5 Reasons ‘Charmed’ Is Still So Popular

Eleven years ago this year, Charmed closed the Halliwell Manor doors for good. However, the show remains popular with fans, old and new.

When the CW announced plans for the Charmed reboot, fans cheered with delight. This was something that fans of the original series had been waiting for – something they had been asking for when Gilmore Girls, Full House and many other shows got revivals. Then the bad news came: it wasn’t going to be a real Charmed reboot.

After just a few weeks, the reboot idea was shelved. It was clear that fans of the original show wanted something connected to the original sisters, whether it was a remake, a continuation, or even a spin off set sometime in the future. That’s because Charmed is still popular with the fans and here are five reasons for that.

It Focused on Family Over Supernatural

The earlier seasons of Charmed were so popular because of the focus on family. The series was about three sisters who happened to be witches. While the show later focused on the supernatural aspect more than the family one, the original fans never forgot about the sisterly love. The Halliwell sisters would always put each other first in the earlier days.

This focus was clear from the very beginning. Prue and Phoebe may have had their family issues, but they would always be there for each other and the feared losing one another. They helped fans realize that a sisterly bond could never be truly broken.

There aren’t many shows that keep the family bond throughout. Supernatural is probably the closest, which is why it has lasted for so long. In fact, Supernatural and Charmed have another thing in common when it comes to family: their fanbases are a family.

There Was a Sister for All Personalities

Each Halliwell sister had her own personality. There was literally something for every single person watching the show. The elder siblings of families would understand Prue’s need to protect her younger sisters and put innocents before her own life. Younger siblings would understand that wayward, unfocused mentality as they found their way through life.

This wasn’t just a show for people who were still finding themselves. There were characters there for people with careers and drive, even if they weren’t necessarily in a career they enjoyed. Prue made a point that she took a career that would support the family because she had to, not because she wanted to.

There were elements of fantasy to take a viewer out of the real world for an hour every week, too.

Real Life and Fantasy Mixed Together Perfectly

Let’s not forget that Charmed managed to blend fantasy and real life. Where the likes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dark Angel focused more on the fantasy element – always having some sort of big bad to fight – Charmed took a different angle. There was drama between the sisters, their boyfriends/significant others, and the innocents that they would meet along the way.

We actually got to see the sisters at work or at college. We had the chance to learn more about them and their friends – although that dropped off in later years. Fans got to see the human element to the Halliwells, something that many other shows at the time would forget about.

The evil that they would fight would help the sisters to learn something in their real lives. They would get over fears, learn more about their deceased ancestors, and even learn more about their sisterly bond.

It Proved an All-Female Lead Was Possible

There was something to be said about the 90s and girl power. TV started taking risks with female role models, such as Max in Dark Angel and Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, one thing that none of the shows did was have an all-female lead.

Charmed was a game-changer. At the time when doors seemed to be closing for women on TV, this was the longest-running show with an all-female lead. It was only taken over by Desperate Housewives by two episodes a few years later.

There was this proof that a show didn’t need a male lead to become popular. It could be argued that shows like Charmed led the way for shows like Pretty Little Liars and Reign, where the females (and females of power) are the stars.

It Wasn’t Afraid to Take Risks

There were seasons of Charmed that definitely didn’t work. There were moments that fans rolled their eyes, but they stuck with the show because they were engrossed in the lives of the Halliwell sisters – and the lone Matthews half-sister in the last five seasons.

One good thing about some of the bad moments was that the show was always able to move forward. The showrunners weren’t afraid to take risks to draw in new audiences and try out something different. They weren’t afraid to bring in grey characters – in a time that TV was black and white. The network and showrunners were willing to keep people guessing and twist even the most likeable or hated characters into something completely unexpected.

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Charmed was one of those shows that was able to push the limits. This opened the doors to so many other shows to do the same, and helps to keep fans drawn to the show as they watch episodes over and over again.

One of those risks was to bring in half-sister Paige when Shannen Doherty left the show at the end of Season 3. There’s still no confirmation as to why Doherty left, but there are plenty of theories. Whatever the reason, the network could have cancelled the show but instead worked with the showrunners to take a risk of introducing a long-lost half-sister. This could have completely jumped the shark, but it worked and fans were drawn in. Sure, some missed Prue but Paige was there to learn more about and fans grew to love her.

The type of storytelling that makes Charmed still so popular isn’t around much anymore. There isn’t room for it on primetime TV. The good news is that it’s available on Netflix, bringing younger generations of fans every year as they watch the shows their older silbings, parents, and even grandparents watch.

Did you or do you now watch Charmed? What drew you into the show and keeps you rewatching the episodes even now? Share all in the comments below.