For the last three months we’ve charted the production of the CW’s new interpretation of Charmed, created by our beloved Jane the Virgin showrunner Jennie Snyder-Urman. We knew that Nuyorican actress Melonie Diaz would be playing the lead sister (and witch), Mel, and that Sarah Jeffrey and Madeline Mantock were rounding out the trio as Madison and Macy, respectively. Now it’s been announced that the network is under the show’s spell again and has given the greenlight for series.
It’s unknown how many episodes the order is for; Jane the Virgin received a 22-episode debut season back in 2014 and Snyder-Urman’s cache has only grown since, so it wouldn’t be surprising for Charmed to have the same amount. Like the original series, which followed the three Halliwell sisters, this iteration of Charmed follows three sisters who discover they are witches, using their powers to fight demons, save the world, and “demolish the patriarchy.” Ser’Darius Blaine, Charlie Gillespie, and Ellen Tamaki are also rounding the cast.
As we’ve mentioned before, this version of Charmed is shaping up to be far different than its original, which aired between 1998 and 2006. Jennie Snyder-Urman has shown an understanding for telling different stories, particularly ones that resonate with Latina women, so it should be unique watching Diaz, Jeffrey and Mantock give audiences’ a witchly trio to be enamored with. Already it’s been revealed that Diaz’s Mel is a “passionate, outspoken activist” who is also a lesbian, giving Latina women more LGBTQ representation – coming hot on the heels of the recently saved Brooklyn 99.
There’s no word on when Charmed will premiere on the CW, but it’s assumed sometime in the fall (sometime close to Halloween, perhaps?).