what happened to prue???

[ianastar]

What an interesting article. I think I read it before.

[Esmeralda]

There's a gal at another site who reminds me an awful lot of me (except that she adores Chris and everyone at this site knows what I think of the lying, whining murdering brat who's the True Big Bad of Charmed). A lot of times her posts sound like something I could've written and often makes me wish I *had* written them. Too bad she's been brainwashed into thinking everyone here is anti-The Charmed Sons when we're just anti-spam -- she'd make a cool addition here.

At any rate, she posted this today and it made me think. As she said, it *is* all speculation, but it *does* make you wonder

To be honest, I think the real behind-the-scenes battle was between Connie and Kernus, eventually growing/extending into Shannen vs Alyssa. It just seems a little bit too coincidental that Connie got "demoted" from her own show around the same time the reported problems between Shannen and Alyssa started, not to mention the fact that there were few (or, really, zero) behind-the-scenes problems before S3. Here's my theory on what happened:

[/i] seeing Shannen/Prue return in a later episode, and he pretty much did his best to "erase" Prue from the series.

[7] As a "reward" for helping him fend off Shannen, Kernus made Alyssa the new "star" of the show, and proceeded to turn Charmed into a Phoebe-centric Playboy Fantasy Hour. We all know what came out of that. [/ul]Keep in mind that this is just a theory, and this may not be what really happened. However, I definitely know for sure that we didn't get the whole story from the media's reports, so to simply call it a Shannen vs. Alyssa feud probably ignores much of what was really going on. [/blockquote]

Let's just say I wouldn't be one bit surprised to find out that something like this did indeed happen in the background.

[Esmeralda]

Had someone else at another site ask about Shannen leaving. Although most of the responses (mine included) are similar to what was already said, there's one post that truly does a great job of summarizing what did happen and what probably happened, so I wanted to bring it here.

ORIGINAL POSTER:

I am sure this has been done to death so I apologize. I was just wondering exactly why she left. I heard that she both quit and was fire obviously they both cant be right can they? Was is really just diva stuff or was there more too it?

REPLIER #1:

She wanted to leave in December 2000, but the producers wouldn't allow it and threatened to sue her if she did. She was then subsequently fired over the phone after season 3 wrapped while abroad filming. All this was stated by Holly Marie Combs in an interview with TV Guide. Alyssa Milano stated in the same interview that her and Shannen didn't always get along.

ORIGINAL POSTER:

Oh ok thanks! =)

REPLIER #2 (Me):

Oops! Minor correction per what we found out from Holly. Shannen Doherty wasn't abroad when she was fired - she was filming a movie in Canada. In fact, it was "Another Day", a TV movie, and one of her co-stars was her boyfriend at the time, Julian McMahon.

ORIGINAL POSTER:

Shannen dated Julian McMahon? I did not know that. I love little tidbits like this lol

REPLIER #3:

Not only Shannen dating Julian McMahon but Alyssa dated Brian Krause for a while.

The reason why Shannen wanted to quit in the first place was because she felt that her contribution to the show had reached it peak and didn't see herself getting much fulfillment from her work on the show. Plus she was not happy with the way Constance M Burge the creator was being muscled out, nor was she happy with the show's direction.

It's also true that at times costars like Alyssa and Shannen did get into arguments and went through periods where they'd ignore each other. Supposedly it would be Shannen and Julian vs Alyssa and Brian while Holly would be in the middle of the two trying to work some peace.

But as Holly stated, things like that happen when you are working with people at such long hours and in such small quarters, happens to even the best of friends. The studio however thought it important to hire a 'mediator' to try and settle differences between cast members, but apparently it inflamed the situation.

Holly was pretty distraught about all this at the time. She didn't want to continue without Shannen, but I think it's more due to the shock and outrage against the way they handled the firing. She later compared season 4 as like a completely new job.

We don't know what happened behind executive scenes, why they decided to fire Shannen rather than have her film some scenes to transition over to Rose McGowan. That's the missing piece of the puzzle.

But there might be some hints with a possible reunion scene with Shannen that fans wanted.... Brad Kern the executive producer stated that he had asked her but production couldn't foot the bill for her appearance... then he later changed his tune to admitting that he never asked Shannen back, he wasn't a fan of the character or actress.

I think it is less about costars fighting, and more about Shannen making one or two enemies within production. Afterall Shannen herself said she didn't want to be around people who didn't want to be there or weren't putting in the effort. Some people think it is directed to Alyssa, but it could easily have been towards elements in production. It is just costar fighting is an convenient scape goat, or a good headline grabber.

