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Charmed

Plot

Three of the most gorgeous TV witches since the days of Elizabeth Montgomery were the heroines of the hour-long WB fantasy series Charmed, which first materialized on October 7, 1998. Reunited in their ancestral San Francisco mansion, the Halliwell sisters -- Prudence (aka Prue, played by Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs), and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), and came upon a dusty tome titled the "Book of Shadows," which by and by revealed a secret that had long been withheld from them: the sisters were witches known as the "Charmed Ones," blessed with extraordinary powers which they were expected to use in the never-ending fight of good against evil. Prue, the oldest, had the gift of telekinesis, enabling her to move objects at will; middle child Piper was able to stop time; and Phoebe, the baby of the family, was able to see the future. The ritual enabling them to combine their powers involved the linking of hands and chanting in unison, "The power of three will set us free." Of course, now that the girls knew they were witches, they were immediately targeted for destruction by all manner of warlocks, sorceresses, and malevolent spirits, many of these hoping to steal the Halliwells' powers for themselves. Also, in their efforts to lead "normal" lives and not give away their secrets, the ladies encountered a great deal of difficulty in the romance department -- not to mention the holding and maintaining of regular employment.

During season one, Prue worked for the Buckland Auction House, whose owner turned out to be a warlock; she also lost her policeman boyfriend, Andy Trudeau (T.W. King), who was killed in an effort to save the Halliwells from a demon. Phoebe's private life was not quite so tempestuous, though she had a bad habit of losing jobs due to the bad things happening around her. The impressionable Piper, who managed to find work as a caterer and later as the owner of the "P3 Club" nightspot, thought she had found true love in the form of hunky handyman Leo Wyatt (Brian Krause), until learning that Leo was a "Whitelighter," a guardian angel fated to protect all good witches from harm -- and as such, was off limits. In later seasons, however, Leo was demoted to "mortality" and was able to marry Piper, with whom he had a "bewitched" son named Wyatt. By the time Leo's powers were back to full steam in season five, he'd been appointed an "Elder" Whitelighter; his former job of protecting the sisters was taken over by another Whitelighter named Chris Perry (Drew Fuller), who turned out to have a hidden agenda.

Season three saw quite a few upheavals in the lives of the sisters, with Phoebe falling for Assistant DA Cole Turner (Julian McMahon) -- who turned out to be the demon Belthazor, and whose mission was to kill the sisters. Cole managed to purge himself of evil, only to revert to wickedness -- a cycle that continued to repeat itself until, in season four, the "bad" Cole married and impregnated Phoebe with his evil seed. Eventually the baby was stolen by a demon called The Seer (Debbi Morgan), and poor, mixed-up Cole wound up trapped in another dimension before being "vanquished" permanently. (At least Phoebe landed a permanent job as a newspaper advice columnist once the dust had settled!) As for Prue, season three of Charmed turned out to be her last when she was killed during a "demon assault." Her place in the Halliwell household was taken in season four by the girls' half sister, Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan), who like the late Prue possessed telekinetic powers. Paige would eventually find "civilian" employment as a social worker, enabling her to emulate the other girls by applying her powers for the forces of good on a full-time basis.

There were scores of additional plot complications and story arcs occurring in and out of the "real world" and back and forth in time (at one point, for example, the heroines were converted into Greek goddesses). "Charmed" though the Halliwell girls may have been, it didn't mean that they exactly led charmed lives. Perhaps it was the unstable nature of the world in which our heroines dwelled that made Charmed one of the WB's most successful offerings; viewers literally never knew what to expect from one week to the next! ~ Rovi

Cast

Shannen Doherty - Prudence "Prue" Halliwell
Holly Marie Combs - Piper Halliwell
Alyssa Milano - Phoebe Halliwell
Terry W. King - Andy Trudeau

Rose McGowan - Paige Mathews; Brian Krause - Leo Wyatt; Julian McMahon - Cole Turner; Debbi Morgan - The Seer; Karis Bryant - Jenny Gordon; Greg Vaughan - Dan Gordon; Dorian Gregory - Insp. Darryl Morris; Neil Roberts - Rex Buckland; Drew Fuller - Chris Perry

Credit

Victoria Huff - Casting, Derek Berlatsky - Editor, Aaron Spelling - Executive Producer, E. Duke Vincent - Executive Producer, Constance M. Burge - Executive Producer, Brad Kern - Executive Producer, Tim Truman - Composer (Music Score), Dean Edward Mitzner - Production Designer, Thomas del Ruth - Cinematographer, Michael Negrin - Cinematographer, Les Sheldon - Producer, James LaRue - Sound/Sound Designer, Constance M. Burge - Show Creator

