Charmed Reboot Gets CW Pilot Order — What Changed From Last Year’s Pitch?
That infamous Charmed reboot has returned to The CW‘s radar, earning the pilot order that eluded it last year at this time.
The network’s Thursday pilot news also includes a drama about a female cop who gets help… from the ghost of her dead brother.
The CW’s previous stab at a Charmed reboot was set in the 1970s but didn’t make to the pilot stage when it “didn’t come in the way the network had hoped.” (At the time, CW boss Mark Pedowitz described the project as “self-contained” and “very standalone,” with no ties to the original supernatural series.)
The rejiggered version is set in the present day and is described as “a fierce, funny, feminist reboot” centered on “three sisters in a college town who discover they are witches. Between vanquishing supernatural demons, tearing down the patriarchy, and maintaining familial bonds, a witch’s work is never done.”
Jane the Virgin‘s Jessica O’Toole and Amy Rardin, the team behind last year’s pitch, executive-produced and wrote this redevelopment for CBS Television Studios, while Jennie Urman (Jane the Virgin), director Brad Silberling and Ben Silverman are the other EPs.
The CW’s other pilot order, titled Dead Inside, follows an underachieving beat cop who begins seeing the ghost of her brother, a hotshot detective who died in an explosion that she somehow survived. Flipping their sibling dynamic on its head and allowing the sister to “truly live her life for the first time,” the two work together to help crime victims both living and dead, while also figuring out the unfinished business keeping the bro’s spirit on Earth.
Dead Inside hails from Cougar Town creator Bill Lawrence’s WBTV-based production company.
So it’s basically same plot, different actors? That’s what I’m getting. And I really doubt any of the original actresses would appear. I’m hoping for the best for this one. But instead of making another “light” theme Charmed they should make it darker. At least dark for CW’s standards anyway.
A darker tone would be nice.
Yeah, I agree. I think it could work if they made it a bit more darker, serialized and edgy.
It sounds like Charmed is going to be light like Bewitched and Jane the Virgin. Yet Sabrina’s reboot is going to be darker.
NOT CHARMED
I would have liked a darker version too. It’s a shame it’s just going be a rehash of the original.
Not really the original show was based on three sisters in there early to late 20’s. In the original show both piper and Prue were done with college and were working by the time the show started. The new version they are in college late teens to early 20’s with zero connection to the Halliwell’s so basically it is only the name that is the same. It sounds stupid I think I will pass
I agee. How is this sister’s three?
Yeah, I would love if the did a darker and more mature version (for CW’s standards) of the original with some great doses of humor. Maybe a mix of horror episodes, mystery episodes, funny episodes, dramatic episodes etc
Still the same reboot: New characters with no connection to the original.
My thoughts exactly. It sounds like they just changed the time period, and basic premise.
Well duh CW wouldn’t want to pay for those divas. CW wants it cheap so that they get have them for at least 6 Seasons. That’s how business work.
Those divas are Charmed. If you don’t want the divas apart of the reboot. Maybe it should be a new show that is not “Charmed”. Be a new show? This is not Charmed.
I taught they would have did a spin off with the old characters like the surviving sisters, husband’s, kids, grandkids and in a couple of episodes fade out the originals; bring them in some episodes when needed. I am disappointed they are doing the remake with out the original actor and actresses. Let’s see how this one turns out. Huge original Charmed fan.
Yeah, it’s a no for me.
YES! I agee. Being a long, long time fan of the show. How do you start over with a completely different cast & story line. It’s not like it is about Patty or Penny.
Why do they insist on making this happen?!
No and no. Period.
I like the Dead Inside plot. Hope it doesn’t turn into Frequency…in the ratings. I never actually watched the show to talk 5#!+ about it.
Its truly a shame no one watched Frequency. It was so well paced and well written.
Frequency was great. Really smart and complex. It’s a shame it didn’t work.
Frequency was Fantastic! And if I ever earn a billion, that’s the first thing I’ll produce…along with a lot of other too-short-timers.
If they were going to do a reboot of Charmed, why not follow one of the original sisters? If none of them want to continue, then it’s simple, don’t do a reboot of Charmed. — Dead Inside kinda, sorta reminded me of Tru Calling.
And a year has passed and this reboot still comed off the same ad last year (and not what the network is hoping)
They need to give this reboot a rest.
Not really, I recall the original idea being pitched was that of two sisters and a random girl that ends up being related to the two sisters and one of them being black and it being set in the 70’s. The current pitch is more so a true reboot, just set in present time.
*correction, all three witches were sisters, not just two. https://tvline.com/2017/01/05/charmed-reboot-the-cw-prequel-series/
I feel like that would be an more interesting charmed reboot. It would be a nice way do charmed but with a twist, instead of just three white girls. But either way ill be probably check it out.
I’m half white but spice it up make one of the sisters mixed maybe that would be cool
Might as well just make them Prue/Piper/Phoebe Halliwell. Either continuation or complete reboot improving on the original.
Much more excited for this new Charmed. Hope it makes it to series and with those people behind it, fingers crossed it doesnt go the trash pile route of the original series once Brad came on
NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!
