Charmed is a U.S. television series by Aaron Spelling about three sisters who are powerful good witches known throughout the supernatural community as "The Charmed Ones." Each sister possesses unique magic powers that grow and evolve over the course of their adventures. The Charmed Ones live together in a manor and use their supernatural abilities to battle the warlocks, demons, and other evil forces that populate San Francisco, California.

Overview

Charmed was originally made to be a Supernatural/Horror/Drama (from seasons 1-4). But after Shannen Doherty's (one of the original lead actresses) departure make the writers/producers think to make a few changes on the show, making it a Supernatural Dramedy(seasons 5-onwards).

Premise

Charmed began with the three Halliwell sisters Prue, Piper and Phoebe coming together sometime after the death of their grandmother, Penny. After moving into the old family manor in San Francisco, the youngest sister, Phoebe, discovered an old book in the attic. Reading an incantation from the Book of Shadows, she set in motion events that fulfilled an ancient prophecy. Strange and frightening occurrences began which eventually led the sisters to realize that they are witches.

The sisters discovered that they actually are descended from a long line of witches. The first powerful witch in the line, Melinda Warren, prophesied that from her line would come the Charmed Ones. A force of good, they would be three sisters gifted with powers to battle the forces of evil. Prue Halliwell, the oldest sister, developed first the power of telekinesis, later gaining the power of astral projection. Piper, the second-oldest, was given two powers regulating the speed of molecules in objects and people, first gaining the ability to slow them down to the point where they are frozen, and later gaining the ability to accelerate them so much as to cause explosions. Phoebe, the third sister, had the original power of premonitions and later obtained the power to levitate; in addition, her original power grew and she became an empath (supernatural ability to read others' emotions).

After Prue was killed, it was revealed that there is a secret fourth sister, Paige Matthews, their mother's illegitimate child. She has the power to "orb" in and out from place to place like teleportation, to orb objects to herself or another place, and the power to glamour, which allows her to change her appearance. She has the same mother, Patty Halliwell, as the other three, but her father was their mom's whitelighter Sam, hence how she can "orb", which is her whitelighter power, she was also trying to use the whitelighter power of healing earlier on in the series. Patty and her Whitelighter lover gave Paige up for adoption, with the sole condition being that the adoptive parents give her a first name beginning with "P".

A central theme throughout the show's run is the sisters' struggle to balance normal lives with their supernatural responsibilites. The burden of keeping their Charmed destinies a secret from the outside world has repeatedly created tensions in their friendships, workplaces, and romantic relationships. Only a few know their secret and help them on a regular basis. The most important is Leo Wyatt, a whitelighter assigned by the Elders to guide and protect the sisters. Leo means a great deal to the sisters both professionally and personally: he heals their wounds, advises them collectively and individually, and mediates between them and the enigmatic Elders. He also happens to be the love of Piper's life; their romance is an ongoing plot thread that dates back to the first season. A few of the others who have kept the Charmed Ones' secret over the years (and appeared in the opening credits) are Police Inspectors Andy Trudeau and Darryl Morris, tormented half-demon Cole Turner (a.k.a. Belthazor), and mysterious time-traveler Chris Perry, who was later revealed to be Piper and Leo's second magical son, Chris Perry Halliwell.

For more in-depth summaries of the show's plot and character arcs, see Charmed Season Summaries.

Behind the scenes history

The original lineup of sisters was Prudence Halliwell, Piper Halliwell and Phoebe Halliwell, played by Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Lori Rom respectively. Lori Rom only played Phoebe Halliwell in the original series pilot, but left the show due to personal reasons. Alyssa Milano took on the role of Phoebe Halliwell shortly after and portions of the pilot were reshot to incorporate Milano into the episode. The original pilot was never aired, but can be found circulating around the Internet.

Charmed's ratings were very stable at 5-7 million viewers a week until rumors arose about disagreements between Doherty and Milano, and Doherty left Charmed at the end of the 3rd Season. However, this was never confirmed nor denied by Doherty or Milano's publicist. As the 4th Season continued, Prue was killed off permanently, and an episode covering the events which lead to the two sisters finding a previously unknown fourth half-sister called Paige Matthews (played by Rose McGowan) was written. The ratings sank a little to 4-5 million and even more to three million during the seventh season. Later seasons are noted by the noticeable decline in make-up and special effects budget; season six is often thought of as the year when special effects were at their best and most perfected. Demons in the early seasons were portrayed as monsterous in appearance (though they could take human forms), but in later seasons, most demons appear as humans.

Charmed is currently in its 8th and possibly final season on WB (but nothing has been confirmed). The ratings have gone back up a little to an average of 4-5 million viewers and continue to slowly climb.