As for where Shannen and Alyssa stand now? They have exchanged messages via twitter and seem to be on a friendly basis. There isn't any bad blood between them.

REPLIER #4:

That was easily THE best, and most concise recap of what happened to shannen on charmed. This should be the default post sent to everyone who asks about 'Why no Prue?' on this board! BRAVO!

I agree totally!

[dstar151]

Reading the above articles is very upsetting, I'm not a huge Shannon fan but I love her on the show. Its apparent that Kern slapped her in the face after she was fired making Alyssa the head star. Considering the woman was in how many center Promo cover pictures and DvD center? S3 S5 6 7 and 8.

I also feel, that the episode Cathouse is another slap in her face. The part of the flashback when Piper grabs Prue as a dog and Phoebe says to Paige, you said you always wanted to meet Prue. I felt that was so disrespectful especially knowing the feud they had. I might be over analyzing it, but it would've made more sense for her to say that when Prue was on the bike and the audience saw her backside. Paige was ahead and was able to see her! Instead they choose to say that when she was dog... Why?

[cyma]

Cat House episode revealed how much the show and characters had drastically changed. Here Phoebe gets an opportunity a bit similar to when she got to see her Mom in That's 70s Episode, but instead of showing a shred of emotion after getting a glimpse of her deceased oldest sister, we get a completely inappropriate and disrespectful quip. *shakes head*

[Deleted]

What do you think about this statement? --- Destiny aside.

It's Phoebe's fault that Prue died

[Esmeralda]

I definitely blame Phoebe for Prue's death, and Leo should take on some of the blame, too.

Leo left Prue and Piper to fend for themselves, knowing that they had just been exposed and needed him very badly. He shouldn't have followed Phoebe to the underworld when she went to turn Cole back to good, or if he did, he should've just grabbed her and orbed back....There was no reason for him to leave his two charges alone while the neighborhoood found out they were witches..... He messed up badly there.....

Then again I also blame Piper and Prue. Had they not tried to vanquish Shax (with only a power of two!) out in the open, Prue would not have died.

What they all did didn't make a lot of sense, part of why I'm not as crazy over "All Hell Breaks Loose" as most fans are. I still think that if it had gone the way it was originally supposed to - identical - but Prue and Piper would both survive while Phoebe would be down in the Underworld where she would become the Queen of the Underworld without needing the Hollow or Cole becoming mortal or any of that other crap - "All Hell Breaks Loose" wouldn't even make most fans' top 25 episodes list.

But I still think it's much more Phoebe's. If she didn't put Cole in front of her sisters, none of this would've ever happened. Remember this conversation:

Leo: How'd it go?

Piper: We dodged another bullet.

Prue: Yeah, with him maybe.

Leo: What do you mean?

Prue: I don't know, I mean, something still bothers me about the way that we vanquished Shax. Like, I'm not so sure we really did.

Piper: What do you mean? He screamed, he went poof, just like they all do. Third demon in a row, by the way, that I vanquished with my new power, but who's counting?

(Phoebe walks back in.)

Prue: Right, but if that's all that we needed, then why was there a vanquishing spell in the book? I mean, hasn't that always meant that our individual powers weren't enough?

Leo: Except the book was written by witches with less powers than you guys have. They needed the spells.

Phoebe: Plus, I think if he was still alive, he probably would've attacked us again by now.

Prue: Ah, you know, Leo, can you just check to make sure, please? With the Elders?

Leo: No problem.

(Leo orbs out.)

Piper: If you ask me, I think you're being paranoid. We kicked Shax's ass. We bad.

Prue: Yes, you're probably right.

Phoebe: Then I'm hoping you won't need me around here for a while. I wanna try a new potion on Cole. One that'll reverse the spell that turned him bad in the first place.

Piper: Phoebe...

Phoebe: I'm not looking for your approval, Piper, just your support.

Prue: Well, Phoebe, it's sort of hard to give you support when you're just setting yourself up to get hurt again.

Phoebe: Cole is good inside, I know it. And if dark magic did this to him, then how come white magic can't save him? I can't just turn my back, I have to try.

Piper: What do you want us to do?

Phoebe: I want you to use the magic to magic spell to send me down there. I reworded it to make it work.

(Phoebe hands Piper a piece of paper.)

Piper: Uh, Phoebe, that's awfully dangerous. If something goes wrong we won't be able to contact each other.

Phoebe: I'll be safe, I'll be with Cole. And he'll bring me back, so don't worry about that.

Prue: You're banking a lot on that little potion of yours, you know.

