My name is Sara Miller and I would first just like to say that I really enjoy reading your weekly column, "Tuned In," in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette TV Weekly Magazine. I am 16 years old and I guess you could say I am a bit obsessed with TV (Ok, that was a bit of an understatement, but that's not the point.) I have noticed, however probably not your fault, that the TV Show Charmed, which shows on The WB Thursdays at 9:00p.m., does not get the recognition it deserves. It never is featured in your column, nor in the Daily Highlights given for prime time shows each day of the week. In this letter, I hope to convince you that Charmed should be mentioned somewhere in that magazine.
Did you know that Charmed's premiere episode had the highest rating in both The WB's and Aaron Spelling's career? More recently, it is the second highest rated show on The WB. Do you know that only TV show is above is? Some would think it would be the popular show Buffy The Vampire Slayer (which, by the way, had a great feature in your column about two seasons ago), but is it not. Instead it is second only to Seventh Heaven, a family oriented show. I think that is a huge accomplishment for the writers of Charmed and has to say something about how good it really is.
I don't know if you have ever watched Charmed or have brushed it off as so many people I know did because of it's supernaturally based themes. It is about three sisters who are witches, the Charmed Ones, destined to fight evil in the world. But, that's just the point. As it was said on E!'s special, The Women Of Charmed, it is a show about three sisters who happen to be sisters, not three witches who happen to be sisters. The chemistry between the sisters is what most people tune into see. The sisters, by the way, are played by three very talented actresses of whom most people already know. Alyssa Milano (most commonly known for being Samantha in Who's the Boss?) plays the youngest sister, Phoebe Halliwell- a free spirited, but caring young woman willing to sacrifice anything for the good of mankind. Holly Marie Combs (known most widely as Kimberly in Picket Fences) is the middle sister, Piper Halliwell. The character of Piper is played as the typical middle sister- a people pleaser, which adds quite a bit to the sister's relationship. The oldest sister of the Charmed Ones is played by none other than Shannen Doherty (though well known for a lot of her work, she is most recognized as Brenda from Beverly Hills 90210), who brings into play the nagging, over protective but compassionate role of the oldest sister. No matter who they are, I think everybody would be able to relate to one, if not all of the sisters. All three have down to earth qualities; qualities found in everyone.
Something else everyone will love is the witty, and sometimes down-right hilarious, lines spoken in Charmed. The writers are really great and display, in words and actions, the very basis of the girls' relationship. They know exactly when a funny quote is needed to lighten up the scene, or sometimes, just the faces the girls make is enough to bring a bit of ease to the viewer when they are anxious about the demon of the week. No matter your involvement and interest in demons, warlocks, and witches (because face it, not many people are), the writers explain each scene through the actresses so even the most clueless person as to what a Whitelighter is, for example, would understand. The writers make each episode so that if you have never even heard of Charmed, you wouldn't be in the dark as to what's going on that episode when you turn it on for the first time. On the contrary, people as dedicated as I am to watching Charmed are able to recall what happened the last episode just by watching the new one.
Even though I said that you could just start to pick up watching Charmed without knowing what has happened in past episodes, I think knowing a bit would help a person to do just that- watch. This third season of Charmed has dealt more with the relationships between both the sisters themselves and the sisters and their love interests. Throughout all three seasons, Piper has grown romantically attached to Leo Wyatt (Brian Krause), who happens to be the sisters Whitelighter. A Whitelighter, though basically explained in each episode, is like the witches guardian angel who guides them in their fight against evil. Just recently, the episode which aired on February 22 featured Piper finally marrying Leo after three long years. Another well written romance between Phoebe and Cole Turner (Julian McMahon), the District Attorney and eventually known as Belthazor, a demon hired to kill the Charmed ones. But, there is one hitch: Cole starts to fall in love with Phoebe (and vice-versa), and decides to surpress his demon side to be with her (he is half human, half demon.) Since the writers have tried to make the sister's lives the main focus this season, their love lives are as much as theirs as they are the viewers. Each twist and turn are felt by the audience as well and I am sure that you will find yourself rooting for one or the other by the end of each episode. That, in my opinion, is what makes great TV.
In conclusion, I hope that I have at least sparked an interest in Charmed for you. I know it defiantly does not get the recognition it deserves from both the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and nationally, and so will you after watching a few episodes. Like I said before, I think you do a really good job in bringing attention to "misunderstood" shows, and that's why I am writing. Charmed is definatly a misunderstood show. As one last argument for that statement, let me point out this example: Buffy The Vampire Slayer gets much more recognition and credit than Charmed, but Charmed gets considerably more viewers per week than Buffy. Anyone can see that is no fair. Hopefully, I have swayed you a bit in doing your part to bring Charmed the recognition it deserves. Thank you for your time and maybe try to catch an episode this week. I know you'll like it.
Sincerely, Sara Miller
One of the downsides of my job is that there's way more television out there than I have time to watch. I know I reviewed "Charmed" when it premiered, but you're right that I haven't written about it since. I'm admittedly a "Buffy" fan because of its strong writing, which wasn't as evident in the "Charmed" episodes I've seen. I will try to take a look at "Charmed" again sometime soon, but that doesn't mean I'll write about it. There's not time for everything I'm afraid. I will look for a wire story to run sometime during the week though.
Thanks for writing,
Rob Owen
TV Editor
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
