For today’s post, I have decided to share my personal ranking of all the seasons of my favorite television show of all time, Charmed! For the record, that is the original one from 1998, I refused to watch the reboot (for many reasons). This will be an incredibly biased list and is subject to change, but it is my opinion based on my most recent re-watch. I also want to preface this by stating I felt there were no bad seasons, but there were certainly stronger and weaker ones, hence this list! Now that I have explained that, without further ado, onto the list!
Number 8: Season 6
~For my last-place spot, I could not have chosen another season. While there were great stand-alone episodes and great character development for Leo (he had been rather flat development-wise before this) I felt that the portrayal of the sisters suffered. My favorite Phoebe is caught up in her career and making selfish choices, as are all of them really. Piper’s second pregnancy got rushed due to Holly Marie Combs having been expecting in real life, but I actually liked the Chris is her son plot point (and I just liked Chris as a character in general), so I think they did well with what they had! The high point of the season was definitely Phoebe losing her powers and having to earn them back over the coming seasons and of course the finale. Barbas as the Demon of Hope was totally iconic! I also have to give a shout-out to “Sword in the City” for its Arthurian theme and for featuring the Lady of the Lake as a side character!
Number 7: Season 2
~For my seventh-place spot, I chose the second season. Like with season six it has some great stand-alone episodes instead of having a very strong season-long plot. The Piper-Dan-Leo love triangle was difficult to watch, but I was glad it was resolved within this season. High points in this season include “Chick Flick” which is an awesome watch for horror lovers and “Pardon My Past” which gave some great past life backstory energy!
Number 6: Season 5
~For my sixth-place spot, I chose the fifth season. Season five was much lighter than the previous season, with their original destiny having already been fulfilled. I did thoroughly enjoy all of the fairytale-themed episodes in this season. While the overall season is weaker, like the others it has some great stand-alone episodes. The hundredth episode is fun, but I do not like that Cole got killed off (but that is a personal complaint). High points in the season include “The Eyes Have It” and “The Day the Magic Died.”
Number 5: Season 8
~For my fifth-place spot, I have chosen the final season. I know that this may be surprising that I have ranked this one so high. However, I truly appreciated this season as a great way to wrap up the series. It gave good character development for the sisters, especially Phoebe is a great mentor to Billie. It is not ranked higher because Phoebe and Paige both had seriously rushed love stories!
Number 4: Season 1
~For my fourth-place spot, I have chosen the first season. I know that this is another one that may surprise some people with how lowly it is ranked. I chose to rank it here because while it is the introductory season of the show and sets up everything that will come, it is not as strong as my top three picks! I will always have a great nostalgic attachment to the series premiere “Something Wicca This Way Comes” and I have to admit that after over 20 years of re-watches (not kidding I watched this from the very first episode and never missed one upon its initial run, even though I was a young child when it began) I still think it is probably one of the greatest pilots ever!
Number 3: Season 7
~For my third-place spot, I have chosen the seventh season. This season has such a great overall plot. I loved things like Charisma Carpenter in her role as a Seer, I still cry every time she dies, as I grew as attached to her as Pheobe did. I really enjoy Phoebe’s growth in becoming more evolved and less selfish, she truly proved that she could be a great witch and it perfectly sets up her later being a mentor to Billie. The two highlights of this season are the 150th episode “The Seven Year Witch” where we get to see Cole again and the finale “Something Wicca This Way Goes” as it really exemplified how iconic this show could be when they tried. I especially love all of the callbacks contained within this season that help to tie up some threads of the plot.
Number 2: Season 3
~For my second-place spot, I have chosen the third season. Of course, this would rank so high for me, it is the introduction to Cole and Phoebe goes through great development as she finds true love and has to navigate the difficulty of a forbidden romance with a demon! It also gets major bonus points for “Once Upon a Time” where we get faeries introduced to the Charmed universe. Other high points of the season include “All Halliwell’s Eve,” “Bride and Gloom,” “Just Harried,” “Look Who’s Barking” because you just have to love a Banshee, and the season finale “All Hell Breaks Loose” which still is heart-wrenching to watch!
Number 1: Season 4
~For my first-place spot, I could not have chosen another season. Season four is the exemplar of what this show can be at its absolute peak! It was epic how Paige just so easily fitted into the cast. I also have to give extreme props for how major character death is handled this season. The grieving process is shown with honesty and great care. I loved all of the layers in the season. Phoebe and Cole are shown at their best in this season, but that, unfortunately, devolved quickly with Cole being possessed by the Source’s magic and going evil again. The exploration of Phoebe becoming the Queen of the Source was a great character shadow exploration, that I think could have even been expanded. High points of this season include “Charmed Again,” “Black as Cole,” “Lost and Bound,” “Charmed and Dangerous,” “The Three Faces of Phoebe,” “Marry-Go-Round,” “The Fifth Halliwheel,” “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” “Long Live the Queen,” and the finale “Which Way Now” that perfectly set up the next seasons!
~I hope that you have enjoyed reading my thoughts on how I would rank the eight seasons of my favorite show. Are you a Charmed fan? How would you rank the seasons? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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