Phoebe: No, I'm not. I'm banking on Cole.

Source: All Hell Breaks Loose

If Phoebe didn't trust Cole that much, none of this would've happened.

Actually re-reading the script in order to post this, I no longer blame Leo. Once Phoebe did what she did, he had no choice. Remember this:

[Scene: Outside the manor. There are now hundreds of people standing outside, holding cardboard signs. There are dozens of cameramen and news reporters. A helicopter flies above. Police are trying to get the crowd under control. Alice is standing on top of a van.]

Alice: (yelling) Prue, Piper, I'm one of you! I'm the only one who understands! I can help. Hey! Prue! Piper!

[Cut to inside the manor. Kitchen. Prue and Piper are there. Piper is looking through sheets of paper. Darryl walks in.]

Darryl: (on radio) Get those idiots off the driveway, get them back behind the tape.

Prue: Alright, what I can't figure out is how they knew that we were at the hospital. I-I mean, they didn't follow us.

Darryl: Reporter probably low jacked your car, followed you.

Prue: Forget it. You know, I really hope Phoebe's doing better down there than we are up here.

Piper: Look at all these interview requests we're getting. Ted Coppell, Time Magazine, Jerry Springer... Sports Illustrated?

Darryl: Yeah, they probably want you for the swimsuit edition. (Prue and Piper give him a dirty look.) Just kidding.

Prue: You know what? This is a nightmare. Where is Leo? (Prue sees Dr. Griffiths on the TV.) Uh, Piper? (Piper looks at the TV.) Is that who I think it is?

(Prue turns on the volume.)

Dr. Griffiths: (on TV) And then one of them said they needed a vanquishing spell.

Piper: Dr. Griffiths?

Dr. Griffiths: She ran upstairs to get some book. (Piper gasps.) I don't know, some witch-type book I guess. Something that told them how to kill that demon.

Piper: Oh, so much for keeping our secret. Turn him off.

(Prue changes the channel and a woman shows up.)

Woman: (on TV) The sisters were always a little strange if you ask me. I know for a fact that Prue once cast a spell to make my boyfriend break up with me. Evil.

Prue: Okay, Susie Johnson from tenth grade? They're interviewing her?

Piper: I always wondered why they broke up.

(Prue lightly hits Piper's arm.)

Prue: Not funny, not funny. Ooh! Leo. (Prue and Piper walk into the conservatory.) Leo! Leo! Leo! (Leo orbs in.) Ooh. Alright, this thing has to end now, okay? The media is turning it into a freakin' circus.

Leo: Now you know why the Elders have always been highly concerned about exposure.

Piper: Okey-dokey, now we know. Do they have any solutions or not?

Leo: One. But it's a long shot. You have to try and contact Tempus.

(Prue and Piper exchange looks.)

Prue: Uh, Tempus? T-Tempus, the demon?

Leo: He's the only one on the other side who has the power to manipulate time. To reset everything before this all started.

Prue: Okay, you're, you're definitely right, that-that qualifies as a long shot.

Piper: We vanquished him.

Leo: No, you defeated him, you didn't vanquish him. But that's not the real problem. The real trick is trying to contact him. He's an upper level demon who's well insulated.

Piper: And why would he want to help us? I mean, we can't make a move without the whole world tuning in to watch. We're basically powerless. Why would he want to change that?

(Suddenly, Alice bursts through the conservatory door.)

Prue/Piper: Whoa!

Alice: Cool, I made it!

Piper: Who the hell are you?

Alice: I'm Alice, Alice Hicks. I've been trying to contact you. I want to join your coven.

Prue: Are you nuts? This is our home! Get out of here!

(Prue uses her power on Alice and she flies outside.)

Alice: Ow!

(Darryl runs in wielding his gun.)

Darryl: All you stay back, all you stay back! (Darryl stops, confused. Prue stares at him.) You guys okay?

Prue: Yeah, we got it, Darryl. (to Leo) Alright, this has to end now or our lives are over!

[Cut to outside. Alice is walking down the driveway. Elana sees her.]

Elana: What happened? What did they do to you?

Elderly Man: Did they think you were a demon?

Elana: Did they think you were a joke?

Alice: They're mean witches!

(She wipes a tear off her face and walks away.)

[Cut to inside.]

Piper: Okay, so how do we contact Tempus?

Prue: Through Cole. He's an upper level demon, isn't he?

Piper: Why would he help us?

Prue: Because helping us helps Phoebe. Are you allowed to orb down there?

Leo: Yes, but I won't be able to find her until I'm down there. I can't track her from up here.

