Charmed

It's that tongue-in-cheek, lighthearted mood that elevates "Charmed" from the dreary, self-important solemnity that hangs like a pall over so much so-called fantasy and science fiction. [6 Oct 1998, p.E-1]

Charmed doesn't knock our socks off as relentlessly as the WB's wisecracking Buffy did, but it's headed in the wry-te direction. It also shows more early promise than Spelling's more famous soaps did in Week 1. [7 Oct 1998, p.83]

By the time the episode wraps up with a good-vs.-evil clash, though, it's really rolling, with special effects that are both fun and scary. Doherty, Combs and Milano are appealing, and also believable as sisters, and T.W. King adds a down-to-earth touch as police detective Andy Trudeau, Prue's old boyfriend, who suspects that something is up. [7 Oct 1998, p.E6]

Shannen Doherty as a witch. Perfect. [6 Oct 1998, p.03]

It's fantasy, but it's fun. [6 Oct 1998, p.1]

If you've followed the TV careers of Charmed's stars -- Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills 90210), Holly Marie Combs (Picket Fences) and Alyssa Milano (Who's the Boss) -- then just the idea of all three being in the same show makes it worth a look. The premise is at times campy, but it works. [7 Oct 1998, p.3D]

Still charming, a lively and frothy imagining of what might happen if Sabrina got mixed up with darker forces. [7 Oct 1998, p.6]

Charmed has an entertaining little way about it, with Spelling and company mostly striking a solid balance between escapist slap-schtick and mild horror. If the opening hour isn't terribly concerned with issues of believability, relatability and self-parody (pilot is notably short on humor), it's likely a saucy enough brew for the WB's target 12-24 demo to swallow. [7 Oct 1998, p.5]

Alternating—or rather, wavering—between frightening and funny, the show has yet to establish a clear identity beyond its-status as a post-teenage teammate of The WB's popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

As free-spirited Phoebe, Milano, who replaced Lori Rom in the cast after the original pilot had been shot, needs seasoning, and maybe some warm clothes. Combs' Piper, the "earthy and creative" one, simply seems uneasy as a witchy woman. [7 Oct 1998, p.C10]

Charmed is a bit thin in the plot department; the main things it has going for it are the sisters' pulchritude and the presence of Doherty, who is that rare item: a TV star who succeeds on the strength of her vitriol.

While it doesn't work for me, I'll bet many of the WB's teen viewers who have just finished watching "Dawson's Creek" are going to love it. The girls will feel empowered; the boys, who have been lusting after the three, will be entertained by the violence and havoc they can generate. [7 Oct 1998, p.1E]

Doherty and Milano, together with some silly dialogue and plots, promise some good campy fun. The problems come whenever their third sibling, played by Holly Marie Combs ("Picket Fences"), is on screen. You see, Combs can actually act, and whenever she starts to emote, she gives the trashy proceedings a bit more reality than they can handle. [7 Oct 1998, p.39]

"The power of three will set us free," the sisters chant. They are good witches. They just aren't particularly interesting witches. Yet. [7 Oct 1998, p.E1]

Charmed has none of the wit or intelligence that characterizes The WB's superior supernatural series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," but "Charmed" is an OK drama for the post-"Sabrina" crowd. [7 Oct 1998, p.E-4]

As Buster Poindexter once sang, they're hot, hot, hot...If Charmed gets more savvy, scary and sexy as weeks go on and it's a good bet it will falling under its spell will be an easy thing to do. [7 Oct 1998, p.93]

The combination of witchcraft fantasy with the female empowerment message may be enough to charm the show's target young-girl audience. The rest of us, however, should hold out for something a bit more bewitching. [7 Oct 1998, p.3D]

This WB series, which has its premiere tonight, seems to want to be a dark dramatic version of "Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch Grows Up" or "Bewitched: The Single Years." Unfortunately, it just manages to make witchcraft look bland.

With the silly, overwrought Charmed, the network of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson's Creek and Felicity is pushing its luck. [7 Oct 1998, p.1C]

None of this will bother viewers who haven't seen "The Witches of Eastwick." And given that the movie was released in 1987 -- and that the WB's programming is aimed directly at teenagers -- chances are that the lack of originality in Charmed won't hurt the show's chances. [7 Oct 1998]

Though Doherty's return to prime time is only occasionally bewitching, Charmed, on first encounter, isn't without promise. [7 Oct 1998, p.5G]

Spelling is infamous for launching shows that need at least a half-dozen episodes to find their footing, and this effort has plenty of room for improvement. It's not nearly as bewitching as it needs to be. [7 Oct 1998, p.53]

Loaded with bogus-pokus, Charmed is less witty and diverting than "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Its soap and fantasy elements ought to attract some of the same audience, but it's not likely to put many under a spell. [7 Oct 1998, p.1E]

It's "Party of Five" meets "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," but with less angst and pathos than the former and more adult pretension than the latter...As it is, "Charmed" is a pretty bland-tasting brew. [7 Oct 1998, p.C5]