Was Jenny supposed to be a witch?

[rebooted]

I was thinking about what purpose Jenny was supposed to have to the Charmed storyline. 

Constance M. Burge would still have been around then and Brad was getting a lot more control. 

My theory is that Jenny was a witch living with her mortal uncle Dan. 

Wouldn't it have been cool if Dan's brother/sister in law was a witch. I can't remember where Jenny's parents were- like Saudi Arabia doing something doing science or social work?

Jenny only appeared in 4 episodes, yet she had starring credits. 

Witch Trial

The Painted World

The Devil's Music

That Old Black Magic

What was the thought process of the beginning of Season 2 with Dan and Jenny. Especially if Leo was already written in and saved from Season One's Love Hurts - did they intend to have a long triangle storyline or was this Connie vs. Brad with Dan vs. Leo?

I can't help but think that Leo was not supposed to be written into the series and that Connie made a compromise with Brad to write Leo in as a 'whitelighter' in Secrets and Guys'. Something she regretted and that's why she supported Dan and Jenny's starring entrance into Season 2? Or did the WB just lap them into Brad Kern's hands and say 'here:prequel to Season 7'.

I've recently been trying to pin-point what and where it all went wrong - especially in the relationship between Constance M Burge and Brad Kern. Their leadership along with the network probably impacted the actors and their agents relationships which could have contributed to the breakdown in the relationship between Shannen and Alyssa. - Aggregated by the fact that they were all sleeping around with each other by the beginning of Season 3 anyway!

I'm betting that Jenny was supposed to be a witch from another line - someone to teach the craft to but then the love triangle and Sam and Patty led the show in another direction perhaps?

[West]

I think they may have had their first big differences and disagreements between S1 and S2 or early into S2. It felt like Connie, wanted Leo to be gone or only in one season during S1, and Andy to continue onto S2. When Andy was written out and Ted left, then they kept Leo, but it still like they were figuring that out.

It's interesting that Connie stopped working with Brad on episodes together after S1. She only wrote 'The Painted World', and contributed to scripts on a couple more. I think things were already going south for those two in early S2 or even the planning for S2. It wasn't until S3, that things really went ugly, and Connie had enough when Brad too complete control and Connie was no longer apart of the show.

What was talked about here at the Cafe before, is the ordering of episodes in early S2, Connie's episode 'The Painted World' came second, and 'Morality Bites' was fourth, with 'The Devil's Music' third but it got changed around.

I have this feeling, Connie might have still been fighting to keep Leo off the show, but Brad and the others didn't agree with her. Especially because her episode 'The Painted World' which was second in production order set up the Piper/Dan story (when Leo was still no longer in the picture). They most likely had the general idea for Morality Bites planned for Prue/Andy (as other members discussed in another thread) and the idea must have kickstarted into S2, with the ideas then rewritten for Piper/Leo, while it doesn't quite fit in with the Piper/Leo story and where the two were at in their relationship.

I also think Connie wanted or liked the idea of the witch/non-magical relationship to be the major focus better. I wouldn't be surprised, if because they lost Andy, she wanted to let Prue mourn him, and shift her witch/non-magical relationship story to Piper with Dan. She wrote the material for Miss. Hellfire, the one where Leo was out of the picture, and dealing with Piper being asked to move in with Dan. Half wondering if these ideas are what she'd have done with Prue, with Andy asking Prue to move in (assuming they got back together in S2).

Actually, maybe I am wrong, and they did want a love triangle in S2 with Prue/Andy/Dan? So they shifted that to Piper with Dan and Leo. 

Now I'm wondering if since Connie based Prue on her older sister if she got married and had children (which kickstarted that story arc for Prue in 'Secrets and Guys') and played it more in 'Morality Bites' in the future where we see Prue and Andy have Melinda. Both Brad, Connie and Sheryl wrote 'Secrets and Guys' I believe, so I wonder if Brad was the one who came up with the whitelighter stuff, he also contributed to 'Wicca Envy' too.

It leads me to fully believe Brad wanted whitelighters/Leo, and Connie wanted a focus on sisters, and that the relationships she liked more were the ones with non-magicals. Why else was she so opposed to Cole, and wanted Leo not to make it into S2? She liked the only magical main characters to be the sisters only, so that any others do not take over the show. 

So in order to answer your question, I think where it all went wrong was the end of season 1/start of season 2 for the relationship between Connie and Brad. 

I personally think Jenny was a character neither wanted. The WB wanted to attract a younger crowd with Jenny, and it didn't pan out and so she was written out. Remembering some felt Season 1 of Classic Charmed was pretty dark and scary in most episodes. S2 felt much lighter than the first season, as we didn't get too many scary episodes.

[Esmeralda]

No, Connie Burge wasn't opposed to Cole.

From what I've read, she was opposed to Cole being part of more than one season, the way she was opposed to Leo being part of more than one season. Andy she wanted to keep, but not in a relationship with Prue -I can't help wondering if 'Morality Bites' would've convinced Prue that it was best for her and Andy to just be friends, despite the fact that that would've lost her the chance to have Melinda.

