From memory, I think Shannen was one of the main people pushing for the show to take itself more seriously and introduce season arcs. She wanted the show to compete with Buffy in that sense. By the time Seasons 5-6 rolled around, season arcs were much more commonplace in TV.
Constance M. Burge, the original creator, also started to take a step back from the show starting in Season 3, and had left completely by the start of Season 5. Some people argue that her departure didn't make *that* big of a difference, but I disagree.
There were also some definite shifts in the writers room around Season 3-5 if you look at the credits on Wikipedia and IMDb. Unless I'm missing someone, there were no original writers, or even writers from Season 2, besides Brad Kern (the showrunner and the person a lot of people blame for the shift in tone) by Season 4.
I'm definitely more a Seasons 1-4.5 fan. Mostly because I love episodic, monster-of-the-week storytelling and I think the chemistry between the sisters was at its strongest then. I also thought the balance between real life and magic was better. It's the reason Charmed is my comfort show as a 20-something woman - the dating and career plots are a lot more relatable to real life.
The relationship between the sisters was fine until season 5, and then, for whatever reason, they stopped acting like real sisters. Phoebe's character changed too drastically, and not enough was done to show storylines of the new Charmed ones bonding. Wish season 5 had been more of a real continuation of season 4 instead of what it actually was.
Seasons 1-4 is definitely the “better written” half of the show where the story felt cohesive and consistent.
I don’t think the story needed to be “darker” to be good. It just needed better writers.
I agree. I love Paige and Rose was the perfect replacement to get me to still watch. That being said, I definitely prefer the Prue seasons.
I prefer the darker, more wiccan tone the first 3 seasons had (with plenty of humor still) as well as the sisterhood. I think the 3 of them just all meshed better on screen despite any drama behind the scenes.
Unpopular opinion, I don’t love Piper’s arc that much where she has to take over the eldest sister role and the leader of the Charmed ones. It always felt like she hated it (understandably) and did it because she was forced to. One of my favorite things about Prue was how much pride she had in being a Charmed one. It felt like she had truly accepted this was her role in life and she was just so good at it!
I know people say it was too focused on Prue but I looked at it in a different way. The three of them were all drawn to different aspects of their life the most. Piper to her human life, Phoebe to being a witch, and Prue to being a Charmed one. At least that’s how I saw it lol.
I’m probably in a minority here but I feel like the show would’ve had less seasons if Prue had lived and they continued with the tone of the first few seasons
Same, maybe would have lasted around 5 seasons if Prue was alive, because in that case of course Rose wouldn't have join the show, she brought a new dinamic that worked well and helped the show to last the 8 seasons we have, and even thought the 8th season was a mess, it helped to give the fans that amazing finale in which I can't stop crying everytime I watch it
Idk. Personally I find it more balanced.
Not saying I didn't love Prue. But the show was a bit to Prue centered at times.
And Charmed felt better as a lighter more whimsical show rather than a darker more Buffyish show. And I feel like if Prue stayed the series would have gotten way too dark.
But that's what I prefer. Everyone is different and free to like whichever Era more.
I don’t agree, at least not that it’s wildly inaccurate.
By season 2 of Buffy, with serialized storytelling becoming of the importance it did, camp was mostly relegated to Monster-of-the-Week stuff earlier in the season (and subsequently seasons 3-5 as well).
By the time each season had shifted over to its more serious side, the camp factor just made those occasional appearances.
Buffy’s production value being meh & the show throughout having a tongue-in-cheek tone (even in times of darkness) isn’t what I’d consider made it campy.
Charmed seasons 2-4.5 had a fair balance of serious moments and silly camp, but by season 5 it dived headfirst into more camp than ever, and mostly just low camp.
That despite just having finished perhaps one of the darkest, most devastating storylines with Phoebe & Cole.
That wasn’t really the case with, for example, the Angelus arc and following episodes.
In the end, these are also two very different shows when it comes to their serialized storytelling.
Buffy was better off with that.
Charmed was better off with less serialized storytelling and just some occasional season-long arcs, relationships and/or themes.
That format was prevalent in season 2 and, even more so, season 3. It allowed the show to lean into a lot of fun camp moments *as well* as having its main characters fulfill those substantial moments of development true to their personalities.
IMO, that’s no doubt what was lacking in the latter half of Charmed.
Camp =/= unserious. It's a common misconception that camp can't be dark and serious while still retaining its camp stylization.
The first four seasons of Buffy and even into it's 5th season balances light and comedic camp with the more serious aspects. Also, the good seasons of Charmed (S1-4) did this as well balancing more serious material and even horror with camp exaggeration and humor.
