‘Charmed’ Reboot Creators and Stars Discuss the Original Series and Preview Season 1 at San Diego Comic-Con

One thing was made emphatically clear during the Charmed reboot’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2018: everyone involved has nothing but reverence for the original series.

Executive producers Jennie Snyder Urman (of Jane the Virgin) and Jessica O’Toole (who co-wrote the pilot) joined castmembers Sarah Jeffery, Madeleine Mantock, and Melonie Diaz on Thursday.

After the world premiere screening of the new pilot, the group of women had a conversation (moderated by Leanne Aguilera of Entertainment Tonight) about the influence of the classic WB series and previewed what’s to come in Season 1 of the reboot.

The updated version of Charmed takes place in a college town. The first installment follows younger sister Maggie (played by Jeffery) and older sister Mel (played by Diaz) dealing with the unexpected and mysterious death of their mother.

At the time of her death, the late matriarch was a women’s studies professor who was intent on taking down a male colleague accused (and later cleared) of sexual harassment.

The pilot finds Mel (a graduate student and feminist who takes up her mom’s mantle) and Maggie (an undergraduate freshman in the midst of pledging a sorority) struggling in the aftermath of that loss when their previously-unknown half-sister, Macy (played by Mantock) arrives on the scene. Shortly after, the three are revealed to be the world’s most powerful witches — the Charmed Ones.

Urman, who developed the reboot, feels that a return to this story of powerful women is incredibly timely.

“The original was so much about female empowerment and sisterhood and strong women taking over the world, and I feel like that’s what we need right now,” Urman said, amidst cheers from the audience. “It felt like a good time to get back to that and to show women kicking ass.”

The starring trio couldn’t have been more excited to join the reboot and become part of the original’s legacy.

“Charmed is obviously so iconic. To be an extension of that was beyond thrilling,” Jeffery said. “We’re so appreciative of the groundwork that they laid, and we want to be respectful of that and the mythology and everything.”

Diaz met with Urman prior to being cast, mentioning that she was a huge fan of hers from her work on Jane the Virgin: “[Jane] was such a game-changer for television. It was the first time that I saw people that looked like me, that felt like me. I was like, ‘OK, these are the people who can really take [Charmed] and modernize it and make it real and funny.'”

Mantock said she felt “grateful” for the opportunity to join the cast.

“We’ve got a wonderful group. I love working with these two [Jeffery and Diaz]. I feel fortunate that I get to be a part of something that cares about getting different things out there,” she said. “We have diverse representation, I think people can relate to that. We’ve got something for everyone.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loWpbevW9xg

When asked about creating a more inclusive version of the world of Charmed, the creators explained that it came about completely naturally.

“It felt very natural,” O’Toole said. “It didn’t even come about on purpose […] Representation is important. I think it doesn’t feel like the real world to not have that.”

Urman’s commitment to diversity was also influenced by coming off Jane the Virgin.

“I learned so much about the importance of seeing yourself represented on screen, what that means when you’re not, how limiting that feels,” she said. “We were just really committed to showing a different version of Charmed and building upon the incredible sisterhood that they had and then opening up that world so that other people could relate to our version.”

Teasing the first season, Urman said there’d be a mix of “soap and magic and real horror.”

“What’s interesting to us is that these are three sisters who have to save the world but also don’t really know each other that well. How do you really bond when your feet are in the fire?” the showrunner said. “It’s about how you develop the characters and continue to show the audience layers about who these women are while also understanding that the stakes are really high. Because there’s a lot of demons — both literal and metaphorical.”

“And there will be love stories,” O’Toole added. “Juicy love stories, love triangles, love stories that are complicated by the fact that they’re witches and keeping secrets, love stories where maybe somebody is a demon. All kinds of possible love stories. But the central love story — the love triangle, even — is the one between the sisters.”

Season 1 will also see the sisters gaining more control over their powers.

“They’re all going to have an evolution. As in the original, their powers do develop and will continue to develop throughout the series,” Urman said.

Of course, it’s not Charmed without demons — and there will be plenty of quirky ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsKXUXrMRRQ

“My favorite is a demon that possesses your Fitbit,” O’Toole said, as the audience and fellow panelists laughed. “It drains your youth and life force by making you keep walking ’til you die, basically.”

“We want these demons to feel fun and modern,” she added.

The reboot hasn’t been without controversy. Many fans (and even members of the original cast) spoke out against it, taking offense at the new series being labeled “fiercely feminist” and apparently indicating that the original was not. But the stars and creators repeatedly emphasized how indebted they are to the original show and how much it has influenced the reboot.

“I really hope that we can [welcome fans of the original]. We come in peace! The original was so wonderful and they were really trailblazers and we could not be here without them. I think there’s something in here for the old fans,” Mantock said, referencing the few “Easter eggs” in the pilot.

“The core similarities — the Power of Three, the Book of Shadows — there’s so many homages there. We’re very lucky to have it,” Diaz added.

“We want to honor it while bringing a modern twist. And we invite you all to join us!” Jeffery continued.

“We’re so grateful because we love the original and we’re huge fans. That’s why we wanted to do this. We’re going to be trying to use all of the pieces as they fit. It’s rooted in the original, deeply rooted in the original,” Urman said.

The Charmed reboot premieres Sunday, October 14 at 9/8c on The CW.

Check out all of our coverage of San Diego Comic-Con here. There is a lot more to come!

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