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“Charmed” is arguably one of the greatest fantasy shows of all time, but while its storylines of witchcraft and demons entertained viewers, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for the cast and crew behind the scenes. The eighth and final season of the magical drama was hampered with budget cuts, forcing its creatives to remove some series mainstays out of certain episodes and limit the number of guest stars that could be brought in. That said, they found room for future “Big Bang Theory” star Kaley Cuoco, who played the young witch Billie Jenkins in 22 episodes.
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During “Charmed” season 8, Cuoco’s character has a tumultuous relationship with the show’s heroic witches — Piper (Holly Marie Combs), Paige (Rose McGowan), and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) — during her interactions with them. However, that’s only because her demonically influenced sister convinces her that the Power of Three are the enemy and must be stopped. In the end, though, Billie realizes that Piper, Paige, and Phoebe are the good ones, culminating in a devastating moment in which Billie kills her manipulative sibling.
It’s a sad ending to the character’s arc, but some rumors suggest that the show’s creators had some long-term plans in mind for Billie that could have led to her becoming a formidable solo witch. However, the speculation has since been put to bed, with showrunner Brad Kern explaining the real reason for bringing Cuoco into the fold.
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Kayley Cuoco wasn’t hired to spawn a Charmed spin-off
Kaley Cuoco brought an element of freshness to “Charmed,” and Billie Jenkins was a strong enough character to carry her own series. In fact, some folks believe that the witch was conceived with the goal of spearheading her own spin-off after “Charmed” came to an end. That wasn’t the plan, though, with Brad Kern telling TVLine in 2016 that she was created so that the show’s main stars would have fewer responsibilities:
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“We needed to give someone else some of the work; our stars were dog tired after seven years. Just as Rose was brought in after Prue died to infuse fresh energy, Kaley’s character was supposed to try to bring new blood to an aging show.”
In the same interview, Kern admitted that there were, eventually, conversations about giving Cuoco’s character a spin-off, which materialized long after she’d been cast on “Charmed.” Ultimately, those plans never materialized, as the network banished “Charmed” until the show was rebooted in 2018. Still, Cuoco at least went on to have a starring role on all 12 seasons of “The Big Bang Theory,” which is arguably even more popular than her old witchcraft show.
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