Charmed Series Finale Features Major Nod to Original Series
The CW's Charmed ended its four-season run last week and as the series brought its own story to a close, it did so with a surprising twist. The series wrapped everything up with a bow with a shocking final scene that tied the series to the original Charmed, suggesting that the new Charmed and the original both exist as part of a larger multiverse, two stories in a larger magical world.
In the episode, "The End is Never the End", after preventing a magical apocalypse and reuniting Inara with her sisters the series' Charmed Ones Mel, Maggie, and Michaela found a strange door bearing the triquetra. After a bit of consideration, the three go through the door — on the other side of which is Halliwell Manor, the iconic home of the Charmed Ones in the original series. Finding no one home and the door unlocked, the trio eventually go inside with the doors magically closing behind them.
It was a huge moment for the series and according to series executive producers Jeffrey Lieber and Joey Falco, that was indeed the actual Halliwell Manor, and the ending was something that they had always wanted to do: set things up as a Charmed multiverse.
"We wrote and show this episode before we knew the show was going to end," Falco told TVLine. "We knew for months that there was a 50/50 chance of us getting canceled, so we wanted to end on something that could move forward but could also be a satisfying conclusion. We wanted to eventually tie these universes together. We were going to do it in a much bigger, crazier way at a certain point, but since we knew there was a chance we were getting canceled, this was the sweet spot where we felt like we got to do what we've always wanted to — make it a Charmed multiverse — but also end in a way that's hopeful and satisfying and wraps up everyone's emotions."
Lieber and Falco went on to say that, had the series gone to a Season 5, they would have tried to bring cast members from the original Charmed over but didn't actually start talks for things due to the uncertainty of a renewal. And as for that iconic house, while the porch scene was shot on a set in Vancouver, they did end up getting access to the actual house in Los Angeles that the original Charmed had used to shoot exteriors.
"Well, there's a story there: the three of them on the porch was shot in Vancouver. Our wonderful crew built a [replica] of the porch," Lieber said. "But when the pullback happens, that was shot in LA. This idea started with Joey, who suggested it as a way to end the season. We tried to get a hold of the house, but we couldn't figure it out. We had brought on a writer named Adam Lujan towards the end of the season, and when we were talking about our frustrations, he was like, "I know the guy, the landlord of that house!' Two hours later, we had access to it. It was fantastic."
What do you think about the Charmed finale? Were you glad that it established the Charmed multiverse and closed with a nod to the original series? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!