Episodes

Charmed: Season 01 (1998)
Life was anything but dull for the Halliwell sisters during the first season of WB's Charmed. No sooner had they been reunited in their ostentatious family home in San Francisco than the three ladies -- Prue (Shannen Doherty), Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), and Piper (Holly Marie Combs) -- discovered that they were the "Charmed Ones," good witches whose unique powers were ordained to benefit humankind and to vanquish evil. Using the ancient "Book of Shadows," the sisters quickly learned the ritual that would bring forth those powers: holding hands and chanting in unison, "The power of three will set us free." Unfortunately, the ladies' benevolent witchery wreaked a great deal of havoc on their private lives. Habitually unemployed, Phoebe (who had the gift of prophecy) was unable to hold a job due to the ofttimes terrible things that kept happening around her. Prue (who was telekinetic) did manage to find employment at the Buckland Auction House, only to discover that her boss, Rex Buckland (Neil Roberts), was a malevolent warlock. As for Piper (who had the ability to make time stand still), she was forever falling in love with the wrong guy -- and when the right guy, namely handyman Leo Wyatt (Brian Krause), finally came along, he turned out to be a "Whitelighter," a guardian angel assigned to protect the Halliwells and all other good witches...and thus "off limits" for poor Piper. Prue likewise had problems with her love life, especially after informing her off-and-on boyfriend, police inspector Andy Trudeau (T.W. King), that she was not your normal, average girl. By the end of season one, the management of the Buckland Auction House had passed into the hands of no-nonsense Clair Price (Cristine Rose), who may not have been the most pleasant person on earth, but at least wasn't a warlock; Piper had found work as a caterer, which brought her into contact with such nasty characters as the Demon goddess Hecate (Sarah Peterson); and Andy Trudeau had been suspended because he refused to investigate the paranormal activities that seemed to dog the Halliwell sisters wherever they went. Far worse was in store for Andy as the season drew to a close, but there was good news for the fans of Charmed, which, though not exactly a world-beater in the ratings, was one of WB's most-watched (and most talked about) series. ~ Rovi

