Every time a show we loved gets a reboot, we worry. The reasons for this are two-fold: some things, we recognize, are not perfect, no matter how much we loved them back in the day and yet, there’s always the fear that they could be …you know, ruined?
It’s a complicated thing, being a TV fan. What can I say?
But in the case of the Charmed reboot, we have to admit we feel cautiously optimistic. Looking back on it the show was pretty feminist, yes, but it was also pretty damn …well, white. And in 2018 there’s much more awareness, not just of how diverse we are, but of the fact that, everyone wants to see themselves on screen.
And that’s how we go into the five reasons we’re excited for the reboot, the first being:
DIVERSITY, DIVERSITY, DIVERSITY
This is not a complicated subject, and this is not the first time we’ve talked about it. Everyone deserves to see themselves on TV, everyone. TV is still mostly about white male stories, but when it’s telling female stories, it’s overwhelmingly about white women, so for me, as a latinx woman, to see a latinx cast portraying latinx characters, to see that diversity is not just a word, but a reality, to know that it’s not just that the main family is latinx, but that there’s also the exploration of what it means to be Afro-latinx, with a Asian female and a black man as love interests ….well, that’s my number one reason to tune it. Here’s to diversity!
Strong Women
Guess who doesn’t need a man to save them? Oh, yes, the women of Charmed! Well, and most women, in general, but it’s nice to have shows on our TV screen that remind us that women are not just one thing, and they are certainly not damsels in distress.
Sisterhood
The best thing about Charmed was always that the show’s main storylines were family-oriented, and the romance was, if anything, secondary. And yes, it worked. You can make a show about sisters and spend more time developing their actual sisterly bond, instead of worrying about who they’re gonna end up with. GASP. I know. Let’s hope this part doesn’t change. It was our favorite thing about the original.
Magic is Fun
Because it’s …fun! And how often do we get to see female characters be powerful and badass and just enjoy doing both those things? The answer, of course, is not often enough.
Because We Loved the Original
It wasn’t perfect, no, but there will always be a place in our hearts for the original Charmed and for the message of female empowerment that it brought our TVs. We’d love to say that in this day and age that message isn’t necessary, that the world has gotten to a place where equality is just an ordinary thing, but sadly, we still have ways to go. And that’s why this reboot seems like it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Charmed is coming to the CW in Fall 2018. It will air Sundays at 9/8c, after Supergirl.
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