Licenses

The series, which has been running since 1998, is shown on the WB television network in the United States and on CTV in Canada. The show has been licensed to other networks, such as the Turner Network Television channel, to show reruns. In addition, Charmed can also be seen on satellite and cable channel Living TV and terrestrial channel Five on normal British terrestrial television in the United Kingdom, and on TV3 (Ireland) in Ireland. In Australia, Charmed is primarily shown on Channel 10 which shows the newest episodes, currently in Season 7 and on TV1 on Austar and Foxtel which shows older seasons, currently Season 4. Sweden is currently showing Season 7 on Tv3sweden, no details yet when season 8 will be aired. In the Philippines, it airs on Studio 23 every Monday since 1998, all year long, with a complete repeat of the current season every year until the new season airs. And in the Netherlands season 6 is in rerun and season 8 is being aired every friday night 8.30 one hour before ABC's hit series Lost on NET 5. In Belgium Charmed reruns and new seasons always air on Kanaal 2.

Cast

Cast list

• Holly Marie Combs - Piper Halliwell
• Alyssa Milano - Phoebe Halliwell
• Shannen Doherty - Prudence "Prue" Halliwell (seasons 1 - 3)
• Rose McGowan - Paige Matthews (seasons 4 - 8)
• Brian Krause - Leo Wyatt (seasons 1 - 8)
• Dorian Gregory - Darryl Morris (seasons 1 - 7)
• Julian McMahon - Cole Turner (seasons 3 - 5)
• Ted King - Andy Trudeau (season 1)
• Greg Vaughan - Dan Gordon (season 2)
• Karis Paige Bryant - Jenny Gordon (season 2)
• Drew Fuller - Christopher Perry Halliwell (season 6)
• Kaley Cuoco - Billie Jenkins (season 8)

In the first 3 seasons, the actresses portraying the Charmed Ones are billed according to the ages of their characters: Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and Alyssa Milano. From the 4th season onwards, the veteran leading actresses receive the coveted first and last billing while their new costar gets the middle spot: Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan, and Holly Marie Combs as "Piper". The leads are then followed by whatever supporting players are contracted for that particular season. If one of the supporting players does not appear in a particular episode, his/her name also does not appear in the opening credits. Brian Krause, who became a main cast member halfway through the 2nd season, was in virtually every episode by the 3rd season. His name is listed 4th in the credits from season 3 onwards, apart from in season 8 where Billie takes that spot.

Main cast (The Charmed Ones)

Piper Halliwell

Piper Halliwell: portrayed by Holly Marie Combs (1998-present); credited "and Holly Marie Combs as 'Piper'" beginning in Season 4.

Piper Halliwell, born the middle child, had been the mediator in Prue and Phoebe's fights. Piper, from the beginning had an "unlucky in love" storyline, as seen in the main love storyline of Seasons 1 to 3 with her and Leo. Piper was blessed with the power of Temporal Stasis/Molecular Immobilization or freezing time. Piper worked as a chef and then manager of a restaurant, "Quake" until the end of Season 1, when she quit and started her own nightclub in Season 2, called "P3". In Season 3, Piper and Leo decided to get married, but Prue's astral projection form caused problems. Piper thought this was a sign and called off the wedding, even after getting the Elders' consent. She developed the power of Molecular Combustion or blowing up objects. She could not be overwhelmed with demons because her molecular combustion power is extremely powerful. Tragedy quickly followed her joy when her older sister, Prue, gave up her life to save Piper from death. This tragedy still haunts her to this day, and she has never been able to accept it. In Season 4, she inherited the eldest sister role from Prue, continuing a new, weaker Power of Three. She is known for desiring a normal life, and finally married Leo. In Season 5, she gave birth to her first baby boy, Wyatt, and at the end of Season 6, baby Chris was welcomed into the world as well. Wyatt was feared to be the strongest source of magic. In Season 6, adult Chris visited from the future to stop Wyatt turning evil. During Season 6, Leo and Piper separated from each other because Leo became an Elder. During Season 7, Leo was tested to choose his destiny - whether he wanted to be an Elder or live powerless with Piper. Leo had been influenced by the Elders, but eventually had "fallen from grace" and became mortal to live with his family. At the end of Season 7, Leo and Piper are somewhat more happy together.

Phoebe Halliwell

Phoebe Halliwell: portrayed by Alyssa Milano (1998-present); credited "and Alyssa Milano" from Seasons 1 to 3.

