When the news broke that Madeleine Mantock was exiting Charmed after three seasons, it cast a dark cloud over the series.
I couldn’t help but worry that the show would not be as entertaining without Mantock as part of the ensemble.
Thankfully, after watching the first two episodes of Charmed Season 4, all of those fears are gone.
Under new leadership from Jeffrey Lieber, Nicki Renna, and Joey Falco, the series mixes what worked the best on the initial three seasons with some fresh new concepts.
Despite Mantock no longer being a part of the show, Mel, Maggie, and Harry are still grappling with her loss.
TV shows often implement significant time jumps to effectively erase a departing character, but it would have been a disservice to the fans to act as though everyone got over Macy’s death with ease.
The truth is, it feels like Macy is still a part of the show, and the creatives and actors did a great job of showing the raw emotion for the people Macy left behind.
Grief can take different forms, and the show highlights that in a way that honors Macy instead of brushing her under the rug.
As a result, it’s easier to get on board with the new “Charmed One.”
First impressions are everything, and while I’m unable to say much about this new addition, Lucy Barrett brings a different energy to the show.
It would have been easy to introduce the new witch as a replacement, but there’s a very fascinating storyline involving the unique new character that should resonate with fans.
You can tell the creatives collaborated to land on the best way to introduce a new co-lead, which is a major positive.
We also travel to new locations and meet a new big bad throughout the first two episodes. The villain is shaping up to be the best on the show to date.
Charmed Season 4 takes the series in a confident new direction that feels like the natural next step.
None of the developments feel forced.
The writing is considerably stronger than the first few seasons, and for the first time in quite a while, the characters are moving forward in ways that feel true to them.
Charmed Season 4 premieres Friday, March 11 at 8 p.m. on The CW.
Check out the trailer below.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
