Dorian Gregory Movies

Three of the most gorgeous TV witches since the days of Elizabeth Montgomery were the heroines of the hour-long WB fantasy series Charmed, which first materialized on October 7, 1998. Reunited in their ancestral San Francisco mansion, the Halliwell sisters -- Prudence (aka Prue, played by Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs), and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), and came upon a dusty tome titled the "Book of Shadows," which by and by revealed a secret that had long been withheld from them: the sisters were witches known as the "Charmed Ones," blessed with extraordinary powers which they were expected to use in the never-ending fight of good against evil. Prue, the oldest, had the gift of telekinesis, enabling her to move objects at will; middle child Piper was able to stop time; and Phoebe, the baby of the family, was able to see the future. The ritual enabling them to combine their powers involved the linking of hands and chanting in unison, "The power of three will set us free." Of course, now that the girls knew they were witches, they were immediately targeted for destruction by all manner of warlocks, sorceresses, and malevolent spirits, many of these hoping to steal the Halliwells' powers for themselves. Also, in their efforts to lead "normal" lives and not give away their secrets, the ladies encountered a great deal of difficulty in the romance department -- not to mention the holding and maintaining of regular employment.

During season one, Prue worked for the Buckland Auction House, whose owner turned out to be a warlock; she also lost her policeman boyfriend, Andy Trudeau (T.W. King), who was killed in an effort to save the Halliwells from a demon. Phoebe's private life was not quite so tempestuous, though she had a bad habit of losing jobs due to the bad things happening around her. The impressionable Piper, who managed to find work as a caterer and later as the owner of the "P3 Club" nightspot, thought she had found true love in the form of hunky handyman Leo Wyatt (Brian Krause), until learning that Leo was a "Whitelighter," a guardian angel fated to protect all good witches from harm -- and as such, was off limits. In later seasons, however, Leo was demoted to "mortality" and was able to marry Piper, with whom he had a "bewitched" son named Wyatt. By the time Leo's powers were back to full steam in season five, he'd been appointed an "Elder" Whitelighter; his former job of protecting the sisters was taken over by another Whitelighter named Chris Perry (Drew Fuller), who turned out to have a hidden agenda.

Season three saw quite a few upheavals in the lives of the sisters, with Phoebe falling for Assistant DA Cole Turner (Julian McMahon) -- who turned out to be the demon Belthazor, and whose mission was to kill the sisters. Cole managed to purge himself of evil, only to revert to wickedness -- a cycle that continued to repeat itself until, in season four, the "bad" Cole married and impregnated Phoebe with his evil seed. Eventually the baby was stolen by a demon called The Seer (Debbi Morgan), and poor, mixed-up Cole wound up trapped in another dimension before being "vanquished" permanently. (At least Phoebe landed a permanent job as a newspaper advice columnist once the dust had settled!) As for Prue, season three of Charmed turned out to be her last when she was killed during a "demon assault." Her place in the Halliwell household was taken in season four by the girls' half sister, Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan), who like the late Prue possessed telekinetic powers. Paige would eventually find "civilian" employment as a social worker, enabling her to emulate the other girls by applying her powers for the forces of good on a full-time basis.

There were scores of additional plot complications and story arcs occurring in and out of the "real world" and back and forth in time (at one point, for example, the heroines were converted into Greek goddesses). "Charmed" though the Halliwell girls may have been, it didn't mean that they exactly led charmed lives. Perhaps it was the unstable nature of the world in which our heroines dwelled that made Charmed one of the WB's most successful offerings; viewers literally never knew what to expect from one week to the next! ~ All Movie Guide

Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) must do some serious thinking when "reformed" demon Cole (Julian McMahon) proposes marriage. The same goes for Cole himself, who while trying to help Phoebe and Paige (Rose McGowan) track down a malevolent mystical murderer is forced to face down the demon still lurking within him -- once and for all. Observing the drama from the sidelines are Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Leo (Brian Krause), uncertain whether or not to take a hand in matters. ~ All Movie Guide

Beset by domestic problems, Piper (Holly Marie Combs) finds herself unable to control her magical powers. In an effort to help her sister, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) consults a marriage counselor -- but when the counseling session proves to be too slow and laborious for Piper, she impulsively casts a spell to speed up the proceedings. The result: Phoebe and Paige (Rose McGowan) are hurtled back in time, where they are forced to experience all the memories, both good and bad, of Piper and her husband, Leo (Brian Krause) -- enabling the series' producers to superimpose new footage upon clips from previous episodes! Complications ensue when a malevolent warlock hitches a ride on Phoebe and Paige's foray into the past. ~ All Movie Guide

While mourning the death of their sister Prue, Charmed Ones Piper and Phoebe Halliwell (Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano) are surprised by a visit from their mother, Patty (Finola Hughes) -- and even more surprising by the news Patty has brought them. It seems the girls have a half sister whom they have never met: Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan), the daughter of Patty and her Whitelighter (guardian angel) Sam. Now, explains, Patty, the "Power of Three" remains intact, with Paige joining the Halliwell household for more benevolent witchery. This opening episode of Charmed's fourth season was originally telecast as a single two-hour program; it has since been divided into a pair of one-hour shows for syndication. ~ All Movie Guide

