Charmed: Sarah Jeffery teases “epic, edgy, powerful” season 3

When the pandemic hit Hollywood, The CW’s Charmed was among the many shows that saw an unexpected season finale. A season that would’ve been 22 episodes became a season of 19, and while the unintended finale worked well enough, the story was still left on the brink.

Now, Charmed is one of the first shows on the network to return, kicking off its third season on January 24.

Where some shows have taken the time-skip route, Charmed opted to simply pick things up right where they left off. What does that mean for the transition into the next storyline that would’ve typically started after the planned break?

In an exclusive interview with Culturess, Sarah Jeffery, who plays Maggie in the series, delved into what fans can expect heading into season three.

Sarah Jeffery weighs in on Charmed season 3

“What the writers and showrunners did, it kind of becomes a new season, I think [in] episode three,” Jeffery explained. “So we’re just hoping that audiences will go with that. We pack up and take care of everything that is happening…And then we kind of find ourselves in a bit of a new circumstance, new roadblocks, new problems, and it’s a lot of fun. There’s a lot of new stuff this season that I think people are really going to enjoy.”

For Jeffery’s Maggie, that includes a new dimension to her powers. Not only can she read thoughts and feelings, but now she can directly influence the feelings of others.

In the premiere, this lends itself to a fun bit of comedy between Maggie and Mel. But as Jeffery warns, there are certainly higher stakes with this new magic. Add it to the list of things she and her sisters need to worry about this season.

Lest we forget, The Faction is still after The Charmed Ones. Maggie, Mel and Macy may have a key new ally in Julian, after Macy proved to him that he’d been manipulated by his Aunt, but that doesn’t mean it’s totally smooth sailing ahead.

According to Jeffery, we’re in for a season that is “epic, edgy, and powerful.” (As a bonus, she tossed in “love” as an extra descriptor of Charmed‘s third season).

Read our full chat with Jeffery below on what’s to come — and to find out who would win in a battle between Jeffrey’s Descendants alter-ego and The Charmed Ones.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Culturess: Picking things right up in episode one, a lot happens. One of the biggest things is that Julian sees that he’s been pretty well played. What does that mean for Vivienne going forward, having lost a key player on her side? Does that make her, I would assume, angry? An even more formidable opponent for The Charmed Ones?

Jeffery: Yeah, definitely! I think she emerges as a villainess, for sure. I can’t really say how, but she definitely is sort of grasping at straws and doing whatever she can to maintain power. So, sounds very familiar. (laughs). We’re familiar with that scenario, so it makes for a very interesting couple of episodes for sure.

Culturess: Very conqueror-esque of her…

Jeffery: Yes. Indeed. (laughs).

Culturess: For Maggie, things are a bit new this season. She has this big blow-up with Ray at the end of season two, with powers literally shooting out of her. As we see in the premiere, they’re a little bit bigger and a little bit more uncontrollable than she’d think. How is Maggie going to grapple with this in season three?

Jeffery: Well, it’s the first sort of physical manifestation of Maggie’s powers. She’s always had the passive powers, and so it does take awhile to sort of figure them out [and] make friends with them. As we saw in the first episode, there are some snafus with Mel. But she definitely finds her way, and I think it’s a very powerful, useful tool to have in her arsenal, for sure.

Culturess: You’ve described Maggie’s powers before as being intrusive. This is even more so. This isn’t just hearing what people are thinking, this is controlling and manipulating what people are feeling. So, this is a lot of responsibility on her shoulders.

Jeffery: It’s a lot, for sure. And I think we do see that there will be consequences, depending on how she decides to use them, [she has] to just be really aware of her intentions.

Culturess: During that big moment with Ray, Maggie says outright, “I’m pissed.” What kind of headspace does that put her in going into season three with these new powers?

Jeffery: I think she’s pretty frustrated. I think there’s a lot of stuff that she hasn’t really worked through, not only magically, but also with her family. I think she has a personal journey that she needs to embark on, which she does in season two, in the later episodes. But in these first couple episodes, I think she kind of has to put that aside and just conquer. Power through.

Culturess: Speaking of that family dynamic – in the premiere, Harry asks Maggie for a very big favor: to use her new power to change his feelings for Macy. Obviously it doesn’t happen, but Macy does find out he asked. Is that a conversation we’ll see happen between Maggie and Macy?

Jeffery: I don’t know that they actually address it, but I think [Maggie’s] gut reaction, when we did that scene, was “This feels like something that is not my business. I shouldn’t be intrusive and unfair.” So yeah, there are some boundaries there that definitely need not be crossed.

Culturess: In the love department, Maggie drops a little something about Jordan, saying that he’s putting out vibes that she has to push away. What can you tease about that relationship this season? They’ve had a great friendship so far.

Jeffery: They do! I think they have a really lovely friendship. It just gets complicated because it’s that thing that you want but you know you can’t have, and it’s just the timing of it all. So it becomes a matter of safety really. It’s really interesting seeing their dynamic sort of shift and morph. You can tell what they want, but they can’t express it. I think it’s just a really lovely friendship. Perhaps something more.

Culturess: Well, in your mind, as Sarah playing Maggie, is she really ready to step into something new romantically, given everything that has happened to her up to this point?

Jeffery: I think she needs to focus on herself right now. I think she’s been through a lot, [and] season three throws a lot at The Charmed Ones. She says “This is the Year of Me” – that’s something Maggie says a couple times in the first little bit of the third season, and I love that. I think she does need to focus on herself, and then if something happens naturally, and it’s easy? Great. If it fits in with her witch world, because that’s really priority number one is saving the world, and her sisters.

Culturess: There is kind of this ominous feeling especially because, in the season trailer, Macy says “the destruction of the sisterhood is inevitable.” That doesn’t really give me warm fuzzies, Sarah.

Jeffery: No. I know, I’m right there with you. I felt those feels whilst reading the scripts. But, without giving too much away, they’re smart women. They’ll always kind of find a way, no matter what that really looks like. You know, sacrifices will be made but ultimately, they are each other’s priority.

Culturess: What’s interesting to me is that The Charmed Ones really have this big network of people who want to help. Is there a point where the women will decide “we need the help, consequences be damned?” 

Jeffery: I think there is, yeah. I think there is a point in multiple episodes where their hands are tied and it’s time to take the help even though it might not feel good. There’s a few great new characters, whether they’re magic or not, and then we have our pre-existing characters who also are strong and capable. So yeah, they have a lot of people at their potential disposal.

Culturess: Now, just because I’m a Descendants fan as well, as I’m sure many are – who’s going to win in a magical battle of witches: Audrey and her scepter or Maggie and The Charmed Ones?

Jeffery: I’d have to go with Maggie and The Charmed Ones.

Culturess: Is it because of the Power of Three?

Jeffery: Yes, it is the Power of Three, but also, I think Maggie and The Charmed Ones have the best interests. Their interests are pure, whereas when Audrey has that power, she’s kind of an “every man for himself” type. I just think good always prevails. It would be a really interesting duel though. That would be a really cool crossover.

Charmed airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on The CW. You can stream the episodes the next day on The CW app.