magic, they became horrible people as a result. Phoebe in particular just became Alyssa's window to ego feed a every single one of Phoebe's plots revolved around making her look better in place of someone else, who she was going to date, her search for men and babies and could never be wrong. Even her powers reflected this selfish persona. She also became the overly obsessed workaholic that put her priorities at the expense of everyone around her. As for Piper she became a shrill nagging housewife who was never happy unless she was complaining about something. Not only that but the show actively seemed to constantly go against its main premises, storylines got increasingly more unpolished with its writing, it went from having fantasy elements to fairytales and being Sex and the City. There was even a lack of quality control every season with each susequent season after Season 4 just downgrading in both writing and effects. Even how the actresses began to play their characters were a downgrade.
I agree that Prue was the best, but I'm calling bullshit on your statement that you could tell Shannen and Alyssa didn't like each other based on how they acted in some of their scenes together. They were doing what was in the script. There were plenty of times when Prue and Phoebe behaved like sisters who cared about and loved each other, too.
@Nathaniel Baxter Angel was also a very good show and very good spin-off PERIOD. When Buffy started to get bad (and believe me it did!!) Angel was on a roll, but unfortunately it's constantly being slept on by obsessive Buffy purists.
Shannen Doherty must be notoriously difficult to work with, as she had a similar off screen feud on "Beverly Hills 90210", butted heads with Jason Lee on the set of "Mallrats", and reportedly wasn't exactly pleasant on the set of "Heathers" either. I do hope that she's keeping well, in light of her recent cancer diagnosis. 😢🎗️💚
Is it possible (neigh probablable) that Alyssa was the problem? I love all the actors from the OG charmed but considering how hard she jumped on the "me too" movement, she was quick to support accused predator and Joe Biden and took the pay check from Harvey Weinstein (who produced project runway all stars)... Like Rose says 'I believe she's a lie!'
@@queenmagentafox alyssa is all about BLM, but she's one of the white women that took Metoo from black women that were addressing everyday life and made it about the casting couch in Hollywood.
@@TheVargr she relapsed and unfortunately it's terminal already. She said she is just living her last days to the fullest now. Holly by the way got some flack for not posting a public "I am there for you" message and she went off that this was personal and private affair for her and how dare anyone try to make Shannen's illness a show. She was p.o.ed and rightfully so.
i also loved charmed as a kid. prue was always my fave but when i was younger i believed the media when they said shannon was a bitch. now i feel bad for her.
Haha Shannen "DOROTHY" *Doherty P.S. Prue is the OG and the most powerful Charmed one! I loved SD in the role she and Holly were the best part of the show.
It became so much more campy and cartoon-like after season 4. I think they went from trying to appeal to a young adult woman audience to trying to appeal to the kid crowd after Harry Potter was such a big success. At least Paige got one decent season.
Thanks for this Charmed video. I prefer Prue and the first three seasons of Charmed were the best . No offence to Paige, but Charmed was the best with Prue. I'm glad Shannen and Alyssa are good now.
Haven't seen it but I was listening to some review podcasts about it from Obscurus Lupa's (Movie nights) and the way they described it, it sounds like it was an annoying trainwreck.
Now that I've worked with actors/actresses (all small stuff, nothing big) and have seen how much it takes to plan and put together a production, I just feel bad for the people who have to do the recovery/recasting work after someone leaves due to problems onset. The show is very "real" for the audience, but in reality it's just a person leaving a job they are unhappy with. But managing the disruption to the fiction can't be fun. I'm glad in this case they cast a new character and built almost a new series around it instead of recasting Pru. They have "magic" to justify it, unlike some recastings. The new character gave them at least a reasonable way to keep going as a show. While post-Prue isn't great, it's okay enough to still be an enjoyable show.
Yeah, I'm currently watching Buffy for the first time in my life after putting it off for so long and I have been loving it so much (currently on season 5). I would see people comparing Charmed to Buffy and I could see how Charmed took elements from Buffy in it's earlier seasons but Buffy is clearly the more superior supernatural show imo.
Thanks to local cons I have been able to meet both Shannen and Holly and they're such nice people. I even cracked up Shannen because my fake moustache fell off during our chat. All in all, I have nothing bad to say about these two.
Rachel M. I swear when I was younger I would look forward to seeing the intro more than seeing the episode lol. That’s how much I loved the original tune, it just FIT
I loved both Paige and Pru, but Pru felt more like a cool big sister while Paige felt more like the audience character? I was 10ish watchin this so when a younger sister with arguably cooler powers was added i immediatelly said “yes that is me”. I always wished Pru would come back, and i think she makes one silent appearance as a ghost at one point, but thats obviously not enough. As for my feelings on the show i feel like after Pipers first son (i can never remember if it was wyatt or chris) the whole thing just became extremely convoluted, with time travel and kidnappin the baby and the cults and it got too weird to follow at 10yo, specially wen the TV would play any ep it wanted. Maybe ill rewatch the whole thing and refresh my memory on what the hell that was all about, but Charmed has always had a special place in my heart
Prue and Paige were the best because they weren't producers on the show, they just acted their parts as best they could and did not worry about looking perfect and successful and flawless, which I think is a major factor in the later seasons sucking so much, I recommend Movie Night's season by season review for more details
There definitely *is* a “likeness fee” for reappearances in TV shows, though the actual amount is usually determined by the contract. The idea that they would have had to pay “a full episode rate” just to show pictures of her is highly exaggerated but rooted in fact.
Piper has always been my favorite she remained down to earth while still evolving and I think that had something to do with holly being a producer. Phobea always annoyed me because everything was just about love for her and it's like her powers was less and less incorporated because being charmed didn't matter but being in love did. And Paige she just seemed to be left out across the board and I felt like they could've really done some cool things with her whitelighter side.
There'll always be a special place in my heart for this show, even after watching Alison Pregler (formerly known as Obscurus Lupa)entire deep dive into the seven seasons. Your video hit me in the right spot too, so thank you