Phoebe Halliwell was the youngest child, until Paige was discovered, and was very free-spirited in discovering her powers. The show focused a lot on her, how she developed as a character and her occupation. She had been given the power of premonition or "seeing the future and past", since Prue had earlier said, 'She never looks towards the future...' In Season 2, Phoebe decided to leave unemployment to go back to college and complete her degree. She then achieved the ability of levitation. During Season 3, Phoebe came in contact with an attorney, who, unbeknownst to her, was a half-demon named Cole Turner (Belthazar). This love was not only harmful to her, but it also caused the death of her oldest sister, Prue. Her love for him featured prominently in the show through Seasons 3 and 4, to the extent that she crossed to the dark side. She became the Queen of the Underworld for a short time and was carrying the 'Heir to the Source'. In Season 5, however, Phoebe left Cole, and eventually vanquished him. Cole would return in later episodes to try and revive his love with Phoebe, never successfully. Around Season 6, she developed a power that she couldn't control very well: empathy. Empathy is the ability to feel and hear emotions, often allowing control of others' powers. During a magical mission, Phoebe saved a columnist from a perilous situation. The columnist decided as a token of her appreciation to give her a job. Phoebe soon became a columnist for the column, later titled 'Ask Phoebe' at the 'Bay Mirror', and became very attracted to her new boss, Jason Dean - until she was possessed by Mata Hari, where she explained all the weird occurrences were because she was a witch. For this reason, they briefly separated from each other. She went on sabbatical for a short time and got a ghost writer to take her place, a man named Leslie, who she fell in love with. They were a short-lived couple and he had to leave on account of his temporary position. Her powers were stripped for a short period of time from the end of Season 6 to the beginning of Season 7 as a punishment for using her power and spells for personal gain. Phoebe had fallen in love with one of the teachers, Drake, at Magic School, but finds that her love won't last, for he is set to die within two weeks. She was single as the season ended. In Season 8, Phoebe is looking for sex again. She then finds Dex Lawson, who believes the real Phoebe Halliwell to be dead (who will be played by Sex and the City's Jason Lewis, previously was to be played by Extra host, Mark McGrath).

Prudence "Prue" Halliwell

Prudence Halliwell: portrayed by Shannen Doherty (1998-2001)

Prue was the eldest and most powerful sister character in seasons one to three. Being the first born, she inherited the most power from the family line. Making her the strongest, and almost indestructible. She was romantically involved with Andy Trudeau in Season 1, but at the end of Season 1, he died saving her life. During the 1st Season, she had developed the power of telekinesis, which is the ability to move objects with her mind. She worked at Buckland's Auction House until halfway through Season 2, when she quit to become a photographer. She joined with the 415 magazine where she was one of the top photographers. Prue had soon gained the power of astral projection in Season 2, which is the ability to project a spectral form to a distant location, although Prue's version of Astral Projection was tangible (solid) and could touch things. Prue had trouble with the right balance of work and play right up until her death by the hands of the wind demon Shax (The Source's chief assassin) at the end of Season 3. Prue spent a lot of time and energy becoming a more powerful witch, referred to sometimes as the "superwitch" of the family. Prue was the one who took care of Phoebe and Piper after their mother died when they were very little. She devoted her whole life to keep them safe, and the Source used this to his advantage, tricking her into giving her life for Piper's. The power of three was destroyed, but was restored shortly after that when Piper and Phoebe found out they had another sister. After Prue died, Piper got the responsibility of playing the role of the oldest sister.

Paige Matthews

Paige Matthews: portrayed by Rose McGowan (2001-present)

Patty, the girls' mother, had an affair with her Whitelighter, Sam, and gave birth to Paige Matthews. However, this had to be kept secret, so Sam and Patty took her to a church. There, Paige was given to the Matthews. Piper found Paige when she cast a spell to find a "lost witch". She attended Prue's funeral and reunited the Charmed Ones. Since Paige is half-witch/half-whitelighter, she is equipped with numerous powers. She has the ability to orb and telekinetic orbing (calling for objects). She can also sense and "glamour," which is the ability to change one's image. She was a social worker in Season 4, when many troubles occurred. When she first met Piper and Phoebe, she was attacked by the demon Shax who had killed Prue. She helped vanquish Shax (her first demon vanquished) and became a Charmed One. In Season 5, she decided to take a year off to pursue her destiny of being a witch. Paige was seriously romantically involved with fellow witch Richard Montana during her temp job in Season 6. The job was a magical one, with a feud between two families, escalating to cause many deaths. Richard Montana left because he went crazy with the use of magic. During Season 7, the Avatars came, and the late Agent Kyle Brody fell in love with Paige while he searched for them, mistakenly believing that the Avatars had killed his parents. He and an Avatar killed each other. He became a whitelighter, but not Paige's. Paige became headmistress of the Magic School when the position was vacated by Gideon, an Elder who, in his attempts to get rid of what he thought was a too-powerful baby Wyatt, was responsible for nearly turning him evil. Paige quit Magic School eventually, to concentrate on her Charmed duties and to help her newly-assigned Whitelighter charges.

Supporting cast

Leo Wyatt

Leo Wyatt: portrayed by Brian Krause (1998-present); was a recurring character during season one and half of season two.