Both of these shows premises sound appealing to me. The CW always has great series.
How about having it based on Piper’s Phoebe’s and Paige’s daughters? Then have the original cast and their other kids could make guest appearances?
But I’m guessing they are discovering they’re witches. They could make it about another branch of the family, who discovers their connection.
Will only watch if Leighton Meester in it.
Was she cast in the old reboot, cause if not this seems like a really random request
Random, and yet a really great idea.
PS, it was really hard not to make a Blair witch joke just now.
you’re comment is so random, but liking the idea though
I would only be interested if you brought back the original show updated to current time. And it must include Rose, Holly, and Milano. Otherwise I doubt that I would even give it a chance.
CW, bring back The Secret Circle instead!
This!
Also: I could maybe watch if they cast the HAIM sisters as the witches. lol.
Brilliant idea
No connection to the original show = a complete waste of time. It’s not a reboot, it’s a remake, and I’m not interested in that. If they really want to bring Charmed back, then the only good option, imo, involves Piper’s children as protagonists with their cousins as (at least) secondary characters.
Are they saying that the original Charmed wasn’t a feminist series? Have they watched it? It’s all about 4 badass sisters that save the day. Leo was a pacifist!
Would have preferred it to focus on the Halliwell/Warren line. Do an anthology series focusing on different Halliwell/Warren witches in different eras, a witchcraft show in the 20s, witches during the Witch hunt, witchcraft during the Civil War etc. Or just focus on one era and one set of Warren/Halliwell witches, explore different witch powers.
While the original show TRIED to be feminist, towards the end especially, it really wasn’t. It basically became an excuse to get the sisters as naked as the FCC would allow. Don’t get me wrong Charmed is my all time favorite series, but feminist it was not. Even when they tried for a feminist storyline like breastfeeding in public it became an excuse to get Alyssa Milano naked on a horse.
Good.
Women should be covered.
Because that’s feminist.
(I hate ‘New Feminism’.)
Not covered but also not having Alyssa Milano wear nothing but green pasties over her nipples for 2 hours. The show didn’t do that to be feminist. They did it to get men to watch.
It’s true. As the show progressed the more it became about having the sisters AKA Alyssa wear the most skimpiest thing. I think the first season is the shows best attempt at feminism. After that it was all “bra less, strapless, fearless.”
Just like rom-coms star hunky charismatic guys… to get women to watch. So did Charmed.
The men were sooooooo objectified, for the pleasure of our eyes..
Sex is good. Objectification is good.
This is what made the show interesting.
It was real. It made us thirsty, just like we are in real life.
why not make it about Chris and Wyatt?That would put a new spin on the witch theory!It could be based on an altenate universe or something!They always brought the mother and grandmother back from the dead at some point.the sisters could make appearances as they did!
The actors are nearly 40, not exactly The CW’s demographic, they’d want younger actors and would likely recast them which might not be well received, focusing on Chris and Wyatt’s kids however…
the future versions are nearly 40 but you could recast the present day versions, however the point is moot given my other comment.
Are you sure you know what year it is right now? Unless you’ve been cut off from the outside world for the past few years, you should know Chris and Wyatt possess three specific traits that guarantee that is never going to happen ever.
Explain please little to vague for me. What are the three traits because I would watch one about chris and wyatt and their kids.
1. Strait
2. White
3. Male
Yes, because there are no shows about straight, white males right now. (I mean, there’s only Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones, Supernatural, The Flash, Green Arrow, MacGyver, Hawaii Five-O, Lethal Weapon, This Is Us, The Orville, Bull, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Chicago Fire, Blue Bloods, Kevin Probably Saves the World, Seal Team, 9JKL, Suits, Shooter, Damnation, Animal Kingdom, The Last Ship, Gotham, and dozens more. Those poor white male actors who prefer playing straight characters- it’s such a rough time for them to find available work.)
I don’t mind it being a reboot but why can’t they just do continuation with their children so you can have the sister’s guest star I mean granted it can’t be called Charmed because it was about three sister’s but you can just change the name but have the same elements
Dead Again sounds rather too much like a British show called Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). That was about a private detective and the ghost of his dead business partner. It ran 26 episodes in 1969/70, and had a remake which lasted 13 episodes in 2000/01. Looks to me like its not the sort of concept that is likely to have much longevity.
For the love of God stop. The original was great. This reboot sounds like garbage. Nobody wants to see this.
The CW must not be happy with the Wayward Sisters backdoor pilot
Without the original cast, this announcement sure has me feeling Dead Inside.
Feminist reboot? Did they even watch Charmed?
Call it something else please, and don’t taint the memory of what once was.
Don’t do Charmed,.. do The Craft instead.. or bring back The Secret Circle
I would watch the heck out of a show based on The Craft. Preteen me was obsessed with that movie. A Charmed reboot could be cool IF it was somehow connected to the original. It doesn’t have to be based on the Halliwell line but it should be more than just an obscure throwaway line kind of way. Also, The Secret Circle still hurts a bit.
Yes, please…to either.