"Charmed"
Unaired Pilot (????)

TV Series:

"Charmed" (1998)

Original Air Date:

???? (Season 1, Episode 0)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

The same as season one episode "Something Wicca This Way Comes" however with a different actress playing Phoebe & a different actor playing Inspector Andy Trudeau. |

Plot Keywords:

Wiccan | Empath | Love | Martial Arts | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Shannen Doherty	...	Prue Halliwell
Holly Marie Combs	...	Piper Halliwell
Lori Rom	...	Phoebe Halliwell
Chris Boyd	...	Inspector Andy Trudeau
Eric Scott Woods	...	Jeremy Burns
Matthew Ashford	...	Roger
Chris Flanders	...	Chef Moore
Lonnie Partridge	...	Woman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dorian Gregory	...	Darryl Morris

Trivia:

In the original season 1 'unaired' pilot of the show, Lori Rom portrayed the role of Phoebe Halliwell. When she didn't work out the role was recast with Alyssa Milano and the majority of the pilot was re shot (though some scenes from the original 'unaired' pilot were kept and used). Furthermore, the original 'unaired' pilot was shot entirely on location at 1329 Carroll Avenue in North East Los Angeles. While the pilot that went to air and all subsequent episodes where shot on a sound stage - aside from the front room of the house, the interior of the actual house at Carroll Avenue bares little resemblance to the layout of the house we see in the show.

Quotes:

Inspector Andy Trudeau: [seeing Phoebe holding Kit] Is that your cat?
Phoebe Halliwell: It is now.
Inspector Andy Trudeau: Seems familiar.
[Kit is later revealed to be the Charmed Ones' familiar]

Movie Connections:

Remade as "Charmed: Something Wicca This Way Comes (#1.1)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

People are strange

A shorter version of the first episode with a different Phoebe and Andy

This pilot was filmed before the trees began blooming for spring in early 1998. Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs were cast as the older Halliwell sisters who are living in their family home after their grandmother passed away. Lori Rom plays the youngest sister, Phoebe, who moves in, strangely enough, after Prue mentions they need help around the house. Apparently Phoebe was an irresponsible little slut who hit on Prue's fiancé... although Prue broke off the engagement with her fiancé anyway??? Well, we can't always count on the most solid writing. Oh and Andy is also played by Chris Boyd or whomever.

Anyway, if you're reading this review, you should have seen the first episode, so let's assume you know the general plot and name the differences.

Because the writer/creator wanted this show to focus more on the sisters, Andy isn't given as much development with Prue as he is in the first episode. Also, many people say Lori Rom is a no-talent hack who couldn't play Phoebe right, but I think Rom delivers a DIFFERENT performance... one that's not.. oh... as slutty. Not really. I just think she plays a quirkier Phoebe, one who couldn't have possibly hit on Prue's fiancé and done 90% of the things Phoebe did when she was played by Alyssa Milano for the rest of the series. That being said, the only real problem with Rom is that she is about a foot taller than Doherty and Combs, which doesn't work when she's supposed to be the youngest.

All this said, the pilot is still one of the better ones I have seen and really feeds the addiction hardcore Charmed fans crave. That's why it gets a 9/10.

Oh and Chris Boyd also got sacked and ends up being played by T.W. King.. who gets killed off at the end of season 1 anyway.