Birthday: 6 May 1924

Died: 14 November 1942

At first, Leo worked surreptitiously at The Manor as a handyman. He was a WW II army medic when he was young and mortal. When he was killed in battle, he was transformed into a whitelighter (whitelighters are like witches' guardian angels, and they have the capacity to heal their witch charges, and humans). Now, he's Piper's husband and the Charmed Ones' whitelighter. Leo helps the sisters to kill the demons and can heal the sisters if needed. Leo and Piper are the parents of Wyatt and Christopher. After a crisis in which the Elders were under attack by the Greek Titans, Leo rose to the status of Elder, increasing his power greatly, including (this was not revealed until the end of Season 6) the ability to throw lightning, which every Elder seems to possess. Chris sent him to Valhalla, home to the Valkyries of Norse Mythology where Piper and the sisters saved him. Eventually, he joined the Avatars in order to save the sisters from dying by creating a demon-free world, but this backfired. He then (in Season 7) 'fell from grace' and is now a mortal, after having to choose between being an Elder and his family. In Season 8 Leo has been 'frozen' due to a mysterious turn of the Halliwell sisters' fate. In fact, Brian Krause's appearances in the series have been limited to the first 10 episodes of the season for budgetary reasons; the show's executive producer, Brad Kern, has stated that Leo's character will return if more money becomes available for production.

Darryl Morris

Darryl Morris: portrayed by Dorian Gregory (1998-2005)

A lieutenant (promoted from inspector) in the San Francisco Police Department, he was once the partner of inspector Andy Trudeau. Darryl has a wife and two sons. Since finding out the sisters' secret, he has been of great help to them by covering up unsolved cases related to demonic activity. Recently, however, he fell out with them over the risks he takes. Darryl killed a mortal killer when he was possessed by a phantasm, but was spied on by Detective Sheridan. The Cleaners had made other people believe that he killed a person on purpose, and got him sent to death row. As Darryl was about to be executed, the Charmed Ones were able to stop Darryl from being killed, and make him believe that it was all a dream. Darryl has now stopped helping and covering for the Charmed Ones, as he had arrested Chris for stealing a car while trying to catch a demon. As of Season 8, Dorian Gregory has been dropped from the cast of Charmed due to budget cuts in the series. He was transferred to the East Coast, where he and his family now live an existence without the constant calls of the Halliwell sisters.

Cole Turner

Cole Turner: portrayed by Julian McMahon (2000-2003)

Cole Turner was first sent by the Triad, who worked for the Source of all evil, to kill the Charmed Ones. Back then, he had an evil half known as the infamous demon 'Belthazor.' He fell in love with Phoebe, and instead of killing the Charmed Ones, he murdered the Triad. In doing so, he betrayed the Source and turned his back on his own kind and all evil. After a while, the Charmed Ones discovered that he was Belthazor. Prue and Piper wanted to vanquish him, but Phoebe was unable to, having fallen in love with him. She helped Cole fake his own death and he was able to escape. Phoebe lied to everyone, saying that she had vanquished Belthazor/Cole. Even the Underworld believed that he was dead. Eventually, Phoebe admitted to her sisters that she had let Cole go. Cole reappeared, initially infuriating Phoebe, who still loved him but would not allow herself to do so. However, after Cole helped prevent Prue from getting married to a warlock, and after helping Prue save Phoebe's life, he managed to convince the sisters that he had turned away from evil. Cole then continued to assist the Charmed Ones, proving to be a powerful ally. He even managed to weaken the Source significantly during a battle to save Piper's life. After his evil half was accidently vanquished, he became mortal, and continued helping the sisters with his knowledge of demons. He then took in the power of the Hollow, an energy which consumes magic, and aided the sisters in killing the Source of all evil. He released the Hollow and put it back in its place. He was then possessed by the living evil spirit of the Source and became evil, but he never lost his love for Phoebe, who eventually became pregnant with the spawn of the Source. She turned evil, married Cole, and became the Queen of the Underworld. Later, she kissed Cole goodbye and helped her sisters vanquish him as the Source. Cole was gone, but soon came back with his new powers. Phoebe hated Cole after that and he went crazy and tried to kill himself, but learned that he couldn't because he was invincible. Cole received more powers from an Avatar and tried to undo the past so that he could be with Phoebe again, but Paige figured out Cole's plan. Cole wasn't invincible in that time; he was Belthazor, so the Charmed Ones were able to vanquish him once and for all. He was thought to be gone permanently, but he returned in spectral form during Season 7 to advise Piper and he also made sure that Phoebe didn't give up on love. Julian McMahon (the actor who played Cole) originally auditoned for the role of Inspector Andy Trudeau.

Andy Trudeau

Andy Trudeau: portrayed by Ted King (1998-1999)

Andy worked as an inspector for the San Francisco Police Department and was coincidentally assigned to almost every police case that involved the Halliwell sisters. He worked with Darryl. He was in love with Prue, but they broke up because she wouldn't tell him her secret. Eventually, Andy discovered the sisters' secret, and that they were responsible for saving so many people's lives. He then risked his career to help them, ultimately sacrificing his life to protect them from the demon Rodriguez. Brian Krause (the actor who plays Leo) originally auditioned to play this character.

