Don’t call it a revival.
The CW’s Charmed, which premieres on October 14 — 20 years after the original — promises to be a fresh take on the series about three sisters who discover they are witches.
The reboot replaces the original “Charmed Ones” — Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs and Shannen Doherty (and later Rose McGowan) — with the multicultural cast of Melonie Diaz, Sarah Jeffery and Madeleine Mantock.
At the Television Critics Assn. press tour on Monday in Beverly Hills, the showrunners and cast addressed some of the backlash they’ve received about the reboot, including a tweet from Combs earlier this year expressing her unhappiness about the new version.
“We can empathise,” said executive producer Jennie Snyder Urman. “It’s a huge part of her life and you’re watching it go into a different direction and, of course, that’s going to be hard.”
The new Charmed, dubbed a “fierce, funny, feminist” reboot, will play on the current political climate and focus on diversity in its approach, producers said.
“We’ve had a chance to see three white witches,” Snyder Urman said. “Coming off of [Jane the Virgin], I know so much more about what it means to see yourself on screen, see yourself being represented and see yourself being the hero of a story, and that’s really important to us.”
Added Montock, “It’s very rooted in what 2018 is. I’m truly grateful to work with people who want to talk about the issues that I talk about in my kitchen.”
But at its core, Snyder Urman ensured that the heart of the original Charmed will remain.
“This is...about a love story between three sisters,” she said.
