I never like to compare a remake to the original, at least not as a shortcut to determining its quality. But sometimes it is hard not to, especially when you are a fan of the original.

I always liked the original "Charmed". It was just campy enough. The actresses were engaging. And the mythology within the series was fairly creative.

This new version of the series, however, is marked by moments of faux scaring punctuated by loud sounds (you know how you are watching a film and there is a moment of suspense when the character senses something is on the other side of the door and then a cat launches itself into view with a loud screech to scare the audience) and a needless proclivity to dwell on political correctness and politically-charged story elements that detract from the real story.

What we have are some good actors stuck in a bad dream. They are saddled with dialogue that is sometimes silly, sometimes annoying. One reason I checked out the pilot was the inclusion of Sarah Jeffery as sister Maggie. She did a fine job as Jennifer Lopez's daughter in the recently wrapped "Shades of Blue". And actor Rupert Evans, who I was not familiar with, succeeds somewhat in rising above this vehicle.

But in the end, this is a series that really lacks, well... charm.