The The Charmed reboot, which originally premiered in 2018 and recently ended after four seasons on The CW, followed a very similar format, focusing on the Vera sisters as a new trio of witches learning to deal with their Wiccan powers, yet this approach may have been something of a mistake.
During Charmed's original run, plenty of spinoff ideas were in the works, including a series called Mermaid, and a show centered on season 8's new character Billie (Kaley Cuoco). There was even an avid fan campaign for a show which would have focused on the next generation of Halliwells, specifically Piper's (Holly Marie Combs) sons Wyatt and Chris. After the show was canceled, Charmed remained relevant and had two more "seasons" with a series of comic books published between 2010-2016. Considering Charmed's continued popularity, it's no wonder The CW actively pursued rebooting the show, though the original idea for a revival was very different from what the Vera sisters' show ended up becoming.
Originally, the team behind The CW's hit show Charmed's original premise, making comparisons between the two inevitable. In this case, a Charmed reimagining set in an entirely different period may have been just what the franchise needed to find a new audience and pique the interest of loyal fans.
How The 1970s Charmed Revival Would've Connected To The Original Show
Though relatively little was known about the exact premise of the Charmed revival at the time, it's easy to presume the Charmed reimagining would have taken place in the same universe as the original Charmed (interestingly, the 2018 Charmed reboot ended with a glimpse of the Charmed multiverse, with the Vera sisters opening a door to the original Halliwell manor). This means that the new trio of witches, who were rumored to be named Tina, Paige, - perhaps a homage to Rose McGowan's character - and Annie, would have been bound to the same magical rules as the Halliwell sisters. They could have ended up fighting several of Charmed's infamous demons, such as the Source, the Triad, Barbas, also known as The Demon of Fear, or even Cole Turner's (Julian McMahon) demonic alter ego Belthazor.
Despite its 1970s setting, this version of the Charmed reboot could also have featured the return of notable of the Halliwell family. Charmed often played fast and loose with the concept of time travel, meaning even the infamous Halliwell sisters could have paid a visit to New England in the 70s. More likely, however, would have been the inclusion of Penny Halliwell, the Charmed ones' maternal grandmother. One episode of Charmed even included a glimpse into Penny's life in the late 1960s, and as such, the show could have developed that narrative thread. It certainly would have been interesting to see Penny interact with other witches outside of her immediate family.
Charmed had an undeniably significant impact on popular culture as a successful female-led ensemble show. Unsurprisingly, there have been various efforts to recapture its success. Now that the 2018 Charmed reboot has ended, there's no telling where the franchise might be headed next.