Dan and Jenny Gordon

Dan Gordon: portrayed by Greg Vaughan (1999-2000)

The mortal next-door neighbor who was attracted to Piper Halliwell. He and his niece Jenny lived next door to the Halliwell Sisters. He used to play third base for the Seattle Mariners baseball team until he blew out his knee sliding home, then worked in construction. While Dan never discovered the sisters' secret, he noticed the oddity of the girls' lives and often suspected that they were hiding something. When Piper felt attracted to Dan, she decided to date him instead of Leo because the relationship seemed much less complicated. However, Piper's sudden disappearances and avoidance of his questions drove Dan crazy and made him feel insecure in their relationship. He also always felt threatened by Leo, because even though Piper did not see him often, he knew that they had been serious and that Piper still cared for him. Dan felt as though he was simply "geographically desirable" and that that was the basis of the entire relationship. Piper finally broke up with Dan after she realized that despite loving Dan, she loved Leo more. Dan also became very suspicious of Leo and even asked his brother-in-law who worked for the state department to check Leo's army records. When his brother-in-law discovered that Leo had been a soldier in World War II and had died in the war, Dan presented the information to Leo and finally to Piper. Dan moved away to Portland when he was offered a job there, deciding that it was time for him to get on with his life.

Jenny Gordon: portrayed by Karis Paige Bryant (1999)

Jenny is the niece of Dan Gordon and next-door neighbor, and friend, of the Halliwell Sisters. She was known to come to them for female advice when she was too embarrassed to talk to Dan. She was really on the show just to be a distraction/innocent/etc.

Christopher Perry Halliwell

Chris Perry: portrayed by Drew Fuller (2003-2004)

Introduced as a moody and mysterious whitelighter from the future, Chris became the sisters' new whitelighter after Leo became an Elder. But he clearly wasn't like other whitelighters: he could orb and sense his charges, but he couldn't heal. He eventually confessed that he was a half-witch, which explained why he couldn't be frozen and had telekinetic powers (he can also blow things up but rarely uses that power). But it still took a while for Leo and the sisters to fully trust Chris since his actions were often shady and he was so focused on killing demons. Eventually, everyone learned that Chris was Leo and Piper's second son, and that he was named after Leo's father. He had come back to identify and vanquish the one responsible for turning his brother Wyatt evil; he eventually achieved this with the help of his family. Chris resented Leo for not being there for him in the future, but eventually reconciled with his father. The adult Chris was mortally wounded by Gideon while trying to protect infant Wyatt; he died in Leo's arms hours before Piper gave birth to him. Fortunately, Chris had set in motion a new future for himself and his family that may ultimately change his own destiny for the better.

Billie Jenkins

Billie Jenkins: portrayed by Kaley Cuoco (2005-)

Billie Jenkins is introduced as a young witch paying more attention to demon fighting than to her education. Billie is put under the tutelage of the Charmed Ones and helps them with major problems. She has the power of telekinesis, although seemingly more advanced than Prue Halliwell's, as she can use it to amplify her acrobatic abilities. She is cocky in her own powers and skills, but is still bested in a fight by Paige. Her sister was captured by powerful demons when she was a child and taken hostage, which is what drove her to become so skilled in her powers. She is now searching for her sister in the hope she is still alive. The Angel of Destiny tells her that she will find her sister, that it was her destiny. Billie has been added to the opening credits.

Recurring guest stars

Family

• Victor Bennet - The father of Prue, Piper, and Phoebe. He divorced the Charmed Ones' mother, Patricia Halliwell, when the girls were young, after learning his wife and daughters had supernatural powers. Victor wasn't present for much of the girls' lives; his eldest daughter Prue resented him for most of her life. He began building a relationship with his daughters after they rediscovered their powers in their 20s. By end of the third season, he was on good terms with all three girls. He has also reconciled with Patty through conversations with her ghost (though he still doesn't get along with Grams' spirit). Victor travels a lot for work and only occasionally drops in for visits. In the future, told by his grandson, Chris, the two were close, due to Pipers' death, however upon the Charmed Ones and Chris hopefully having put the future on a different course, in the new future, this may change. He takes custody of both Wyatt and Chris when the Charmed Ones have to fake their deaths at the end of the 7th Season. Tony Denison portrayed Victor for one episode, after which James Read took over the role.

• Patricia Halliwell: Finola Hughes - Mother of Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige; daughter of Penelope. She was married to Victor Bennet and had an affair with her Whitelighter Sam (Paige's father). Patty kept her fourth pregnancy a secret, since the Elders wouldn't approve, and gave the baby up shortly after giving birth. Only her mother and lover knew about that child. Like Piper, Patty possessed the power of Temporal Stasis/Molecular Immobilization, and she was briefly able to have premonitions while carrying Phoebe. She was killed by a water demon, but her spirit occasionally visits her children.