Charmed: Season 02 (1999)
Season two of the supernatural drama series Charmed marks two major additions to the regular cast: Greg Vaughan as Dan Gordon, the handsome young contractor whom "Charmed One" Piper Halliwell (Holly Marie Combs) hires to help her renovate her newly opened P3 club; and Lochlyn Munro as Jack Sheridan, a new employee at Buckland's Auction House, who tries to hit it off with Piper's sister Prue (Shannen Doherty) -- who in turn has resigned from Buckland after her harrowing experiences with the firm's former owner, malevolent warlock Rex Buckland. As for the third Halliwell sister, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), she remains unemployed, though still very much a key player in the action. In the course of the season, Piper begins dating Dan, even though she is aware she is fated to have a baby with guardian angel (or "Whitelighter") Leo Wyatt (Brian Krause). For his part, Leo is punished for saving Piper's life without permission, and is briefly transformed into a mortal, during which time he is hired as the P3 club's bartender. Also, Prue gains the power of astral projection, is hired as a photographer for "415 Magazine," and lets slip to police inspector Darryl Morris (Dorian Gregory) that she and her sisters are witches. The season ends with Piper, dolefully aware that her love for Dan can never truly be consummated, enlisting the aid of a friendly genie (played by 3rd Rock From the Sun's French Stewart) to convince Dan to move out of town and start life anew. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Charmed: Season 03 (2000)
Season three of Charmed marks a number of significant changes in the lives of the "bewitched" Halliwell sisters of San Francisco, not least of which is the introduction to the series of Julian McMahon in the role of Assistant DA Cole Turner, with whom Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano) falls in love. Unfortunately, Cole is actually the demon Belthazor, whose earthly mission is to destroy Phoebe and her sisters for practicing "good" witchcraft. Ultimately, Cole also falls in love with Phoebe and balks at completing his mission, getting him into deep trouble with his demonic superiors, the Triad. Vanquishing his "bosses," Cole declares that he is purged of his evil ways...but he's just a bit premature in this declaration, as proven by later events. Meanwhile, guardian angel Leo Wyatt (Brian Krause), still in his "mortal" state, proposes to Piper Halliwell (Holly Marie Combs), and she accepts, armed with the foreknowledge that she is fated to be the mother of Leo's baby. As Piper and Leo exchange their vows, word has leaked out about the Halliwell girls' special powers, putting them in the uncomfortable position of being local celebrities. On a more tragic note, a deranged wannabe witch shoots and seriously wounds Piper. In desperation, Phoebe tells Cole (who has reverted to evil) that she will sacrifice herself and remain with him in the Underworld if only Piper's life is spared. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Charmed: Season 04 (2001)
With a "demon assault" having claimed the life of beautiful witch Prue Halliwell at the end of Charmed's third season, her sisters Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) are left behind to mourn in their ancestral San Francisco mansion as season four begins. However, it isn't long before Prue's place is taken in the household (and the series) by the girls' half sister Paige Halliwell (Rose McGowan), who, like the late Prue, possesses telekinetic powers. It does not take long for Paige to contribute to the family coffers by taking a "mortal" job as a social worker, providing her with ample opportunity to activate her magical powers for the forces of good. Meanwhile, Phoebe's boyfriend, Cole (Julian McMahon), having successfully purged himself of his demonic alter ego, Belthazor, decides to leave town for a while to become accustomed to his newfound benevolent mortality. Cole returns just in time to rescue Piper and Paige from a powerful demon called The Source (Bennet Guillory). Though successful in this endeavor, Cole sacrifices his human form to The Source, who, in concert with manipulative female demon The Seer (Debbi Morgan), bamboozles Phoebe into marrying Cole's doppelganger. Before long, Phoebe is impregnated with the baby from hell. Season four ends as the Angel of Destiny (Dakin Matthews) appears before the Halliwell girls, offering them a demon-free life if they will vanquish The Source and its minions. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Charmed: Season 05 (2002)
As season five of Charmed begins, Piper's sister Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) has at last landed a steady job as a newspaper advice columnist (with Rebecca Balding joining the cast in the recurring role of Phoebe's boss, Elise), and has started divorce proceeding against her husband, Cole (Julian McMahon), whom she suspects is still a malevolent demon despite his protestations of turning over a new leaf. And the girls' telekinetic half sister Paige (Rose McGowan) is being kept busy with her new responsibilities as a social worker. Meanwhile, Phoebe and Cole's baby, whom some believe is slated to be ruler of the Underworld, has been kidnapped by The Seer, a female demon who in the previous season had briefly taken Cole's human form and trapped Phoebe into marriage. Informed by a fellow demon that the baby is destined to become the new Source (a powerful demonic entity who caused all sorts of trouble for the Halliwells in earlier episodes), the conscience-stricken Cole begs "Charmed Ones" Piper, Phoebe, and Paige to help him exorcise all the evil within him -- and, remarkably, they succeed in this endeavor as season five reaches its halfway point. Later on, Piper gives birth to baby son Wyatt, who even in infancy possesses the power to create a force field that will deflect all demonic activity (no wonder Piper was impervious to injury during her pregnancy!). Meanwhile, Paige finds her job too confining, and becomes a freelance do-gooder, determined to use her witches' powers for the benefit rather than the detriment of humankind. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Charmed: Season 06 (2003)
Season six of Charmed finds the benevolently bewitched Halliwell girls under the protection of a new "Whitelighter," or guardian angel. With Leo (Brian Krause), the father of Piper Halliwell's (Holly Marie Combs) son, Wyatt, having decided to become a Whitelighter Elder, his replacement is Chris Perry (Drew Fuller), whose unorthodox behavior leads the "Charmed Ones" to suspect that he is not one hundred percent angelic (though Piper is clearly attracted to him). Elsewhere, Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano) struggles to adapt to her newly found "empath" powers, which enable her to experience the emotions (and sometimes the pains) of others; she also falls in love with Jason Dean (Eric Dane), who is none too thrilled to discover that Phoebe and her siblings are witches (even "good" ones). Paige Halliwell (Rose McGowan) likewise falls in love with Richard Montana (Balthazar Getty), thereby enmeshing herself and the other Halliwell girls in a deadly feud between two magical families. And Piper's infant son, Wyatt, exercising his incipient force-field powers, capriciously messes up his mom's love life. Amidst all this activity, there are the usual forays into the past and future, and the vanquishing of various demonic forces who just can't leave the Halliwells alone. The season ends with a treacherous foray into an alternate universe in which evil is good and vice versa -- and it's all the handiwork of Leo and Chris' Whitelighter mentor, Gideon (Gildart Jackson), who is clearly up to no good. With chaos erupting all around her, Piper, who has been impregnated by Leo, gives birth to her baby...also named Chris. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Charmed: Season 07 (2004)
Season seven of Charmed begins as benevolent witch Piper Halliwell (Holly Marie Combs) mourns the loss of the "Whitelighter" Chris, whom at the end of the previous season had been revealed to be the future son of Piper and her husband, Leo (Brian Krause). Later in the season, Leo, who has become an Avatar (which may or may not be good news), works overtime to make certain that Wyatt, his other son by Piper, does not fall prey to those demonic forces who are envious of the boy's inbred magical powers. Among the many plot strands this season is one involving government agent Kyle Brody (Kerr Smith), who, while ostensibly assisting Paige (Rose McGowan) in her efforts to track down and neutralize as many demons as possible, drops several hints that he is not all that he seems. In another story arc, Piper, Paige, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), and the Avatars combine their talents to create a utopia-like state on earth -- but there are unanticipated consequences. The season's conclusion is dictated by the activities of Zankou (Oded Fehr), a previously imprisoned demon who, upon being freed, sets about to destroy the "Charmed Ones" by perverting their witchlike powers, and by stealing those powers for his own nefarious purposes. As the season finale draws to a close, the Halliwell girls arrive at the grim conclusion that the only way to stop Zankou is to sacrifice their own lives. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Charmed: Season 08 (2005)

Still Charmed and Kicking
Vaya Con Leos
Malice in Wonderland
Run, Piper, Run
Desperate Housewitches
Rewitched
Kill Billie, Vol. 1
The Lost Picture Show
Battle of the Hexes
Hulkus Pocus
Mr. & Mrs. Witch
Payback's a Witch
Repo Manor
12 Angry Zen
The Last Temptation of Christy
Engaged and Confused
Generation Hex
The Torn Identity
The Jung and the Restless
Gone With the Witches
Kill Billie, Vol. 2
Forever Charmed