Prue: Alright, well, then you'd better hurry. (Leo doesn't go.) Okay, what's the matter?

Leo: Well, once I'm down there you won't be able to contact me if you get in any kind of trouble.

Piper: Honey, what more trouble could we possibly get in to? Besides, once time resets itself then everything should be fine. So go, and be careful.

Leo: Yeah, you too.

(Leo and Piper kiss and he orbs out.)

Piper: Okay, so what do you say? Oprah or Barbara? (Prue smiles.) Barbara makes you cry. We go with Oprah.

Had Phoebe not done what she did, Leo would not have to go underground and be out of touch. It was truly all Phoebe's fault.

And since so many fans think that it was Milano who got Doherty fired (I don't; I think Kern did - think of him as the Source, the true one who got rid of her by taking advantage of the situation Phoebe gave him), that just makes sense.

[ljones]

Sorry. I don't care how insistent Phoebe was about finding Cole in the so-called Underworld. It all boiled down to Prue and Piper. They should have said "no" and left the matter opened, until they were certain that Shax had been vanquished.

Phoebe would have never been able to go to the Underworld without Prue and Piper's help.. They should have made it clear to Phoebe that they would help send her there . . . until Leo had cleared the matter regarding Shax's vanquish. They didn't bother to wait. And therefore, they sent Phoebe to the "Underworld" prematurely.

Sorry, but I disagree about placing most of the blame on Phoebe's shoulders.

[Esmeralda]

Phoebe also should've been sure, not just Prue and Piper. And if Phoebe had not put Cole in front of her sisters until *she* was sure that Shax had been vanquished, Prue and Piper never would've had the choice to send her to the Underworld, just like Leo wouldn't have had to grab Phoebe and bring her back.

It still comes down to the fact that had Phoebe not put Shax in front of her sisters, Prue would still be alive.

Yes, Prue, Piper and Leo do share in some of the blame, but most of the blame does belong on Phoebe's shoulders, something "Little Miss Nevermyfault" never admitted, so very typical of the baby of the family, the baby who never grew up, who could only be happy with a fantasy man.

ETA: Oops, my bad - s/b "Had Phoebe not put COLE in front of her sisters, Prue would still be alive."

[ljones]

Sorry. I don't care how insistent Phoebe was about finding Cole. The matter of the fact is that she would not have been able to reach the "Underworld" without Prue and Piper's help. And instead of simply refusing to help Phoebe until they were sure that Shax had been vanquished, Prue and Piper went ahead and sent her to the Underworld before Leo could confirm the vanquish.

You can condemn Phoebe for putting Cole before her sisters. But I cannot ignore the fact that she was not able to reach the Underworld without Prue and Piper's help. Nor can I ignore the fact that the older two Halliwells went ahead and sent her there without making sure that Shax had been finally vanquished. And when you add the fact that both Prue and Piper went ahead and tried to vanquish Shax out in the open, they're beginning to look even less competent than Phoebe in this matter.

[Esmeralda]

Saw this at another site and found it VERY interesting:

Publisher: The Mediadrome
Date: May 2001

In the wake of Shannen Doherty's recent much-publicized departure from Charmed, news reports have shifted from the initial "she was fired," approach, to the "she decided to move on," kind of tip-toeing that we are more accustomed to from Hollywood.

Here, people don't have knock-down-drag-out brawls, they have "creative differences." Everyone knows that somewhere down the line they will probably have to work together again, so wisdom dictates that they don't reduce their bridges to smoldering piles of ash. Still, it always makes you wonder…what really happened?

We decided to see if we could get to the root of the Doherty/Spelling spat just to see how Hollywood really works. And we have the answer - it works just like high school. Only with more money. Our source in all of this is someone who works on the show and has seen the whole thing play out over the course of the past year.

Shannen Doherty is, it seems, a very nice person. She was always charming and pleasant to the crew, a pleasure to work with. Unless you were anyone at Spelling. Her relationship with Spelling is clearly similar to that of the spoiled child. She has been involved with the company off and on for a long time, and has no hesitation in stamping her foot and making any kind of demand. Most of the time Spelling capitulated and let her have her way, after all she was the highest paid actor on the show.

And that was part of the problem. Shannen Doherty's contract apparently stipulated that she would get the biggest paycheck. No matter what. If James Cameron came in to direct an episode, she was contractually required to receive more money. This kind of deal is not uncommon in a business where success is measured by the size of your bank account - but Shannen Doherty reportedly starting telling anyone who would listen all about it. Not an activity conducive to a pleasant workplace.