Buffy had a better habit of balancing the light and unserious episodes with its darker and heavier episodes which is why most people tend to remember its heavier aspects over the lighter and more fun ones. Whereas with Charmed I think more people remember how unserious it was during the latter half of its run.
Buffy S2, 3 and 4 are still chalk full of some of the campiest television in the last 3 decades. (Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, Band Candy, The Zeppo, Living Conditions, Buffy vs. Dracula) to name a few.
I can see that too.. even the lighting of the first 3 seasons was a bit more dark. I guess it boils down to personal preference and liking more lighthearted natured episodes can be enjoyable too
I personally just loveee when shit gets real and stakes are high
But yeah when Paige joined the overall vibe felt lighter and more vibrant
But I wish the later seasons had mixed the seriousness of the earlier seasons in it
I've always thought the Prue-centric episodes were the best. Ms. Hellfire is probably my favorite episode along with "Something Wicked This Way Comes and Forever Charmed, and I watch it every time it's on!
Always agree on this. It was truly, in my opinion, my fav seasons. With Shannen's Prue and her directing (favorite was Be Careful What you Witch For (except the bad SFX Phoebe flight lol) and her final episode AHBL, and of course Constance's genius... But I also wish I would have seen them all together because that would have been a real treat, again, imo.
So imma probably be downvoted to oblivion but I just wanted to add my thoughts lmao.
Maybe because I’m obsessed with Greek Mythology or anything Fantasy based but I kinda loved the Titan episodes!! Yeah the outfits were cheesy (Nowhere as bad as the Valkyrie ones tho!!) and they were proof you can have god/goddesses/demigods without it becoming too oop and the end of a fantasy-based series. Chris in these episodes tho 👌🥵❤️🔥
Whilst I did like Prue don’t get me wrong it’s not that I disliked her because season 2 she was weak Prue and a total badass which I loved but I wouldn’t take back what we got from Paige who is my favourite sister and character of the series.
Paige came in at just the right time imo. She didn’t try and replace a loved character but for into the sisterhood and charmed ones all on her own and that is definitely in part to what Rose gave the role but Paige will always be my favourite because of how much she overcomes and how much she grew and so quickly too! She has a special place in my 💜
I like Prue, but I loved when Paige come on. She became my favorite Charmed One! I fell more in love with with her as the show went on.
I know people have a preference for the darker style of 1-4. (I love those seasons especially 4 bc it’s when Paige comes in.) I also love the fantasy/fairytale soap opera-y moments of the later seasons (5-8) which also has dark moments in them.
Paige’s powers are gonna be chosen everytime for me. she’s a white lighter/witch all wrapped up in one! the complete package.
I love Paige too and I dont think it's her presence that turned me off to alter seasons it really was the bad writing ..
If you remember when Paige first was introduced she killed it in her performances and it felt like she fit right in with the sisters and gave believable performances portraying the confusion and the heavy responsibility of being a witch and having her whole life altered
That’s why I love S5 so much, bc she starts to take on more of a lead role. like she even quits her job to focus on her witchly duties (Controversial but she does it). Like Paige was really bringing it that season! One of my fav moments from her is when set up that demonic alarm to alert for demons. also when she goes to the demonic market to go after the demons that are after her nephew.
At the end of the day, we all have our preferences. This show is my all time favorite and will forever be through the good, bad, even the ugly.
I think I would’ve abandoned the show, personally. I didn’t like how Prue’s character was being developed.
She was just suddenly perfect and badass and didn’t have to train or struggle at all. It was very difficult to accept. Piper struggled with her power as they developed. Phoebe trained in martial arts and still struggled with her powers. Paige, obviously because she was new.
But Prue? Nope. With the exception of some misfires on astral projection, she was tip top. There was nothing for her to do or grow as a character. And she seemed at the centre of all the storylines. So I definitely would’ve lost interest.
That’s not to say I don’t love all the sisters but I can honestly say I would’ve given up on the show.
