Charmed Women

In the fall of 1998, Prue, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell moved back into their childhood home, Halliwell Manor, shortly after the death of their grandmother Grams, (Penny Halliwell). By accident, they discovered their family's secret book, the Book of Shadows, and learned that they were the most powerful witches ever to walk the earth, destined to protect innocents and the world from demons and warlocks.

Each sister gained a special power along with the ability to cast spells and brew potions. Prue, the eldest, had the power of telekinesis – the ability to move objects with her mind. This later evolved to the point of being able to astral project, or move her astral form outside of her body. Piper, the middle sister, has the power to affect molecules, at first to slow them down until they stop, effectively “freezing” people/objects. As she grows more proficient, she can freeze only certain people or only certain objects or body parts as she wishes. Her powers grow to being able to make molecules move so fast that they explode. Phoebe, the youngest, initially possesses the power of premonition, which evolves into being able to receive visions of both the future and the past. She later picks up the powers of levitation and empathy (the ability to both sense and tap into others' emotions).

When Prue is killed in the Season 3 finale, Piper and Phoebe discover that they have a half-sister, Paige Matthews, who is the daughter of their mother and her Whitelighter. Paige's Whitelighter blood mixes with her witchcraft heritage to give her a form of telekinesis, though she has to verbally call for objects to “orb” them where she wants them. As she learns to control the dual sides of her ancestry, Paige also learns how to orb herself and others (the Whitelighter form of teleportation), and eventually she receives her own charges to train and protect as they learn witchcraft.

Although each sister is quite powerful in her own right, their powers are enhanced by their collective power, the Power of Three, said to be the most powerful magical force ever formed. Their powers are rooted in their bond as sisters, and it is their love for each other that makes them so strong.

During the first two seasons the sisters would face various evil beings from week to week. However, they discover that their true enemy is the Underworld's ruler, Source of All Evil. The Source is discovered to be behind all the attacks on the sisters and becomes the main villain during Season 4 until he is finally vanquished. After this a season long storyline was introduced and an evil being/opponent along with it.

On top of the supernatural issues in Charmed, the characters had to contend with serious issues in the day-to-day world of the mortals, such as relationships, careers, marriage, childbirth, illness and the deaths of their loved ones. The sisters also had to fight to prevent the exposure of the existence of magic to the community at large, contending with several police and FBI investigations.