'Charmed' Reboot Cast and Producers Respond to Backlash

The CW President Mark Pedowitz responded to the backlash the Charmed reboot received from the cast of the original series at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour Monday.

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion," he said. "But give the show a shot. It's different."

Holly Marie Combs, who played Piper Halliwell on the original Charmed from 1998 to 2006, didn't think there was anything different, especially when the reboot was described as "feminist" in The CW's description posted by Entertainment Weekly in January. "Guess we forgot to do that the first go around. Hmph," she wrote on Twitter.

Shannen Doherty, who played Prue Halliwell from 1998 to 2001, didn't like the word choice, either. "Their wording is terrible and a bit offensive," she tweeted in January. "But everyone makes mistakes. Perhaps with the backlash, they will be more thoughtful in future [sic]."

Combs has been the most vocal out of the original cast regarding the revival. "Until you ask us to rewrite it like [showrunner] Brad Kern did weekly, don't even think of capitalizing on our hard work," she tweeted in January. "Charmed belongs to the four of us, our vast amount of writers, crews and predominantly the fans. FYI you will not fool them by owning a title/stamp."

Jennie Snyder Urman, an executive producer on the reboot, and Madeleine Mantock, who plays Macy Vaughn, one of the new Charmed Ones, understood Combs' reaction. "It was a huge part of her life and if [she's] watching it go in a different direction, then, of course, that's going to be hard," Snyder Urman said at the show's TCA panel. "I hope maybe [Combs] can see it and like it," Mantock added.

Executive producer Jessica O'Toole credited the original series for why the reboot's being made. "We were huge fans of the original," she said. "That show wrapped everything up so wonderfully—they all got their happy endings, and there were even glimpses of their future. We felt like it told a complete story."

Ser'Darius Blain, who plays Galvin Burdette, also spoke about the original series. "We have tremendous respect for the foundation they laid," the actor said. "We're not trying to fill anyone's shoes."

"We've had a chance to see three white witches," Urman said, addressing the reboot's diverse cast. "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."

Charmed premieres Sunday, October 14, at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.