*Spoiler Alert*
The original concept of sister witches coming together to form the strongest force of good magic premiered on October 7, 1998 with the introduction of “Charmed”. It followed the adventures of Prue, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell (Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano, respectively) as they discover their powers and face off against evil forces while trying to navigate through their normal lives in San Francisco. The adventure expanded later on when they meet their half-sister and fellow witch, Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan). For eight seasons, the series focused on the power of sisterhood as they battled through forces, both human and supernatural, while maintaining the balance in their two worlds.
Twenty years later, the concept was reinvented to reintroduce a different version of “Charmed”. The reboot premiered on October 14, 2018 and it focused on two sisters, Mel and Maggie Vera (Melonie Diaz and Sarah Jeffery, respectively), struggling over the loss of their mother. Shortly after their loss, the two sisters were introduced to their older half-sister, Macy Vaughn (Madeleine Mantock), who just moved to Hilltowne. Together they discovered that they are witches that were brought together by their mother before she was murdered by demonic forces.
With similar concepts in play and with two decades of a difference between the two shows, comparisons are bound to be made. Special effects, technological inclusions and focuses on societal issues will be different between the two due to the expectations of their respective release dates. Specifically, let’s compare the pilot episodes of the original and the new reboot.
Pilot Similarities:
The sisters reuniting after a death in the family was common between the original and the reboot. The original had the three Halliwell sisters reuniting after the death of their grandmother while the reboot had the three sisters meeting for the first time after the death of their mother.
The Ouija board is another similarity in the pilot episode. The original had the Halliwell sisters joking around with the Ouija board before it told them to check the attic, which is where they found their family’s Book of Shadows. The reboot had the sisters trying out the Ouija board together, only to be told to not trust their new Whitelighter (magical guardian).
The name Melinda Warren is featured in the Book of Shadows for both shows. The original show explained how Melinda Warren prophesied the arrival of three sisters that would not only inherit her powers but would come together to be the Charmed Ones. In the reboot, Melinda Warren’s name was seen in the Book of Shadows. There is no confirmation yet as to whether Melinda Warren would play the same role in the reboot as it did on the original show.
The demon that targeted the sisters in the pilot episode turned out to be someone close to them in both shows. On the original show, the demon turned out to be Piper’s boyfriend (Jeremy) while on the reboot, Maggie’s ex-boyfriend (Brian) was possessed by a demon. The demon in the reboot wasn’t the major demon of the pilot but it still possessed someone close to the sisters.
The first spell cast was a Power of Three spell for both shows. The difference is the language. The original show had spells cast in rhyming English while the reboot is taking the foreign language spell route (potentially Latin).
Pilot Differences:
The history between the three sisters in the pilot episode are different; the original show had the three Halliwell sisters growing up together while the reboot has the two Vera sisters meeting their older half-sister for the first time. The meeting in the reboot’s premiere is reminiscent of the meeting in the original show’s fourth season premiere when the Halliwell sisters meet their younger half-sister after another family tragedy.
The ages of the sisters are slightly different. The original show had the three sisters out of school and having separate full-time jobs (or searching for such in the youngest sister’s case). The reboot has two of the sisters attending Hilltowne University (as freshman and senior students) while their older half-sister works in one of the university laboratories. Due to this slight age range change, their priorities will be different to their original counterparts.
The powers of the sisters are difference between the two shows. While the eldest and middle sisters of the two shows share the same powers (telekinesis and molecular immobilization, respectively), the power of the youngest sister is what differs between the shows. The original show had the power of premonition bestowed upon the youngest sister while the reboot has the power of telepathy taking its place. However, the manifestation of these powers varies between the two shows during the pilot episode.
The introduction of the Whitelighter is done differently too. The original show didn’t show the sisters’ Whitelighter Leo until the third episode but he wasn’t confirmed as their Whitelighter until later on in the first season. Halfway through the reboot’s pilot episode, Whitelighter Harry was introduced to the sisters and he told them that they were witches and that their mother was killed by demonic forces. This differed from the Halliwell sisters discovering that they’re witches on their own in the original show’s pilot episode.
The 'non-magic' storyline for the pilot episodes are different between the two shows. The original show had the subplot of a serial killer targeting young women which turned out to be Demon Jeremy killing young witches to steal their powers. The reboot had the subplot of a sexual harassment case at the university being mentioned though it was never confirmed whether it was tied to the main demonic perpetrator.
So which is better; the original or the reboot? That truly depends on you.
Publication Note:
This was written as a personal interest piece for this blog.
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