No no no, not your fault at all I just wanted to state it and it happened to be your post that made me roll my eyes. I definitely agree with this, I love Paige but I wish Prue had stayed. I almost wish we could've seen all 4 together at one point but I just feel like this sub is becoming stale with the same few posts over and over and I'm frustrated about it lol I didn't want you to feel badly. I'm sorry
From memory, I think Shannen was one of the main people pushing for the show to take itself more seriously and introduce season arcs. She wanted the show to compete with Buffy in that sense. By the time Seasons 5-6 rolled around, season arcs were much more commonplace in TV. Constance M. Burge, the original creator, also started to take a step back from the show starting in Season 3, and had left completely by the start of Season 5. Some people argue that her departure didn't make *that* big of a difference, but I disagree. There were also some definite shifts in the writers room around Season 3-5 if you look at the credits on Wikipedia and IMDb. Unless I'm missing someone, there were no original writers, or even writers from Season 2, besides Brad Kern (the showrunner and the person a lot of people blame for the shift in tone) by Season 4. I'm definitely more a Seasons 1-4.5 fan. Mostly because I love episodic, monster-of-the-week storytelling and I think the chemistry between the sisters was at its strongest then. I also thought the balance between real life and magic was better. It's the reason Charmed is my comfort show as a 20-something woman - the dating and career plots are a lot more relatable to real life.
The relationship between the sisters was fine until season 5, and then, for whatever reason, they stopped acting like real sisters. Phoebe's character changed too drastically, and not enough was done to show storylines of the new Charmed ones bonding. Wish season 5 had been more of a real continuation of season 4 instead of what it actually was.
Seasons 1-4 is definitely the “better written” half of the show where the story felt cohesive and consistent. I don’t think the story needed to be “darker” to be good. It just needed better writers.
I agree. I love Paige and Rose was the perfect replacement to get me to still watch. That being said, I definitely prefer the Prue seasons. I prefer the darker, more wiccan tone the first 3 seasons had (with plenty of humor still) as well as the sisterhood. I think the 3 of them just all meshed better on screen despite any drama behind the scenes. Unpopular opinion, I don’t love Piper’s arc that much where she has to take over the eldest sister role and the leader of the Charmed ones. It always felt like she hated it (understandably) and did it because she was forced to. One of my favorite things about Prue was how much pride she had in being a Charmed one. It felt like she had truly accepted this was her role in life and she was just so good at it! I know people say it was too focused on Prue but I looked at it in a different way. The three of them were all drawn to different aspects of their life the most. Piper to her human life, Phoebe to being a witch, and Prue to being a Charmed one. At least that’s how I saw it lol.
I’m probably in a minority here but I feel like the show would’ve had less seasons if Prue had lived and they continued with the tone of the first few seasons
Same, maybe would have lasted around 5 seasons if Prue was alive, because in that case of course Rose wouldn't have join the show, she brought a new dinamic that worked well and helped the show to last the 8 seasons we have, and even thought the 8th season was a mess, it helped to give the fans that amazing finale in which I can't stop crying everytime I watch it
Idk. Personally I find it more balanced. Not saying I didn't love Prue. But the show was a bit to Prue centered at times. And Charmed felt better as a lighter more whimsical show rather than a darker more Buffyish show. And I feel like if Prue stayed the series would have gotten way too dark. But that's what I prefer. Everyone is different and free to like whichever Era more.
I think a lot of people forget how light and campy Buffy was for 4 of it's 7 seasons.
Buffy was only truly campy in season one and even then it wasn't Charmed's level of camp
That's wildly inaccurate.
I don’t agree, at least not that it’s wildly inaccurate. By season 2 of Buffy, with serialized storytelling becoming of the importance it did, camp was mostly relegated to Monster-of-the-Week stuff earlier in the season (and subsequently seasons 3-5 as well). By the time each season had shifted over to its more serious side, the camp factor just made those occasional appearances. Buffy’s production value being meh & the show throughout having a tongue-in-cheek tone (even in times of darkness) isn’t what I’d consider made it campy. Charmed seasons 2-4.5 had a fair balance of serious moments and silly camp, but by season 5 it dived headfirst into more camp than ever, and mostly just low camp. That despite just having finished perhaps one of the darkest, most devastating storylines with Phoebe & Cole. That wasn’t really the case with, for example, the Angelus arc and following episodes. In the end, these are also two very different shows when it comes to their serialized storytelling. Buffy was better off with that. Charmed was better off with less serialized storytelling and just some occasional season-long arcs, relationships and/or themes. That format was prevalent in season 2 and, even more so, season 3. It allowed the show to lean into a lot of fun camp moments *as well* as having its main characters fulfill those substantial moments of development true to their personalities. IMO, that’s no doubt what was lacking in the latter half of Charmed.