In the course of a murder investigation at the magic school, Paige (Rose McGowan) and Agent Brody (Kerr Smith) find themselves plunked into the middle of a detective novel that was started 20 years earlier, but never completed. In order to escape their literary prison, Paige and Brody must figure out how the novel was supposed to end -- and they must also locate the book's long-missing author, Eddie Mullen (Bug Hall). As indicated by its title, this episode uses the Charmed format as a framework for an affectionate homage to the shadow-laden film noir genre of the 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Kerr Smith makes his first series appearance as Agent Kyle Brody, a handsome young government functionary who has taken a special interest in the Charmed Ones. A self-proclaimed expert on witchcraft, Brady has the curious feeling that the girls will be able to help him solve his current case, involving the disappearances of several young women. It turns out that, just like our heroines, the missing girls were all peculiarly "gifted" -- and they've been periodically vanishing from the same geographic region for over 100 years! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Marisol Nichols guest stars as Bianca, a visitor from the future who materializes in the present-day P3 club -- then promptly robs Whitelighter Chris (Drew Fuller) of his powers. Leo (Brian Krause) soon discovers that Bianca is a part of a family of assassin witches, and that dire consequences lie ahead for everyone concerned unless she restores Chris' skills posthaste. Meanwhile, Paige (Rose McGowan) seriously considers moving out of the mansion and moving in with Richard Montana (Balthazar Getty); Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) wants to join Jason (Eric Dane) in Hong Kong in hopes of restoring their relationship; and Piper (Holly Marie Combs) worries that her romance with a firefighter will cause a rift between herself and her son, Wyatt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In her efforts to be "one of the girls" -- that is, one of the benevolent Halliwell witches -- Paige (Rose McGowan) mixes up a potion that causes her to switch bodies with her half sister Phoebe (Alyssa Milano). In so doing, Paige acquires Phoebe's magical powers, and vice versa. Both girls must combine their new and (to them) unfamiliar conjuring skills in order to vanquish an apprentice ninja who is running murderously amok. ~ All Movie Guide

Wyatt, the son of "Charmed One" Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Whitelighter Leo (Brian Krause), is kidnapped by the Cleaners, emissaries of a neutral power force that "cleans up" the mess caused when mortals are accidentally exposed to magic. In their efforts to erase Wyatt's existence, the Cleaners also wipe out the short-term memories of Piper and her sisters, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) and Paige (Rose McGowan). Elsewhere, Phoebe continues to have problems with her new empath powers; Paige doesn't know what she's unleashing when she uses magic as a defense mechanism against sexual harassment at the workplace; and Leo sends novice Whitelighter Chris (Drew Fuller) on an intriguing new assignment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode marks the first time that twin infants Jason and Kristopher Simmons are given screen credit for sharing the role of baby Wyatt. While attending a non-magical preschool, Wyatt begins talking to himself, much to the dismay of his father, Leo (Brian Krause). Although the teacher is convinced that it is perfectly normal for Wyatt to have an "imaginary friend," the child is actually in danger of being possessed by a deceptively mild-mannered demon named Vicus (Marcus Chait). In their efforts to rescue baby Wyatt, the Charmed Ones inadvertently conjure up the 25-year-old "future" Wyatt (Wesley A. Ramsey). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After vanquishing a vicious Manticore demon, the Charmed Ones are obliged to care for the demon's cute little half-breed baby (human body, forked lizard tongue). Though they hope to alter the baby's ultimate destiny by raising it to do good rather than evil, Whitelighter Chris (Drew Fuller) exhorts them to destroy the infant before it is too late. Elsewhere, Jason (Eric Dane) is so taken aback when Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) tells him she loves him that he feels the need to leave the country, and Paige (Rose McGowan) makes the latest in a long line of magical blunders when she bestows a superpower upon Inspector Morris (Dorian Gregory) to help him defuse a hostage crisis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Unaware that Cole (Julian McMahon) is now possessed by The Source of All Evil, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) proceeds with her plans to marry Cole. At the goading of The Seer (Debbi Morgan), The Source agrees to utilize "dark powers" at the wedding to ensure that Phoebe and Cole's son will one day rule the Underworld. The trick is to prevent Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Paige (Rose McGowan) from catching on that the marriage ceremony is -- to say the least -- an unholy occasion. ~ All Movie Guide

The time has come for baby Wyatt's Wiccan birthing ceremony. For the occasion, the Charmed One's grandmother (Jennifer Rhodes) brings along a special guest: the personified memory of her former lover, the Necromancer (Chris Sarandon). Unfortunately, he plans to kill the girls so that he and "Grams" Halliwell will be together without any outside forces impeding their romance. In other developments, Phoebe's (Alyssa Milano) relationship with Jason (Eric Dane) might damage her relationship with her sisters, and Paige (Rose McGowan) casts a truth spell on her boyfriend, Nate (Norman Reedus), to see if he can handle the truth about her (but can she handle the truth about him?). ~ All Movie Guide