Ahh, the Charmed reboot, the gift that just keeps on giving.
I have had several about faces when it comes to this trailer. When I first saw this I thought “damn this is low-budget.” The special effects are a little cringy, and I watch The Originals so I know that we can do a bit better than that.
At the same time, there is a huge part of me that wants this project to do well. I love the idea of seeing three Latina witches fighting evil, having a sisterhood, and that offers some much-needed diversity that the original Charmed honestly did not have (shout out to Darryl Morris who was the token for way too long).
Still, the more I see from the promotional material and just seeing the atmosphere this show is entering makes me apprehensive. The hate being flooded towards the three actresses in the comments for these videos is intense.
It’s a mixed reaction, with some being hopeful, others being cautious, and the extreme calling them bad actresses and ugly because they are “stomping” on the legacy of the original Charmed.
sorry, but that is a no. there isn’t even a character from the old show. this is terrible. pic.twitter.com/zWX6rl3KBD
— jess (@JJapgar) May 17, 2018
Many people said the same thing when Prue (Shannon) was let go and Paige (Rose) was brought in. So why not just give it a try, you never know. Its not like you are betraying Charmed. If you dont like it after watching and actual episode than thats okay.
— Esa Loca (@Fr0zenInFear) May 17, 2018
— José G. Márquez (@JGpunto) May 17, 2018
Nothing is stronger than the original show. Good luck!! pic.twitter.com/gxWbC9EmGe
— Y E A H N E S S (@Yanis_SP) May 17, 2018
Nothing against Charmed…..but in your worlds: Nothing is stronger than the sistehood. So please pick up Wayward Sisters then also. Make room for more girl power. #SaveWaywardSisters
— Susanne Peschke (@Winterglitzer) May 17, 2018
Looks like a Disney channel original movie with this mediocre acting and effects. NEXT CAAaaaAasee pic.twitter.com/qrrh7FLLVX
— minako (@SadBlackGal) May 17, 2018
burn 🔥 #STOPCharmedReboot pic.twitter.com/dO68qCZIuI
— #STOPCharmedReboot (@RebootStop) May 20, 2018
Chanel vs Walmart #STOPCharmedreboot #NotMyCharmed #ForeverCharmed @H_Combs pic.twitter.com/t260C0bA5g
— T H O M A S ✌️ (@Thomstarr) May 18, 2018
As a fan of Charmed, I can understand that for more hardcore fans that this might be really upsetting. Not only is the show being rebooted but it seems like they are erasing the original. Add that to the fact that OG Charmed actress Holly Marie Combs said that none of the original cast were contacted, nor was credit given to the creator of the original show, Constance M. Burge. The trailer says ‘from the creator of Jane the Virgin.’
For all the pros and honestly, many cons, of the original Charmed series, it was a highly-rated, highly-influential show that has lasted in pop culture with a strong vigor. The first three seasons are, in my opinion, some quality fun camp television that mixed in some great messages about sisterhood, loss and trying to balance saving the world with living a “normal” life. We don’t often get to see mothers be warriors and Charmed never made Piper’s pregnancies stop her from being powerful. There is good in Charmed, even when the show got messy, and there is no denying that.
Yet, that’s not an excuse for sexist/racist comments. Now, they are definitely CW-ing up the acting but all three of these women had done good work. Melonie Diaz was in Ryan Coogler’s first film Fruitville Station and had stared in several indie films. Sarah Jeffery was in Disney Descendents and X-Files. Madeleine Mantock was in Into the Badlands. These are not bad actresses or unskilled, they are however working with a premise that is campy and may be trying to find a balance between the feel of the original and what is trying to do now. At least that’s how it comes across to me.
This show will need to stand on its own in order to be a success. If it was hoping to ride the wave of nostalgia from the original, that has already crashed and burned. Hopefully, people will give it a fair shot and that within the first three-to-five-episodes, there will be a better sense of it growing its own identity rather than only being a Charmed reboot that uses the buzzword of ‘feminism’ in order to sell itself.
I’ll always wish they didn’t make it a Charmed reboot and just made a show called ‘Brujas’ with Latina witches and called it a day. Adapting the Brooklyn Bruja books by Zoraida Córdova would have made for an epic series that would have all the magic, all the representation, and none of the baggage. My biggest concern is that if this show fails and fails hard, the producers aren’t going to blame themselves, the writers aren’t going to blame themselves. Nope. It’s the fact that they cast three brown women in the roles and the fans didn’t like it.
A lot of times what some white producers don’t get is that race-bending popular characters start off with a chunk of the potential fanbase viewing that as a negative. You have to really bring it and also prove to the audience that you didn’t just put non-white paint on a white character and said: “here you go representation, please watch our show!”
We deserve better than that. So if you really canned Wayward Sisters for this and The Originals spin-off, then I hope The Power of Three is strong as hell.
What do you think? Will you be giving Charmed 2.0 a chance?
(image: The CW)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