Then, over the course of the past year, she began complaining to fellow cast members and crew that she couldn't stand working with Spelling any longer and was going to quit. This went on and on. Her irritation wasn't helped when, at the annual NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) gathering, Spelling chose to promote the show almost exclusively with pictures of Alyssa Milano. Milano, it seems, is the most popular actress on the show. Doherty was not happy. She campaigned with Spelling to change the dynamic, but there are some things even big-time producers have little or no control over - such as who the viewing public prefers. Apparently, the bickering between Doherty and Spelling became constant and nerves were getting frayed on both sides.

Now comes the high school part. Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs had a friendship going back some years, but when Combs moved in with Alyssa Milano following a romantic break-up, Doherty was beyond annoyed. You can imagine. Even after Combs reconciled with Doherty and they became friends again, the tension on the set was palpable.

Then Shannen decided she wanted to direct. She was given a couple of shows to do, but she generally brought in so much extra equipment and took so long, that they cost far more than the average episode. Which wouldn't have been so bad if she had proven to have any particular talent in that direction. She didn't.

According to our source her directorial efforts were saved by judicious editing. (You take that part with a pinch of salt - I have yet to hear of any neophyte director, particularly one of the female persuasion, who is not "saved in post.")

So now it was looking less and less likely that she was going to be able to make an easy career transition into directing. She reportedly responded to this latest disappointment by bad-mouthing Spelling himself (as opposed to running down his company). This was a tactical error.

The next time she pulled her "I'm going to quit," routine, word came down from the man himself: he was sick of her, he didn't want her on any set of his, and he especially didn't want her making life difficult or impossible for anyone who worked for him. According to our source (who was there) she was practically marched off the set.

So, it's pretty much like you always suspected. In many ways it's the story of the average employee at the average company. We've all known them, those people who develop an exaggerated idea of their own importance, begin to think that they are irreplaceable and act accordingly. Except, of course, that no-one is irreplaceable. Not even actors on TV shows.

Especially actors on TV shows.

Take that and add the other article I keep posting in here and we might finally know the truth. Sounds like the one who Shannen had problems with was *not* Brad Kern - but Aaron Spelling himself.

[thepowerofnicki]

That article also adds with what Holly said at some sort of comicon event in Chicago saying Shannen and Brad got along "great"

[ljones]

Her irritation wasn't helped when, at the annual NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) gathering, Spelling chose to promote the show almost exclusively with pictures of Alyssa Milano. Milano, it seems, is the most popular actress on the show.

Was this actually true? I don't recall Alyssa being the most popular in 2000-2001.

[Esmeralda]

During the Cole/Phoebe phase (while Shannen was still part of the series), she most definitely was! I definitely remember that - especially coz you saw her on so many commercials, while you didn't see the others at all.

That changed during Season Five when Holly took over, but up to that point, it was definitely Alyssa.

PS - I'm not sure what year Season Three was, but that's when Alyssa was at her most popular on the series, her and Julian both.

[Deleted]

Phoebe's charcter was the most likable of the three in Season 3 I suppose. She was the fun witch and a lot of girl could relate to falling for the wrong guy. Piper was always fretting about something, still likable. Prue was obsessed about fighting evil - metaphor for the everyday battles in our life?

They made the right decision (at the time) letting Shannen go. Had Paige been played by more of a serious actress like Jennifer Love Hewitt (if she had accepted), Charmed, in my opinion would definately been even more better than the first 3 seasons.

Its such a shame the actressess, writters Brad Kern and the WB simply all stopped caring.

[Esmeralda]

Amen!

[beccabee71091]

Honestly i love how some people are like "if prue hadnt done this or that she would still be alive". People Shannen got fired it didnt matter if the finale was AHBL or something different they still would have found out a way to write her character out. Whether she died or whatever and they lucked out this was season three and not one or two or else they would have had a hell of a time explaining that

[Deleted]

I'm not understanding your point bb71091.

Shannen Doherty leaving Charmed was THE biggest change to the show. Its always going to be Before and After Prue.

Ofcourse this is my own opinion and the 2nd biggest change is the mythological and the magical community.

Combining the two together completely ruined what Charmed was all about...

[beccabee71091]

What i mean is it didnt matter what the characters actions were they still were going to write her out. Say this happened in season two they still would have found a way to write her out. I personally think this was the worst thing that happened to charmed i love prue hate paige and the writing got terrible.

[ljones]

I don't think Prue's departure and Paige's arrival were the reasons why the series' writing grew worse. It was never that great to begin with, but it simply grew worse with time.