Shannen, Holly, Alyssa
In Charmed, a supernatural thriller set in San Francisco, Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills, 90210), Holly Marie Combs (Picket Fences), and Alyssa Milano (Melrose Place) play sisters who discover they possess otherworldly powers when they are reunited. Prue (Doherty), the beautiful and driven oldest sister, Piper (Combs), the earthy and creative middle sister, and Phoebe (Milano), the free-spirited youngest sister, could not be more different in how they view the world and each other. Yet, when they discover that they are the foretold "Charmed Ones," the most powerful good witches the world has ever known, they form a bond that reaches far beyond petty sisterly grudges. Each boasting unique supernatural gifts (the power to move objects, the power to stop time, and the power to see the future), these women tap into the ultimate power when acting as one, whether in personal relationships or fighting evil. They also face great danger from warlocks (former witches, both male and female, who have violated their duty to do good) , shape shifters, demons, and other supernatural creatures who want to kill the sisters and steal their powers.
This WB network series is from Spelling Television with Aaron Spelling, E. Duke Vincent, Brad Kern (New York Undercover), and Constance M. Burge (Savannah) as executive producers. Les Sheldon is supervising producer, and Sheryl J. Anderson is producer. The series also features T.W. King (Timecop), who plays a police detective who used to be Prue's boyfriend. Tim Truman writes the music, and the theme song is "How Soon is Now" performed by Love Spit Love.
Aaron Spelling said of the show,
This is really a story about three young ladies who are sisters. They weren't born witches, and they didn't want to become witches. They were normal people until this happened to them, and they have to cope with it. We have to keep remembering that these are good witches.
Executive producer Brad Kern declared, "evil of the week isn't the focus; it's a relationship show about sisters that also happens to be a morality play about good vs. evil." Series creator, Constance Burge, added, "[b]lood is thicker than water, so they're bound together by their secret."
Burge used some of her own experiences in Charmed:
It was really important to me to be on the fence between scares and laughs. I have two older sisters, and there's a lot of comedy there as well as a lot of drama. I just wanted to have all those elements like a real family.
Burge based the sisters' supernatural powers on psychology:
Typically older sisters are strong and determined, so it made sense for the eldest one to have telekinetic powers. The middle sister is always the negotiator, so I wanted the ability for her to freeze time within that. With the youngest, I wanted her to seem like the least focused, to be able to have visions of the future.
Burge was also "interested in [things] like, how would it be to function at the office if every time you were upset you froze time or moved things [telekinetically]."
The show's special effects have caused some problems for the actors because they are usually added later. Alyssa stated, "[w]e're reacting to absolutely nothing. We feel ridiculous." Similarly, Holly declared,. "[i]t's kind of difficult sometimes because your basically acting to a pole or a piece of tape. None of the other actors are there, especially with my (character's) specific power (freezing time). It takes a lot of imagination and stamina."
Although none of the actor's claim to have supernatural powers in real life, playing a witch on tv can have its downside. Holly related that "[p]eople have become afraid of us, now that we play witches. We were in a wardrobe fitting and the mirror cracked. Everybody looked at us like we had done it." Likewise, Shannen may have added to her "reputation" when she started studying for her role: "I'm sure somebody at a bookstore thinks I'm just a complete freak because I did go out and buy about ten books on witchcraft."
Having supernatural powers can have advantages. When asked what she would do if she could move objects, Shannen replied, "I would use it to keep myself as lazy as humanly possible. Meaning that when I wanted a soda that I could actually move the soda from the refrigerator to my hand." Holly stated that if she had Piper's supernatural power, "at the moment if I could do that in real life, I would freeze time to take a very long nap."