Of the many reboots to crop up over the past decade or so, this "re-imagining" of Charmed got to me the most; thanks in no small part to how much the OG version meant to me growing up. How could a new CW-ified version ever re-capture the magic of the late 90's WB series? Who could ever come close to replacing the Halliwells? In truth, those were probably the wrong questions to ask. There’s plenty about the original that could do with updating for a modern audience, not the least of which is the white-washed cast that was typical of a network show in the 1990’s. As this premiere drew closer, my concerns evolved into one simple request: that this new group of producers "get" what made Charmed so special. It was a flawed show, to be sure, but underneath it all it was a simple story about three imperfect but relatable sisters just trying to get by. Based on the promo material, it seemed like this version was much more concerned about using the story of the Charmed Ones as a vehicle for on-the-nose political commentary, and well-intentioned, yet overt feminism. Where was the family dynamic that sparked the OG version into the powerhouse it became? Despite this, I remained open-minded going into this pilot, and I was pleasantly surprised with how much this opening chapter got right. It was clunky in places, and the real-world parallels were a bit heavy handed, but its biggest flaws feel like they could be easily ironed out as the series finds its footing.
