A group of sisters discover they are witches. Luckily for the world, they’re of the good variety. Banding together in their ancestral home in San Francisco, they work together to fight evil, with each having a specific special power. Although outwardly they are average women, with jobs, relationships and friends, they are also powerful witches, but when they work together, their powers are enhanced. As The Charmed Ones, their destiny is to protect innocents from evil.
For thoughts on Charmed: The Complete Series, please check out my piece on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Charmed is finally gathered together in one Blu-Ray collection after previously being released individually in what was a rollercoaster of emotions for fans with a mixture of pressed and burned discs, replacement programs and more. Thankfully, pretty much all of those issues have been ironed out and we are left with a terrific collection of all eight seasons on 39 pressed discs – at least initially, so buy sooner rather than later.
These Blu-Rays are provided with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its remastered and expanded 1.78:1 open-matte aspect ratio compared to its old 4×3 full-frame ratio. While these types of aspect ratio conversions are not always ideal, you can tell that the powers that be behind Charmed took great care to maintain the composition of the frame with only the occasional gaffe noticeable due to the framing. Those who own the ancient DVDs will be astonished to see the new life that the remaster brings to this material. Once you see these Blu-Ray discs, you will say good riddance to those old sets.
A few odd transitional establishing shots in the early seasons seem like they may have been sourced from a different pickup source than the main material, but typically these moments are very brief. Overall clarity and detail is stunning, and skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. The makeup and hairstyling are especially textured in a way that shines through in this transfer. Although the series visually gets incrementally better as it goes along, it remains remarkably consistent throughout.
This transfer maintains the natural look of the show that helps with showcasing subtle details in the production design and costumes. Colors are well saturated in a pleasing way that provides a visual pop off the screen. Minor specks of debris pop up very rarely, but they are still worth noting. Black levels hold up well with crush not serving as an overwhelming issue. Certain special effects shots have been rebuilt to look a bit smoother, but some work still looks a bit amateurish when compared to modern series. When compared to the streaming versions I have seen on Peacock, these discs offer a bit more stability and less chunkiness from compression artifacts. This new presentation from CBS Home Entertainment is very impressive and should be considered the essential way to view the series.
Audio Quality
We mentioned that the Blu-Rays received remastered video in this new set, but just as importantly (almost) all of the seasons have now been given lossless audio. Unfortunately, a few minor issues keep things from being perfect, so we will get those out of the way first. The biggest problem child in this set in Season 1, which contains lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 in English and French with subtitles in both languages. The sound of this first season is not terrible, but it is a bummer to know it is restrained compared to what it could be. Season 2 is given that sweet DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio upgrade with only an English audio track. The only mess-up here is that this season is the only season to have no subtitle options.
Thankfully, Seasons 3-8 all come with an active DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in English and German (with subtitles for both languages) that creates a fully fleshed-out world from episode to episode. One of the standout aspects of this show is the music and score that adds a lot of character and emotion to the story. The opening theme song works perfectly to set the tone for the story, and it creates a nicely enveloping soundscape that draws you further into the show. It should be noted that due to music rights Season 8 had to replace the opening theme, but it is my understanding that the music within the show is intact otherwise for all the episodes.
Dialogue always comes through crisp and clear without being stepped on by the music or any sound effects. More kinetic moments with adversaries are given the appropriate power in the mix with a forceful showing in the low end. Ambient sounds are also precisely placed in the mix. The track handles overlapping effects really well so that everything sounds natural to the world. The audio presentation here is very pleasing outside of the mentioned issues.
Special Features
Season Eight
- Audio Commentaries
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- Still Charmed and Kicking: Executive Producer Brad Kern, Co-Executive Producer/Director James L. Conway, and Actor Kaley Cuoco
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- Vaya Con Leos: Executive Producer Brad Kern, Actor Brian Krause, and Writer Cameron Litvack
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- Forever Charmed: Co-Executive Producer/Writer Brad Kern & Co-Executive Producer/Director James L. Conway
- A Charmed Experience – An Interview with James L. Conway: A new 21-minute interview with Co-Executive Producer James L. Conway in which he discusses his time on the show, his relationship with Aaron Spelling, the development of the narrative, how an original casting choice dropping out completely shifted the structure of the show, the success of the series, how their show compared to other witch-related content of the time, his memories of the performers, the evolving look of the characters and how they related to the whims of the actresses, his fondness for two-part episodes, the final stretch of episodes and more.
- The Making Of Charmed: An 18-minute vintage featurette in which the creative team discuss the ways in which they shape the show into distinct arcs, the makeup of the writer’s room, the openness to wacky ideas, the makeup effects that go into developing demons and other creatures, the costume designs and how they fit with each character, executing stunts safely, the aesthetic of the show,
- The Story Of Charmed – Genesis: An 18-minute vintage featurette which more deeply explores the development of the show from its initial idea, the casting of Holly Marie Combs to capture the real-life chemistry she had with Shannen Doherty, the unaired pilot with Alyssa Milano, the differing ideas about what this show was striving to be, the demonic presence on the show and more.
- The Story Of Charmed – Charmed Again: Another 20-minute vintage featurette which explores how the show shifted once a major cast shakeup happened and how it impacted the narrative for the remainder of the series.
- To The Manor Born: A ten-minute exploration of the Halliwell house and all of the fond memories the cast and creatives have of the set, how they get the most out of it and more.
- Forever Charmed: A nearly 12-minute featurette which takes a look at the passionate fanbase of the show and why exactly it connected with so many people, as told by the people who love it. There are also discussions of the message boards, the international contingent of fans with their own dubbed versions of the the Charmed Ones, and more.
- Charmed Effects: A nearly 11-minute look at the special effects work implemented within the show and how they brought them to life so capably given certain obstacles.
- The Men Of Charmed: A nearly 14-minute exploration of the men in the lives of the Charmed Ones, their arcs within the story, the heartbreak along the way, what the performers brought to their characters, and more.
- The Demons Of Charmed: A 12-minute featurette which takes a long at the ways in which the creative team tried to up the ante when it came to the types of demons they had on the show, how they impacted the story, the makeup work and more.
- The Book Of Shadows: A nearly 15-minute look at the magical book, the beautiful artwork in the book, how pivotal it is to the narrative, and more.
- The Power Of Three: A 16-minute piece on the importance of family and sisterhood in the show, the ways in which their powers are unique for each character, the lack of barriers within the narrative, the romantic lives of the sisters, and more.
- Directing Charmed: A 14-minute exploration of the adventurous nature of the visual style of the show, some of the most memorable experiences they have had along the way, and more that shows what made this show such a delight to watch week after week.
- The Making Of A Monster: A nine-minute look at some of the creature work including the molding, makeup effects, foam running, application and more.
Final Thoughts
Charmed is a terrific series which continues to entertain with its perfect blend of fun, supernatural storytelling and the emotional dynamic between the sisters. As with most shows, the series had its weaker moments, but overall the series rarely let you down across all eight seasons. Whether you agreed with every plot decision or not, these characters kept you deeply invested week after week, season after season. CBS Home Entertainment has released a new Blu-Ray set featuring the entire eight-season run with a great A/V presentation and a decent assortment of special features. If you are a fan of the show, you will want to upgrade your ancient, ugly DVDs to this stunning new presentation. Recommended
Charmed: The Complete Series is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment have supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.