Charmed stars Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, Rose McGowan, Drew Fuller, Brian Krause, and Dorian Gregory reunited during this weekend’s nostalgic 90s Con. The actors starred in the original 1998 series that followed three powerful witch sisters (portrayed by Doherty, Combs, and Alyssa Milano). Doherty exited the series after its third season, and McGowan joined as the trio’s youngest half-sister.
The series concluded in 2006, but in 2018, a reboot with the same name began airing on the CW. While the new iteration of the series was praised for its more inclusive cast, it never lived up to the hype of its predecessor. The series concluded with its fourth season in 2022. According to TVInsider, when the 2018 series was brought up during a 90s Con panel, it was booed by an audience member, which garnered a quick response from Doherty:
“Not cool… Don’t boo to people who supply literally hundreds and hundreds of people with their job… I’ve met a lot of people that have bonded just like all of you have bonded, right where this Charmed got you through a lot of life experiences [and] brought you and your family close to get closer together, there’s a whole other generation that felt the same thing with the new Charmed… It may be for all of us to be like ‘Well, it would be nice to be asked to be on the show,’ but you know, when they created their own thing and did it, I applaud them for supplying a lot of jobs. And they’re incredibly nice people, FYI.”
Shannen Doherty Battles Cancer
During the panel, Doherty applauded the creators of the Charmed reboot for “supplying a lot of jobs,” a comment that comes just weeks after a post on the actress’ Instagram about her own ability to work amid health struggles. Tagging Fran Drescher, the President of SAG-AFTRA, Doherty questioned why the union abandoned actors when they were unemployed due to health reasons before adding that “health insurance shouldn’t be based on annual income.”
Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, and later went into remission. In 2020, she confirmed that her cancer had returned as stage IV. During her 90s Con appearance, Doherty told the audience she was “feeling great.”
Doherty is a former child actor who appeared on multiple television series in guest roles before appearing as Jenny Wilder on Little House on the Prairie. In 1989, she starred in the cult classic Heathers as Heather Duke and the following year, she began portraying Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210, a character she would reprise on 90210 and BH90210. Some of Doherty’s other notable film credits include Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Mallrats, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. In 2020, Kevin Smith reported that she would reprise the role of Rene Mosier for the upcoming Mallrats 2: Twilight of the Mallrats.
