The Coven Returns: CBS Plans to Reboot Charmed

Charmed has only been off the air since 2006, but according to some buzz from the television world, CBS TV studios is planning one of those pesky, maybe-okay “reimaginings” of the WB series that starred Alyssa Milano, Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and Rose McGowan. To the rumor mill!

Accord to Vulture, the new Charmed will be developed by Party of Five co-creator Chris Keyser and writing partner Sydney Sidner. Since Aaron Spelling created the original series, and CBSTVS owns the rights to Spelling’s library, this television reboot shouldn’t step on anyone’s toes. It’s also not hard to see why CBS wants another Charmed, because, as Josef Adalian explained yesterday on Vulture, supernatural witchery is very in right now, thanks to American Horror Story: Coven:

For one thing, horror and fantasy are hot right now on TV: The Walking Dead is TV’s biggest show among viewers under 50; American Horror Story: Coven has been massive this fall; Lifetime is doing okay ratings with the Charmed– inspired Witches of East End; Once Upon a Time is ABC’s biggest Sunday hit; and NBC’s Grimm has been one of the network’s few success stories in recent years.

Charmed, which ran for 178 episodes, was also incredibly popular, and why, in this era of diminishing returns in the entertainment industry, would a studio try to reinvent the wheel? Even Charmed fans annoyed at a reheated version of their favorite show will tune in for at least a few episodes, and by then CBS will have perfected its Hypnotoad prototype and curious viewers will be hooked.