Charmed Catches a Little Luck
After having to wait for renewal until The WB announced its new fall schedule to advertisers in New York City on May 17, Charmed executive producer Brad Kern is just catching his breath and thinking about the prospect of an eighth season, back on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.
"They sure did make us wait," he says. "I wish they hadn't. I understand why they did. I even went in a week before everybody in the network went to New York and did a little dog-and-pony show. I went to [WB entertainment chief] David Janollari to pitch him on why he should pick up Charmed for one more year, all the different things I could still do for the show.
"When you're a bubble show, the network has every right to look at their next year's schedule with all their new shows. You have to re-pitch your series. They have every right to be concerned that the legs are getting fatigued, and the last thing you want to do is pick up a show one year late.
"Not all of us have the luxury of being multimillionaires and being able to, quote, unquote, leave while we're on top." After all, Kern isn't just worrying about himself and stars Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan, who play the good-witch Halliwell siblings in San Francisco.
"You're responsible for 250 people who work on the show," Kern says, "and all the people who service those people. My job is always to see what I can do to get the show picked up for one more year, by hook or by crook."
He credits fan efforts for contributing to the show's return. "I think every little thing that everybody did helped, fans sending in e-mails, letters and candles, my dog-and-pony show, and the fans tuning in to watch the last several episodes and not letting the ratings drop lower."
Kern says Charmed returns for the same budget as last year, which will require some creative economizing. Also complicating the issue is that Charmed finds itself sandwiched between half-hour comedies, with a Reba repeat on one side, and Blue Collar TV on the other -- along with facing direct competition again this year from ABC's formidable Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
"I think they recognize that we lost some viewers by being up against the juggernaut that was ABC," Kern says, "and being marooned. But we still pulled in our 3.5 to 4 million viewers no matter what, and that's a lot on The WB.
"It's a tough slot. David said we're an anchor show, and we still have a loyal following, and that's meaningful to him and the network as we enter into our eighth year, and they try to launch their next generation of shows."
The uncertainty at the end of season seven left Kern unable to pen a definitive closer.
"I did admittedly write an episode that erred more on the side of a series finale than a season finale, because I didn't want to leave the fans with nothing to hold onto for eternity, if that was to be the end.
"But I did leave myself enough outs, and I have thought through things that I could do to spin the show off in a fresh direction if we did get picked up. Because if you're going to do an eighth season, you're going to need to till new ground."
At season's end, the Charmed Ones -- Piper (Combs), Phoebe (Milano) and Paige (McGowan) -- had their slates wiped clean and were transformed into new versions of themselves (with different actresses), able to now live in anonymity without fear of their magical powers being discovered.
Since all three original stars are contracted for one more year, Kern faces the challenge of restoring the sisters. Also, because of the budget, they must stay in the now-deserted Halliwell mansion.
"Can't afford to rebuild," Kern says. "They will stay in the house, one way or another. I don't want to get out of this cheaply. I think the audience would be upset, and I don't blame them. I don't want to use memory dust; I don't want to use the cleaners; I don't want to cast spells. They're going to have to get out of this one authentically, and I think that'll be more rewarding for the audience."
New additions this year include Sugar Ray frontman and Extra host Mark McGrath. Kern isn't quite sure what to do with him yet, but he hopes to make him a new love interest for Phoebe.
"The challenge," Kern says, "is to make him different from any other love interest we've had for her before."
Although adding McGrath was not Kern's idea, he says, "Obviously, with single women, you need single men. So when they say 'Mark McGrath,' I say 'No problem.' I'll find a way."
There'll also be a new girl in town. "We're going to be meeting a new witch in the season as well," Kern says. "She will be driving the girls crazy. Who knows, maybe she'll take off, and there'll be a ninth season.
"It'll say Charmed on my tombstone. That's the only thing I'll ever be known for, I'm sure, but if that's it, I'm blessed and grateful. It's been, and continues to be, a great run."
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