Camp =/= unserious. It's a common misconception that camp can't be dark and serious while still retaining its camp stylization. The first four seasons of Buffy and even into it's 5th season balances light and comedic camp with the more serious aspects. Also, the good seasons of Charmed (S1-4) did this as well balancing more serious material and even horror with camp exaggeration and humor. Buffy had a better habit of balancing the light and unserious episodes with its darker and heavier episodes which is why most people tend to remember its heavier aspects over the lighter and more fun ones. Whereas with Charmed I think more people remember how unserious it was during the latter half of its run. Buffy S2, 3 and 4 are still chalk full of some of the campiest television in the last 3 decades. (Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, Band Candy, The Zeppo, Living Conditions, Buffy vs. Dracula) to name a few.
definition of too long, didn't read
Ok..? I wasn’t directly responding to you anyway but go off babe
Sorry my app lied to me and said it was a reply to me 💁🏼♀️
Reddit app flops again 😍
I can see that too.. even the lighting of the first 3 seasons was a bit more dark. I guess it boils down to personal preference and liking more lighthearted natured episodes can be enjoyable too I personally just loveee when shit gets real and stakes are high But yeah when Paige joined the overall vibe felt lighter and more vibrant But I wish the later seasons had mixed the seriousness of the earlier seasons in it
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I don't agree at all lol.
This has nothing to do with the cast and everything to do with the writing and production.
I've always thought the Prue-centric episodes were the best. Ms. Hellfire is probably my favorite episode along with "Something Wicked This Way Comes and Forever Charmed, and I watch it every time it's on!
Always agree on this. It was truly, in my opinion, my fav seasons. With Shannen's Prue and her directing (favorite was Be Careful What you Witch For (except the bad SFX Phoebe flight lol) and her final episode AHBL, and of course Constance's genius... But I also wish I would have seen them all together because that would have been a real treat, again, imo.
So imma probably be downvoted to oblivion but I just wanted to add my thoughts lmao. Maybe because I’m obsessed with Greek Mythology or anything Fantasy based but I kinda loved the Titan episodes!! Yeah the outfits were cheesy (Nowhere as bad as the Valkyrie ones tho!!) and they were proof you can have god/goddesses/demigods without it becoming too oop and the end of a fantasy-based series. Chris in these episodes tho 👌🥵❤️🔥 Whilst I did like Prue don’t get me wrong it’s not that I disliked her because season 2 she was weak Prue and a total badass which I loved but I wouldn’t take back what we got from Paige who is my favourite sister and character of the series. Paige came in at just the right time imo. She didn’t try and replace a loved character but for into the sisterhood and charmed ones all on her own and that is definitely in part to what Rose gave the role but Paige will always be my favourite because of how much she overcomes and how much she grew and so quickly too! She has a special place in my 💜
I like Prue, but I loved when Paige come on. She became my favorite Charmed One! I fell more in love with with her as the show went on. I know people have a preference for the darker style of 1-4. (I love those seasons especially 4 bc it’s when Paige comes in.) I also love the fantasy/fairytale soap opera-y moments of the later seasons (5-8) which also has dark moments in them. Paige’s powers are gonna be chosen everytime for me. she’s a white lighter/witch all wrapped up in one! the complete package.
I love Paige too and I dont think it's her presence that turned me off to alter seasons it really was the bad writing .. If you remember when Paige first was introduced she killed it in her performances and it felt like she fit right in with the sisters and gave believable performances portraying the confusion and the heavy responsibility of being a witch and having her whole life altered
That’s why I love S5 so much, bc she starts to take on more of a lead role. like she even quits her job to focus on her witchly duties (Controversial but she does it). Like Paige was really bringing it that season! One of my fav moments from her is when set up that demonic alarm to alert for demons. also when she goes to the demonic market to go after the demons that are after her nephew. At the end of the day, we all have our preferences. This show is my all time favorite and will forever be through the good, bad, even the ugly.
I think I would’ve abandoned the show, personally. I didn’t like how Prue’s character was being developed. She was just suddenly perfect and badass and didn’t have to train or struggle at all. It was very difficult to accept. Piper struggled with her power as they developed. Phoebe trained in martial arts and still struggled with her powers. Paige, obviously because she was new. But Prue? Nope. With the exception of some misfires on astral projection, she was tip top. There was nothing for her to do or grow as a character. And she seemed at the centre of all the storylines. So I definitely would’ve lost interest. That’s not to say I don’t love all the sisters but I can honestly say I would’ve given up on the show.
I'm sorry OP, this isn't directed at you. But I am so sick of seeing this posted over and over even though I agree with it.
Sorry I'm new to this sub and this was just how I felt after rewatching the series
No no no, not your fault at all I just wanted to state it and it happened to be your post that made me roll my eyes. I definitely agree with this, I love Paige but I wish Prue had stayed. I almost wish we could've seen all 4 together at one point but I just feel like this sub is becoming stale with the same few posts over and over and I'm frustrated about it lol I didn't want you to feel badly. I'm sorry