• Penelope Halliwell/"Grams" - Grandmother of Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige; mother of Patricia. A powerful and no-nonsense woman, she possessed the power of telekinesis and added a great many potions and spells to the Book of Shadows. She bound Prue, Piper, and Phoebe's powers when they were children to protect them from a warlock. After Patty died, Grams raised the three girls on her own and kept the secrets of their Charmed destiny and Paige's existence from them. She died of a heart attack six months before the series started, but continues to watch over her grandchildren (she flips the pages of the Book of Shadows in the early years).

• Wyatt Matthew Halliwell: Jason & Kristopher Simmons, Wes Ramsey - Piper and Leo's first son. A prophecy foretold of the birth of a twice-blessed child of awesome power on a day when three planets aligned on a Wiccan sabbat during the Aurora Borealis. The legendary sword Excalibur is also destined to be wielded by this child. Early signs of Wyatt's power could be seen even before he was born, as he was able to use magic from the womb. Since his birth, demons have repeatedly attempted to abduct him (in order to turn him evil) or kill him (out of fear of his awesome power). Fortunately, he's a powerful little guy who's perceptive enough to understand the danger he's in and defend himself. Some of his powers including healing, orbing, telekinetic orbing, conjuring(aka thought projection), sensing, and shield generation. His name is a combination of his father's, Aunt Paige's, and mother's last names. His brother Chris returns from the future during Season 6 to stop him from turning evil, and it appears that he succeeded, although Chris paid with his life and was reborn as his baby self.

Friends, lovers, allies, and coworkers

• Agent Kyle Brody: Kerr Smith - A mysterious federal agent who knows a lot about the supernatural world. Brody witnessed his parents' murder as a child and spend the majority of his life seeking vengeance against the beings he believed to be responsible for their deaths. Those beings were the Avatars, an ancient supernatural race determined to end the battle between Good and Evil by imposing their own order on the world. Brody is an ordinary mortal armed only with an ancient potion that supposedly kills Avatars. His search for these beings leads him to the Charmed Ones; he helps keep their secret in exchange for their help. While Piper, Phoebe, Leo, and Darryl are wary of Brody's extreme methods, Paige overlooks his obsession as she falls in love with him. Brody is killed while taking out one of the Avatars, only to return as a whitelighter to bid farewell to his beloved Paige.

• Agent Murphy Brandon Quin - A federal agent from homeland security much like Agent Brody and Keyes. The sisters reveal to him that they faked their deaths and made him promise to cover up their secret for them, in exchange for his safety and the occasional supernatural favour for the government. After the sisters discovered a government strategy using demons to create supersoldiers, which nearly wiped out the magical community, it is unknown whether they will continue to work for him.

• Jason Dean: Eric Dane - He was the new boss of 'The Bay Mirror', the newspaper Phoebe wrote advice for, and became Phoebe's boyfriend for over a year. Jason was very career-oriented, and Phoebe traveled all over the world with him, including living in Hong Kong for a while. Phoebe was always working to keep her witch life a secret from him, and when he found out, he broke up with her.

• Drake DГЁmon: Billy Zane - Drake was a Mercury Demon who had never killed an innocent because his extensive readings had taught him about human feelings. Cole Turner's ghost directed him to a Sorcerer who made him human for a year - the condition was that Drake had to renew Phoebe's faith in love before his year ended (at which point he'd die). Drake retained his demonic powers, but would lose them to the Sorceror if he used them for evil. He worked briefly at the Magic School and fulfilled his promise to Cole before he died (falling for Phoebe in the process).

• Sheila Morris is the wife of Inspector Darryl Morris. Darryl told her about the Halliwells' secret about being witches, and she was able to cope and understand it, which brought a bit of shock to the Halliwell Sisters. Sheila was later told to never be around the Halliwell Sisters again, by Darryl, because she almost got killed while covering for him.

• Elder Odin: John de Lancie - A very powerful and uncompromising Whitelighter Elder.

• Elise Rothman is boss and editor at the Bay Mirror. She is hard and strict, but as the series progressed has become somewhat less so, especially towards Phoebe.

• Seer II: Charisma Carpenter - A clairvoiant demon who uses a large pool to show her visions to her visitors. She forsees the Avatar's ascendance and attempts to make a deal with the Charmed Ones to become mortal. She's vanquished by Zankou before she has the chance.

• Jack Sheridan: Lochlyn Munro - Jack worked alongside Prue Halliwell in Bucklands Auction House. A cocky, friendly, fun-loving man who is suprisingly competent at his job. He dates Prue until she quits Bucklands. He has an identical twin brother named Jeff.

