In case you haven't heard, there's a ton of drama going on in the magical community this week. Go ahead and grab your popcorn as I catch you up to speed.
So we all grew up watching Charmed and wishing we were a Halliwell sister, right? Well, the show was given a modern reboot in 2018, giving a new generation the opportunity to fall in love with the Power of Three. The remake has the same name, but it features a new cast. And this time, the witches are all women of color!
But not everyone was pleased by the reboot. Namely, two of the OG sisters.
In a recent video circulating social media, Holly Marie Combs (who played Piper) and Rose McGowan (who played Paige) shaded the remake.
The video starts with Holly talking about the original Charmed leaving Netflix. "I think it means when you search for it, they want you find the new Charmed and not the old people."
"But it sucks!" Rose exclaimed as Holly laughed. "I haven't seen it, I can't say that. I've never seen it. I'm happy that people have jobs. But it can still suck."
Well, Sarah Jeffery (who plays Maggie in the new Charmed) had something to say about that. She tweeted that the older women's behavior was "sad" and "pathetic":
1/2 You know, I saw this earlier and I refrained from saying anything. I thought, better to just let them shout into the abyss. But I do want to say, I find it sad and quite frankly pathetic to see grown women behaving this way. https://t.co/MuyZCZjbCp
She added her hope that the ladies could find joy in other ways besides "putting down" women of color:
2/2 I truly hope they find happiness elsewhere, and not in the form of putting down other WOC. I would be embarrassed to behave this way. Peace and love to y’all. https://t.co/MuyZCZjbCp
Holly responded to Sarah's tweet this morning, saying, "That's some bullshit":
That’s some bullshit. And a lot of it. Clearly. People speaking, excuse me typing, derogatory accusations of a person’s character despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary because of a difference in opinions about a tv show is just plain wrong. And also personal gain honey.
This isn't the first time that Holly has taken issue with the reboot. Back in 2018, she tweeted about her displeasure with the remake:
Here’s the thing. Until you ask us to rewrite it like Brad Kern did weekly don’t even think of capitalizing on our hard work. Charmed belongs to the 4 of us, our vast amount of writers, crews and predominantly the fans. FYI you will not fool them by owning a title/stamp. So bye.
So far, it seems like people are supporting both sides. Many are upset that the OG Charmed actors aren't acknowledging the power of representation in the remake:
@H_Combs I don’t think she made an accusation. I think she made an observation. Y’all are really going hard against the show that finally gives your fans of color a chance to see Charmed ones that look like them. I wish y’all could understand why that matters. It hurts that you don’t.
@sarahjeffery The new charmed embraces other cultures of witchcraft instead of just European witchcraft. And the witches are of Latin(boricua) witchcraft. Love the new charmed. Charmed should represent a witchcraft world.
While others think the new Charmed really isn't as good as the original, and that the remake should have been done with more respect to the cast who built the name up to what it is:
@sarahjeffery I mean no disrespect when I say this, I agree with Combs. The new Charmed is not good, in terms of storyline. The cast is amazing, no doubt there, but Charmed has a special magic to it that no reboot could ever manage to achieve. A sequel would've been better, honestly.
@sarahjeffery 1) Are we watching the same video? 2) If you get the chance to put your heart & soul into your show for 5-8yrs & then 10ish years later someone comes along & just redoes it without any respect to you and those who made the show-you not going to feel slightly upset in any way?