I also can't help wondering if originally Dan was set up to be Piper's rebound guy after losing Leo in Season One - also setting Piper up with a non-magical guy, so we would've had no relationships with a magical guy during S2 with Piper rebounding off Leo with Dan and Prue rebounding off Andy with Jack after 'Morality Bites' - with both only scheduled to be part of S2, while Andy would be part of the entire series, although he and Prue would never become romantic again, just friends - which if I'm right might be another reason why Ted King left - no one knows for sure about that due to all of the spins, just like we'll never know for sure why Shannen left due to all the spins.

This makes me wonder if we only got stuck with the infamous triangle when Ted King decided to leave and then Holly got them to let Brian come back. I can't help wondering if they'd already shot the episodes without Brian before that came to be - I've read that Brian was signed on to do other projects, so he did those before coming back to Charmed, the same reason why he was gone for a while after 'P3 H20'.

This all would've also set up Season Three nicely with Phoebe suddenly matched with a *very* magical guy - Cole. From what I've read, Connie Burge wanted him to be pure demon; the opposite of "angel Leo" (since I don't think we would've seen any more whitelighters and never hear the word elder after Season 1 had Ted stayed) while Brad Kern wanted him to be half-demon. Aaron Spelling liked Brad's idea better which led to Connie being phased out and dropped to "consultant" only, although from what I've read it sounds like she could consult, but they didn't listen, leading to her leaving the show after Season 3, along with whatever happened to have Shannen Doherty leave, along with most of the earlier writers.

Again, this is all based on what I've read, but stuff I've read many years ago so it's highly possible that I'm remembering wrong, first to admit it. Those articles are also long gone - for all I know, they could've been written by fans who know as much about what was going on as we do. Like all the stuff West wrote, it could be just as much spin as anything else. Like so many things on Charmed, we'll never know for sure.

As for Jenny, I also don't think she was ever supposed to be a witch. I think the younger viewers liked Aviva so much that they decided to bring in a young female character, while also letting Phoebe "grow up" before she ran into Cole the following season. But from what I've read, she was panned almost immediately and pretty quickly got rid of her, especially when fans also didn't like the use of Kyle in 'That Old Black Magic'.

[summerreading]

My memory isn't that great either. I keep thinking Connie wanted Cole to be a full demon or what about a full warlock, not a demon, well, she started her show with Jeremy, and I wonder if she'd wanted a one-season arc with Cole, thinking that her pilot script rushed the potential of showing a sister being with a full demon far too quickly. But, again, we'll never know, or does someone know for sure that she wanted him to be a full demon or a warlock?

Does anyone know if Connie wanted Cole to be with Phoebe at all? I'm just not sure she'd want Phoebe to lie to her sisters about Cole, that I'm certain.

I even wonder if she wanted Cole to be vanquished when Phoebe learned the truth, or that arc expanded longer.

I think Jenny, I'm with Es, I think the younger viewers who liked Aviva so much, made them decide to do that again with a young female character, and let Phoebe "grow up" before she ran into Cole the following season.


EDIT: I saw Es said she read Connie wanted a pure demon for Cole. Thanks, but again, I wished we had clear articles and evidence. What I'd give for a tell-all from the earlier writers (especially Connie, or even people like Chris, Zack or Sheryl). But I'm sure they are so far removed from Charmed, can you blame them, for how Kern treated them.

[rebooted]

Ahhh so it looks like our beloved show was doomed from the very start almost.

Looking at Constance M Burges working history - it looks like she also moved to be a producer/writer on Ally McBeal during Charmed's Season 3 and 4? Just wondered if she just thought 'oh well, I've got this one now'.

BUt yes - you all have convinced me that she wasn't supposed to be a witch.

[Assassin Witch]

Like a lot of the WB meddling, apparently our ladies were "too old." Which is so strange to me because I started the show when I was 9 and had no issues with the sisters. But I didn't like Jenny or Billie.

[Elle Em]

Feb 11, 2019 22:46:14 GMT -5 Assassin Witch said:

Like a lot of the WB meddling, apparently our ladies were "too old." Which is so strange to me because I started the show when I was 9 and had no issues with the sisters. But I didn't like Jenny or Billie.

Yep. I started watching the show when I was 11, and I loved that they were adults. I didn't feel any connection to Billie or Jenny, even though they were both closer to my age. The personalities of the sisters appealed to me, even though they had adult issues to deal with that I didn't yet understand. 

I probably would have stopped watching it many years ago if it had been a show based on women who were still growing up. 

[cyma]

Besides Aviva and Christy, any young actor on Charmed is just unforgettable.

I never considered Jenny being a witch when I was first watching season 2. Just a tool to make neighbor Dan look perfect in the eyes of the sisters by having a niece he looks after. And also have an excuse to interact more with the sisters before connecting romantically with one of them.

Saw this happen in movies and other TV shows so didn't even give much thought to Jenny suddenly disappearing.

[Aaeiyn]

I like the theory of her possibly becoming a witch.