• Leslie St. Claire: Nick Lachey - A ghostwriter hired to write Phoebe Halliwell's advice column at the beginning of the 7th Season. Although Phoebe was shocked to learn that her ghostwriter was a man, she nonetheless finds herself in a romantic relationship with him for the six episodes during which he appeared.

Main enemies

• Alpha the Avatar: First appeared in the Season 5 episode "Sam I Am" and returned in "Centennial Charmed" (The 100th Episode). He wanted Cole Turner to become an Avatar, but it was too late when Cole got vanquished. He recently became a major recurring character. After he achieved his goal of getting The Charmed Ones and Leo to help get the world to become a "Utopia" where he and the other Avatars dictate everything that happens, he was soon forced to give up this world when the Charmed Ones (the greatest force of good) and Zankou (the leader of the demons) realized his plan and threatened him with death. His character is indirectly to blame for the deaths of Cole Turner and Kyle Brody.

• Barbas, the Demon of Fear - Billy Drago: Barbas repeatedly tries to kill the sisters by turning their worst fears against them. However, in the 7th Season, he helps the sisters kill Gideon. Barbas first appears in Season 1. He reappeared in Season 2 with the help of a mortal man called Bane Jessop. Bane helped him because Barbas promised him wealth. Barbas appeared again in Season 6 to help Gideon kill Wyatt, but wasn't vanquished. In the first episode of Season 7, Leo hunted down Barbas with the intention of killing him for trying to murder Wyatt. Barbas tricked Leo into killing another Elder instead, driving him almost to the point of breakdown. Phoebe and Paige took up the hunt instead and vanquished Barbas.

• Belthazor: The demonic half of Cole Turner. A very powerful, but not invincible, demon, Belthazor had the ability to throw energy balls, shimmer (the demonic version of teleportation), telekinesis, and many other powers that he picked up or stole from other demons. Belthazor had a red and black body and was bigger and taller than his other half. He was an infamous demon known by most of the Underworld. He was sent after the Charmed Ones by the Triad, a group of evil who were later killed by Cole. Belthazor got weaker when Cole fell in love with Phoebe, as his good half took over for her and the Triad was killed. A woman came to Cole Turner to avenge the death of her fiancГ© (killed by Belthazor, back in a time when he was truly evil) and she wouldn't stop until Belthazor was dead. She got her wish when she threw a potion made by Phoebe to kill Cole's evil half. Belthazor was gone, but Cole Turner remained alive.

• Rex Buckland

• Gideon : One of the most powerful Elders, Gideon was entrusted with the position as headmaster of Magic School, an institution where young magical beings can learn about magic. While he originally pushed for the Elders to allow Piper and Leo to get married, once Wyatt was born, Gideon's attitude toward the couple changed drastically. He feared that all of the power that Wyatt possessed would cause him to turn evil and become an unstoppable threat. Gaining the sisters' confidence, Gideon used his position as a friend of the family to get close to Wyatt. But first, he hired a team of Darklighters to get Leo out of the way. He conspired with his evil counterpart in a parallel dimension to distract both the good and evil Charmed Ones so that he might kill Wyatt. The sisters realized his plan in time and stopped him, but only temporarily. Conspiring with Barbas, who used his powers to distract the sisters and Leo, Gideon managed to kidnap Wyatt, killing Chris in the process. Angered by his son's death, Leo tracked down Gideon in the Underworld and killed him.

• The Seer (I): A wise upper level demon who had served multiple Sources. She foresaw Cole becoming the new Source after the old one was to be vanquished by the Charmed Ones. Her master plan was for Phoebe to become pregnant with the spawn of The Source. When Cole as The Source was vanquished, she saw an opportunity, in which the Seer implanted the baby into herself, thus becoming the new Source. She met her end when she tapped into all the baby's power while trying to kill the Charmed Ones and ended up vanquishing herself and the Council.

• The Seer (II)

• Inspector Sheridan: Jenya Lano - A mortal policewoman who was very suspicious of the Charmed Ones and a great threat in their attempts to remain unexposed to the non-magic community. When she got too close to discovering their secret, Agent Kyle Brody of Homeland Security tranquilized her and placed her comatose body in in a mental hospital. She was eventually released with no memory of what had happened to her, but her suspicions still lingered. Sheridan was killed by Zankou in the Manor's attic during the Season 7 finale.

