Charmed: The Complete Fifth Season

Season five finds the Charmed Ones fairly comfortable with one another, although the power structure and relationships between the three sisters are quite different than when the late Prue (Shannen Doherty) was the de facto leader. Doherty's replacement, Rose McGowan—who joined the cast as Paige in season four—works well with Alyssa Milano (Phoebe) and Holly Marie Combs (Piper), and their clipped dialogue together has a certain screwball comedy feel. The 23 episodes in the 2002-03 fifth season tie up some loose ends, introduce new characters, and signal big changes in the storyline. Piper has her magical baby with husband Leo (Brian Krause)—the angelic Whitelighter functioning as an emissary of the heavenly Elders—while Phoebe must contend with the surprising reappearance of her husband, the demon Cole (Julian McMahon), who is determined to win her back. As usual, the sisters are duty-bound to protect vulnerable mortals and innocent immortals, including a mermaid in distress, wood nymphs on the loose in San Francisco, and married men who are preyed upon by a killer Siren. The two-part finale ("Oh My Goddess!") ushers in a new major character named Chris (Drew Fuller), who may well be a harbinger of bad, bad things to come. Presented without any extras, this is still a strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)