The CW
Tonight is the premiere of the all-new revival of Charmed. This new series does not appear to be continuing the story from the original series, but rather is a reboot with an entirely new story and new cast. The first episode will air on The CW on Sunday, October 14 at 9 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. Central.)
If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch a live stream of the CW on your computer, phone or streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
The CW (available live in select markets, which you can find here) is one of 85 channels included in the main Fubo bundle. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the show on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch most shows up to three days after they air even if you forgot to record them or you signed up later.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including the CW (available live in select markets, which you can find here). You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the show on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” comes with both its extensive on-demand library (which has most shows available after they air) and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
DirecTV Now offers four different channel packages, all of which include the CW (available live in select markets, which you can find here). You can sign up for a free trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the show on your computer via the DirecTV Now website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app.
If you can’t watch live, DirecTV Now includes cloud DVR, although it is in the Beta stage.
Preview
Here’s the trailer for Charmed.
The synopsis for the new Charmed reads: “Mel and Maggie Vera suffer a shock when their mother dies suddenly, but before they have time to heal from their loss, another surprise shows up on their doorstep in the shape of an older sister — brilliant geneticist Macy — whom their mother never told them existed. The emotional stress takes its toll and the girls begin to exhibit impossible new abilities. An explanation comes from an unexpected place: the new chair of the women’s studies department. Harry Greenwood reveals that the three are powerful witches, and he is their whitelighter, there to advise and guide them as they battle dark forces.”
Charmed originally had quite a bit of backlash that darkened the show’s return, but the new cast said they didn’t want to focus on the backlash, but instead want to focus on the show’s positivity. Some of the backlash came from the idea of rebooting the show rather than reviving it. The original show was a fan favorite. In January, Holly Marie Combs tweeted unfavorably about the show, saying that the franchise belonged to the four main actresses and the vast amount of writers, and they should have consulted them rather than “capitalizing on our hard work.” In May she tweeted: “I will never understand what is fierce, funny, or feminist in creating a show that basically says the original actresses are too old to do a job they did 12 years ago.”
You’ll notice a lot of differences between the shows. Rhyming couplets are out, and the show is based in a fictional Michigan town rather than in San Francisco. But the show still has a lot of “charm,” even if it’s really setting itself apart from the original.