• Source of All Evil - The (former) ruler of the underworld. He had a tattooed face that was partially mutilated when he seized power. Among his many demonic powers: throwing fireballs, flaming teleportation, manipulating flame, shape-shifting, summoning demons and evil beings, mind-control, possession, etc. He sent numerous demons after the Charmed Ones. His greatest victory came when Prue was killed by his assassin Shax. The Source renewed his war against the Charmed Ones after they were reconstituted; his obsessive pursuit of their deaths eventually led to his own demise. However, his powers were absorbed by Cole Turner (who was mortal at the time), who eventually succumbed to the evil within him and became the new Source of All Evil. Cole attained the full powers of the Source in a ceremony that involved the Grimoire, the dark counterpart to the Book of Shadows. Cole was vanquished by the Charmed Ones after his reign began. His widow, Phoebe, was carrying the child of the Source, a being of pure evil that could control his mother from the womb. The unborn child was stolen by the Seer in her bid to become the new Source, but in the end both were vanquished for good by the Charmed Ones. Years later, a demon named "Mandi" used baby Wyatt's powers to bring the original Source back from the dead, but his presence was short; very soon after his resurrection, the Source was vanquished once again, thanks to the Charmed Ones.

• Hannah Webster - Rex's lover and ally at Bucklands. A low level warlock with the power to make fire and transform into a panther. Hannah was not good at keeping her dislike of Prue a secret. She accidentally killed Rex when Prue moves him in front of her during one of Piper's freezes. Hannah was then pulled down into the Underworld and never heard from again.

• Zankou - A powerful demon who was an enemy of the Source of All Evil. The Source incarcerated him out of fear, most likely because Zankou was a demon that could match the Source in strength. After the Source died for good and the threat from the Avatars neared, a group of demons freed him. He had the power to shoot waves of powerful energy, can regenerate when harmed, throw energy balls, shapeshift, sense things in ways no one else can, teleport in several ways, read and scan minds telepathically, has unlimited demonic power (like the Source), and can absorb the powers of whoever he kills as well as many more. He is intelligent and, unlike most demons, is more concerned with survival than a foolhardy ambition to fight the war between good and evil. Zankou attempts to gain control over the Shadow in the Nexus in order to get full control the Book of Shadows and turn it evil. He's vanquished when the Charmed Ones recite the spell to destroy the Nexus while its Shadow guardian was inside him.

Traditionally, there have been two main enemies per season, one dominating the first half and then the other the second half.

Main Enemies Per Seasons:

Season 1: Rex & Hannah (first half); Inspector Rodriguez (second half)

Season 2: Various warlocks (first half); The Council (second half)

Season 3: The Triad and Belthazor (first half); The Source of All Evill and Shax (second half)

Season 4: The Source of All Evil (first half); Cole as The Source (second half)

Season 5: Cole (first half); The Titans (second half)

Season 6: Various demons (first half); Gideon (second half)

Season 7: The Avatars (first half); Zankou (second half)

Season 8: To be announced

DVD release dates

There will be no special features on the first four seasons Charmed DVDs. (Paramount has a no-extras policy on their TV DVD's) The first season was firstly released in the United States. Australia is in the lead in DVD release dates, followed closely by The Netherlands and the quickly catching-up United Kingdom.

Australia release dates

• Season 1 - May 18th, 2005
• Season 2 - July 21st, 2005
• Season 3 - September 6th, 2005
• Season 4 - November 3rd, 2005
• Season 5 - February 16th, 2006
• Season 6 - TBA

The Netherlands release dates

• Season 1 - April 4th, 2005
• Season 2 - June 16th, 2005
• Season 3 - September 22nd, 2005
• Season 4 - November 24th, 2005
• Season 5 - February 23rd, 2006
• Season 6 - 2006
• Season 7 - 2006

Norwegian/Swedish release dates

• Season 1 - April 27th, 2005
• Season 2 - August 31st, 2005
• Season 3 - October 26th, 2005
• Season 4 - January 11th, 2006
• Season 5 - March 22nd, 2006
• Season 6 - TBA

United Kingdom release dates

• Season 1 - June 6th, 2005
• Season 2 - August 1st, 2005
• Season 3 - October 3rd, 2005
• Season 4 - November 21st, 2005
• Season 5 - February 27th, 2006
• Season 6 - April 3rd, 2006

United States release dates

• Season 1 - February 1st, 2005
• Season 2 - September 6th, 2005
• Season 3 - November 15th, 2005
• Season 4 - February 28th, 2006
• Season 5 - TBA
• Season 6 - TBA

See also

• Charmed Family Tree
• List of Charmed episodes
• Charmed Season Summaries
• List of Charmed Good Beings
• List of Charmed Evil Beings
• List of Charmed Magic Spells
• List of Other Charmed Magical Information
• Whitelighters
• Elders
• Warlocks
• Demons
• Darklighters
• Avatars

External links

• WB website
• Charmed mania, le site de charmed en France
• Paramount.com, the official studio's Charmed site
• [1] Features over one hundred Charmed Music Videos, inside information and fan fiction.
• Charmed at EPisodeWorld.com

• Charmed On DVD
• Fan site with mailing list for DVD release info
• Quotes from Charmed
• Charmed at the Internet Movie Database
• Search for Charmed using Google Video Search.
• Charmed-Net - Cool bilingual site!
• The Charmed Ones
• bs:Charmed (serija)