‘Charmed’ Reboot: 7 Differences and Similarities to the Original Series

The much-anticipated Charmed reboot made its debut tonight on The CW and while the new series isn’t a continuation or a simple remake of the original, fan-favorite series, the Charmed reboot has quite a similarities and key differences from its spiritual older sister show.

Mild spoilers for tonight’s series premiere of Charmed below.

The original Charmed aired for eight seasons on The WB starting in 1998 and starred Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano as supernatural sisters who use their witchly powers to fight evil. After three seasons, Doherty left and was replaced by Rose McGowan.

The new Charmed also focused on three witch sisters, but these aren’t the Halliwell girls. The Charmed Ones this time around are Melanie “Mel” Vera (Melonie Diaz), Maggie Vera (Sarah Jeffery), and Macy Vaughn (Madeleine Mantock). The existence of Macy will come as a surprise to Mel and Maggie in the series premiere as their mother had never revealed they had a third sister. It’s a premise that is a little different than that of the original Charmed, which didn’t introduce the half-sister — Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan) until season 4.

Other than the general cast differences, there are also some other key things the shows don’t share and while there are also elements of the reboot that pay homage to the original, something that series star Madeleine Mantock said in an interview earlier this year is a nice way to think of it.

“We’re new characters living in a world,” Mantock said. “It’s a new set of witches who’ve discovered they have powers. I think it’s maybe a misconception to say it’s a rip-off. I saw somebody yesterday describe it as a tribute to [the original] and I thought that was quite nice.”

Read on for how the Charmed reboot compares to the original.

No cat.

In the very first episode of the original Charmed, the sisters end up with a cat, Kit. The cat was actually a familiar, an animal guide who protects young witches and was introduced in the pilot as the familiar for a witch named Serene Fredrick who was murdered by a warlock. Kit then became the familiar for the Halliwell sisters. Kit remained their cat familiar for three seasons before being rewarded for efforts by being made human — and renamed Katrina — in the fifth season.

Thus far, the new Charmed Ones don’t hav such a familiar. No cat appears to watch over the Mel, Maggie, and Macy in the series premiere.

Different powers.

While the two Charmed series both follows the story of three powerful sisters, the two series also features some differences when it comes to the powers of one of the Charmed Ones.

In the original, the youngest sister, Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano) had the power of Premonition, meaning that she could see into the future — and, eventually, the past as well. However, in the reboot. Maggie Vera (Sarah Jeffrey) has the power of telepathy, the ability to read thoughts, instead.

Family differences

There’s also differences in the composition of the Charmed Ones.

The original series started with the three Halliwell sisters, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe. When Prue died at the end of the third season, a fourth sister — a half sister named Paige — came into play.

The reboot series also features a half sister, but they introduce her right out of the gate. Macy Vaughn (Madeleine Mantock) connects with Mel (Melonie Diaz) and Macy soon after the death of their mother. This makes Macy both the oldest of the three sisters in the series.

Crop tops

Being a product of the late 1990s some of the fashion choices in the original Charmed have become iconic — specifically the number of crop tops worn by the Halliwell sisters. Twenty years later, crop tops aren’t exactly as fashionable as they were back in 1998 but the reboot’s premiere did pay homage to them. Macy is seen wearing a few shorter tops throughout the episode, while one of the girls in Macy’s sorority wears a white crop top as part of her angel costume for a party. 

The Book of Shadows

The book of magic is a common thread between both iterations of Charmed, but the reboot approaches the Book of Shadows differently. In the original, Phoebe discovers the book in the attic and accidentally unlocks their powers after reading a page aloud. In the reboot, the book — and the idea that they are witches — is introduced to the Charmed Ones by their Whitelighter, Harry Greenwood.

Mel is a lesbian

Another significant departure from the original series is the sexual orientation of one of the Charmed Ones. While each of the Halliwell sisters were portrayed as straight, the reboot changes things up. Mel is a lesbian and is shown have a romantic relationship with Nico Hamada, a police detective on the Hilltowne police force.

Not in San Francisco anymore

Another major difference between the original Charmed and the reboot? The setting. The original series took place in San Francisco and often featured sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge as well as references to the various iconic neighborhoods and landmarks of the city. The reboot departs from the City by the Bay and opts instead for Hilltowne, a fictional college town that is apparently referred to as “Helltown” by residents.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject of different locations, the sisters’ house is also different. While the residence of the new Charmed Ones is similar to Halliwell Manor, it’s definitely a different house.

What did you think about the Charmed reboot premiere? Let us know in the comments below.

Charmed airs Sundays at 9/8c on The CW.