Summary
- The original Charmed series ran for 8 seasons, an impressive feat for any TV show, especially with a major cast change halfway through.
- The Halliwell sisters' ages in season 1 were: Prue (27), Piper (25), Phoebe (22), and Paige (21). The actresses were all born within a few years of their characters.
- The CW Charmed reboot features a new set of sisters with different ages: Mel (23), Macy (26), and Maggie (17). They were born in the 90s and 2001, respectively.
Charmed ran for a lengthy eight seasons, and not even the power of three could prevent the core Charmed cast from aging as the years went by, but how old are the Halliwell sisters in season 1? The beloved 1990s and 2000s show follows three witch sisters in San Francisco as they protect innocent people from evil spirits. The Charmed reboot from The CW - which ran for four seasons - never quite managed to hit the heights of popularity enjoyed by the original version. Statistically, most TV shows are lucky to get a second season, much less run for nearly a decade, but the original Charmed series ran for eight seasons.
That run is impressively even despite a major cast change partway through when Shannen Doherty left Charmed amid reports of fights with her co-stars, particularly Alyssa Milano. Losing a lead character can be death for a TV show, but Charmed killed off Prue and subbed in Rose McGowan's Paige, and most fans didn't mind. However, that wasn't necessarily the case when Charmed tried to force Kaley Cuoco's Billie on audiences during season 8. Nevertheless, The Charmed Ones were the beating heart of the show for the better part of a decade, but how old are the Halliwell sisters in season 1?
Prue Halliwell (Shannen Doherty)
Following Prue's Charmed season 4 death, her obituary confirmed her birthday as being October 28, 1970. Charmed always appeared to be taking place in real-time when it aired – sans trips through of time of course – so that places Prue at 27 years old when the show premiered on October 7, 1998, just shy of turning 28. Prue's final episode aired on May 17, 2001, meaning she was killed at the tragically young age of 30. This closely resembles Doherty's real age when she was cast in the show, as she was born in April 1971, meaning the actor was 27 when the first episode aired too.
Piper Halliwell (Holly Marie Combs)
The second-oldest sister in the Charmed cast, Piper's birthdate was confirmed onscreen by a parchment scroll the sisters found containing their entire family tree. Piper was born on August 7, 1973, making her 25 years old in the series premiere, "Something Wicca This Way Comes." That puts Piper at 32 when the series finale, "Forever Charmed," aired on May 21, 2006. However, though she isn't the oldest, Piper is easily the most mature and level-headed Halliwell sister, and it's likely that Phoebe would have gone to Piper for help before approaching Prue. Combs' birthdate is December 1973, which would have made her 24 when the Charmed first aired.
Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano)
Alyssa Milano wasn't the original Phoebe Charmed actor, as the character was played by Lori Rom in the show's pilot episode. However, Milano quickly settled into playing the youngest and most exciting Halliwell sister. According to the family tree parchment in Charmed, Phoebe Halliwell was born on November 2, 1975. That means Phoebe was only 22 years old when Charmed premiered in 1998. When the show ended in 2006, Phoebe was 30. Milano was born in December 1972, which means she was 25 when Charmed first aired, and it actually makes her older than her on-screen older sister, Piper.
Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan)
Paige is the younger half-sister of Prue, Piper, and Phoebe, and she was introduced to replace Prue after her death. Paige's debut episode aired on October 4, 2001, and her official birthdate is August 2, 1977. That puts her at 24 years old when she first appeared on Charmed and 28 years old in the series finale. The character would have been 21 when the series premiered in 1998. McGowen was born in September 1973, which makes the actor 25 when the show first aired and 28 when she first appeared in the series as Paige.
How Old The Charmed Cast Were Compared To Their Characters
All of the Charmed sisters are fairly close in age, and the same is even more true for all four actors, who were all born within three years of each other. Doherty, who played Charmed's oldest sister Prue Halliwell, is indeed the oldest, with a birthdate of April 12, 1971, compared to her character's October 28, 1970 (making them less than one year apart). Combs was born on December 3, 1973, just a few months later than her character Piper, but almost a year after Milano, who played the youngest Halliwell, Phoebe.
Milano is therefore about three years older than her character. Finally, McGowan was born on September 5, 1973, squarely in the middle of the pack in terms of the actors' ages. McGowen is over two years older than Milano, but because McGowen's character had to be the youngest sibling, Paige is almost two years younger than Phoebe. As a result, McGowen is actually about four years older than Charmed's Paige Matthews.
How Old The Charmed Sisters Were In The Reboot
The CW Charmed reboot, which first aired on October 14, 2018, is slightly different. The new sisters are Mel Vera (Melonie Diaz), Macy Vaughn (Madeleine Mantock), and Maggie Vera (Sarah Jeffrey), whose ages range from 17 to 26. It's revealed in "Other Women" that Macy's birthdate is November 27, 1990, which makes her 26 during the premiere, and "Triage" reveals Mel's birthdate as November 1, 1993, which makes her 23. "Safe Space" revealed that Maggie's birthday is three weeks after the apocalypse prevention, which happened in early May 2019. Given that Maggie was born in 2001, she would have been 17 during the Charmed 2018 premiere.