Charmed Behind-The-Scenes Drama Was Even Uglier Than We Thought
Now we have confirmation of what the real reason for Shannen Doherty's firing from the show was.
Summary:
- Charmed 's three witch sisters were an example of sisterhood in the 2000s, but in real life, Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty couldn't stand each other.
- During the filming of the third season of Charmed, a conflict broke out between Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty, which, as many assumed, resulted in Doherty being fired.
- Holly Marie Combs revealed that Shannen was fired because of Alyssa Milano, who threatened to sue the producers if Doherty wasn't fired.
The Charmed pilot was watched by 7.7 million viewers. This was a strong showing across the board, and even a record for The WB channel. Charmed witches became role models for teenage girls: they made careers, fell in love, all the while concocting potions and sending the next villain to a spectacular knockout.
Сharmed Was a Resounding Success In The 2000s
Nearly fifty fiction and comic books have been written about the adventures of the Halliwell sisters (they were published parallel to the series, from 1999 to 2008). Almost every teenage girl had notebooks with Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. And if you turned on the TV in the 2000s, you probably saw the show's opening credits, which featured a cover of the song How Soon Is Now.
Three witches so different from each other fascinated everyone. For excellent students, there was the determined careerist Prue, who had the ability to telekinesis and astral travel in time and space. The party girls were inspired by the frivolous and reckless Phoebe, who could see the past and the future. For those who dreamed about a big house and a family, there was Piper, balancing her older and younger sisters, who wanted to open her own restaurant. This diversity was the real Power of Three, not the spells.
There Was No Power of Three In Real Life
However, as all fans have long known, in real life there was no Power of Three and no spirit of sisterhood at all. At the beginning of the third season, rumors began to spread that Shannen Doherty (Prue) and Alyssa Milano (Phoebe) did not get along at all, unlike their on-screen heroines. A popular theory was that Shannen did not like the direction the show was taking, and the actress did not hesitate to voice her opinion.
Holly Marie Combs Reveals Real Reason Shannen Doherty Was Fired
There was a lot of speculation about the reason for the rift in the relationship between the two actresses, but Holly Marie Combs (Piper) put an end to the discussion on the Let's Be Clear podcast, where she talked about her meeting with the show's producer Jonathon Levin, who told her the following in 2000:
“We were told [by Alyssa] it’s her or [Shannen] and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment.”
Despite the conflicts, Charmed remained a pleasant nostalgic memory from the 2000s. Who among us didn't dream of getting magical powers and being as cool as the three TV witches?