When it was announced that “Charmed” was getting a reboot, there was some controversy. Since the original was so well-loved. Its fans were nervous the new version would mess with the characters or the legacy. However, season 1 of “Charmed” proved that the reboot is in very capable hands. With feminism, politics, and plenty of magic, fans were introduced into a new world. The finale left us wanting more- the Source was finally contained, Macy was saved by her sisters’ love, the Elders are gone, and Parker left town to get his demon side in check. Oh, and the Charmed Ones are now in charge of the entire supernatural realm- but that power appears to be not all it’s cracked up to be.
At New York Comic Con, I got the scoop on the latest season from the cast and showrunners of “Charmed” themselves, and it sounds like Maggie, Mel, and Macy are in for a wild ride. The major change from last season is the switch in showrunners; season 1’s Carter Covington parted ways with the show and was replaced by Liz Kruger and Craig Shapiro. Kruger said that they were, “Brought in to help bring the show to its potential… we are bringing a different energy to season 2, changing the storyline- it’s going to be more epic, more cinematic, more stylish, deeper mythology, edgier, sexier, moodier. We’re taking season 1 and moving it to the next level. I think people are going to be blown away by the show.” Madeleine Mantock, who plays Macy Vaughn, mentioned, “There were elements of last year that were great, and there were elements that needed to be changed,” While Rupert Evans, who portrays Harry Greenwood, stated, “It’s a very different show from season 1- there’s no comparison…. it is much, much darker- we spent a lot of time on the special effects and stunts. It’s rooted in a reality that we didn’t have last year.”
As opposed to the previous season’s “demon of the week” as Mantock puts it (“sort of like ‘oh, let’s just do the Power of Three and they’re gone’”), the sophomore season’s storyline is serialized with an underlying mystery threading each episode together. Shapiro noted, “Reboots are so great because it gives you the chance to take the same world but develop it in a whole different way.” This season delves into the mythology and magical history (“this season is really about… the geopolitics that has [the witches and demons] at each others’ throats”), even requiring the writers to keep a board of all the information in the writers’ room. Shapiro says we see the characters deal with this newfound knowledge; “[the sisters] go ‘wow, I had no idea this was going on in the larger magical world’ and it’s really exciting.”
The sophomore season picked up with the Charmed Ones dealing with their new leadership and the pressures it brings; “When you are in your twenties if somebody hands you the keys to the kingdom and there’s all this expectation and burden on you- what does that do to you and also how do you react to being given those keys?” Sarah Jeffery, who plays Maggie Vera, commented, “It definitely adds to the weight of saving the world ‘cause they’re doing it by themselves now.” With everything they’ve already been through, it’s no surprise that the characters have developed and come into their own. Mantock said Macy is, “More physical this year, which at times I’m sort of like ‘ok this is so not who I was last season but let’s do it. So I’m enjoying that aspect that I get to be a bit more physical. I think it makes it more exciting… the stakes are higher in that my character is sort of forced to behave that way.” Melonie Diaz, AKA Mel Vera, revealed, “ It’s more drama, less comedy.” As for Harry, “He is as muddled as [the sisters] are- the status between the Charmed Ones and the Whitelighter has evaporated and they’re in it together.” He’s no longer they’re teacher, and Diaz expressed “I think that’s pretty rad, because I think that we [the sisters] are powerful enough to be in charge of our own shit.”
It’s clear that the cast is very excited about this season and hopes that fans will too- every actor expressed that they couldn’t wait to see people’s reactions to the many twists and turns (they even snuck into the screening of episode 1 to do just that). It promises a more dramatic series with even more surprises than the first- what isn’t there to love? Catch “Charmed” Fridays at 8/7c on The CW.