If Shannen Doherty’s character, Prue Halliwell, had not died after the third season of Charmed, the show might have followed a vastly different narrative. Prue’s death after Charmed season 3 had a big impact on the show, particularly on its main characters. Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) were left as the only two siblings until a shocking twist of events reunited them with their long-lost half-sister, Paige (Rose McGowan), and the power of the “Charmed Ones” was reborn.
Doherty’s time on Charmed was filled with controversy, especially regarding her relationship with Milano. Though the producers had initially considered recasting the role of Prue Halliwell, they opted to kill her off instead, leaving big shoes to fill in the process. Charmed’s premise doesn’t work without a total of three sisters, as the power of the “Charmed Ones” is reliant on the “Power of Three." As the show decided not to recast, the only remedy was to bring in a new sister, Paige.
A main character’s death will always leave a lasting impact on a show. Prue Halliwell was not only the eldest sister but also the most powerful witch. Piper and Phoebe needed to grieve, and Charmed needed to acknowledge Prue’s absence. She was mentioned intermittently throughout the rest of the show’s eight-season run, though her fate in the afterlife was never officially confirmed. But what might have happened to the Halliwell sisters if Shannen Doherty had never left Charmed?
Piper Could Have Had The Life She Always Wanted
As the middle child, Piper Halliwell was used to being the mediator between her sisters on Charmed. Prue and Phoebe clashed often, and Piper would be the one to try and reason with them. After Prue’s death, Piper became the elder sister, which drastically shifted her dynamic within the Halliwell clan. She soon felt that she needed to be responsible as both the provider and the protector of the family. Her nightclub, P3, faced difficulties, and the pressure of trying to keep it afloat to provide for her and her sisters — and fix the damage of the neverending demon attacks in the Halliwell Manor — created a lot of stress. Her relationship with her husband, Leo (Brian Krause), and their sons, Wyatt and Chris Halliwell, became more worrying as time went on, leading to Piper feeling inadequate as a mother and distanced from her spouse.
If Prue hadn’t died on Charmed, these burdens wouldn’t have been Piper’s to carry alone, and her demon-hunting days might have been less intense, giving her more time for her family. One of Piper’s recurring wishes throughout the show was to be able to live a normal life – raise her children, entertain, and even have non-magical friends over at the house. If Prue had lived, that dream likely would have been much easier to chase.
Phoebe Would Have Had A Different Happy Ending
Phoebe Halliwell’s love life was always complicated on the show, but no relationship was more problematic than the one she had with Charmed's recurring villain Cole Turner (Julian McMahon). Cole was a half-demon, half-human hybrid known as Belthazor in the Underworld, and he first met and seduced Phoebe as a way of getting close to her to kill her and her sisters. In the end, his human side won out, and he truly did fall in love with her. Unfortunately, his demon side was hard to ignore, and he slipped back into evil many times throughout the show, occasionally dragging Phoebe down with him.
Prue was always the most suspicious of Cole, even after he had proven himself and saved the sisters’ lives multiple times. Phoebe Halliwell even became pregnant with Cole's baby and couldn’t see the danger, as she was blinded by her love for him. But if Prue hadn't died after Charmed season 3, there is a chance that Phoebe would have been willing to vanquish Cole sooner.
However, if her relationship with Cole hadn’t been so turbulent, Phoebe's happy ending would likely also have been altered. In Charmed’s final season, the Elders sent Phoebe a Cupid named Coop to help her remember why falling in love is worth it. They did this after all the sorrow she had endured over the years caused her to completely close herself off to the idea of love. Phoebe's pain over Cole was certainly the biggest contributing factor, so if Prue had still been alive and been able to warn Phoebe away from Cole sooner, Phoebe might never have met Coop and had a completely different happy ending when Charmed ended after season 8.
There Never Would Have Been A Fourth Halliwell Sister
The “Charmed Ones’” infamous power comes from the “Power of Three” – three sisters means their power is at full strength. After Prue died on Charmed, a new sister was needed for the show’s premise to continue making sense, and long-lost Paige was introduced. She was the daughter of Patricia Halliwell and Samuel Wilder, Patricia's White Lighter – a type of guardian angel in the Charmed universe — making her the half-sister of Prue, Piper, and Phoebe.
If Prue had survived, a fourth sister would never have been necessary, and Paige would likely never have existed in the show. Or, at least, not as the version the audience knows now. It is technically a possibility that Prue or one of the other Halliwell sisters might have died at some other point in the show, in which case a fourth sister could have still come into the picture, but it may not have been Rose McGowan as Paige.
Prue Could Finally Conquer Her Ultimate Fear
One of Charmed’s important recurring themes was the Halliwell sisters’ fears and how those might affect their responsibilities as witches and the "Charmed Ones." Barbas, the demon of fear, forced the sisters to confront their worst nightmares, such as being drowned. As a young child, Prue witnessed her mother’s death. Patricia Halliwell was dragged into a lake by a water demon and subsequently died as a result of the attack. Prue often worried that she would face a similar fate as her mother, dying at such a young age because of her abilities as a witch and Charmed powers. She was proven right in due course and was even killed by another elemental demon, just as her mother was.
Prue, in contrast to her sisters, never had a clear idea of where her future was headed. Phoebe used her premonition powers to see her and Piper’s future children, for instance, but Prue’s future would have been wide open if she hadn’t been killed prematurely. Given the time, she could have conquered her fear of ending up like her mother, and opened herself up to the possibility of there being more to life than her responsibility as a "Charmed One." She would have had the time to develop her career as a photographer and open herself up to love once again, which was hard after her high school sweetheart, Andy, died in Charmed season 1.
Prue Halliwell’s death had a major impact on Charmed’s storytelling. It affected her sisters’ character development and changed their family tree forever. But, Charmed succeeded despite Shannen Doherty’s early exit, so much so that it was later rebooted by the CW (though this has been canceled after season 4). Prue’s absence was felt throughout the remaining seasons, especially when other family members were allowed to come back as ghosts and Prue never did, but her legacy as a character lived on in her sisters. Phoebe became more responsible, Paige worked tirelessly to rid the world of demons, and Piper worked to provide for the entire family. Though the overall narrative arc of Charmed may have been drastically different if Prue hadn’t died, there’s no denying that the changes made as a result contributed to Charmed’s overall success.