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In the age of streaming, it has never been easier for fans to revisit favourite shows, or for old classics to be rediscovered by new viewers. Things are no different for cult classic Charmed, which ran for eight seasons between 1998 and 2006. The series focused on the Halliwell sisters, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe (and later, half-sister Paige), who discover that they are the Charmed Ones, a prophesied trio of powerful witches destined to fight evil.
One of the first big decisions made by newcomers to the series is which Charmed One is their favourite. While all four sisters have their merits, a great many fans settle on Piper, played by Supa-Star Holly Marie Combs. The middle, and later oldest sister, some find Piper the easiest Halliwell to connect to. Before Holly Marie Combs visits Supanova in Sydney (19–21 June 2026) and Perth (27–28 June 2026), let’s look back at some of the reasons why Piper Halliwell was, and still is, the most relatable of the Charmed Ones.
Piper is the protector and peacemaker among her siblings
Though Piper started the series as the middle Halliwell child, a significant portion of the Charmed fandom perceive her as giving off ‘Eldest Daughter’ energy long before Prue Halliwell’s death at the end of the third season. Though she was said to have been living independently at one point, prior to the beginning of the series, Piper had moved back to the family home not because she needed to, but because she didn’t want Prue to be alone there after the death of their Grandmother. Piper is also the one to invite Phoebe back to the family home when she is struggling, and plays peacemaker when Prue and Phoebe bicker.
Once the Charmed Ones’ powers manifest, panic is at first credited as the initial trigger to Piper’s power of freezing objects in time. However, many viewers noted that many of Piper’s early uses of her power occur when one or both of her sisters are in danger, saving them from injury or worse. While Prue, as the oldest and supposedly strongest sister, liked to see herself as a protector, Piper had a true protective instinct that fans noticed and appreciated, even if the show itself did not often comment upon it in the early seasons.
Piper holds on to her ‘Real World’ hopes and dreams
Throughout Charmed’s eight season run, Piper Halliwell is a gifted cook. For plot practicality purposes, this is also used to explain why Piper is easily able to develop a talent for brewing potions. However, her gift has a personal impact beyond magic. While Prue, Phoebe, and eventually Paige are increasingly consumed by the magical world, Piper, though no less committed to her duties as a Charmed One, holds onto her dreams outside of witch-hood.
When the series begins, Piper is an aspiring chef, taking a new job at a local restaurant in the first episode. Her dream is to one day own a restaurant of her very own. P3, the nightclub purchased by the Halliwells in season two, is seen as a stepping stone toward this dream (while also allowing the show to feature the occasional big name musical guest). Charmed’s final flashforward epilogue, narrated by Piper, reveals that she finally fulfilled her dream, selling P3 to fund her own restaurant, Halliwell’s. While Phoebe also ends the series with a real job, it wasn’t a lifelong dream in the way Piper’s was. Having a real, grounded, achievable goal outside of magic made Piper feel more real and relatable as a character in the eyes of many fans.
Piper’s fertility struggles
During season four of Charmed, Piper and her Whitelighter Husband, Leo (played by Supa-Star Brian Krause, also joining us in June), begin trying for a baby. After an extended period of trying without results, Piper visits a Doctor and learns that scarring in her uterus (due to repeated blows to the stomach while fighting demons) would make it very difficult for her to conceive a child.
By the series epilogue, Piper and Leo have three children, Wyatt, Chris, and Melinda. While the children, or at least Wyatt, were the result of a ‘magic baby’ scenario increasingly frowned upon in present day television, Piper’s situation was somewhat different. At the time Charmed was airing, fertility stories were uncommon, making Piper one of the first characters on major network TV to have a fertility struggle storyline depicted over several episodes. Although the ‘magic baby’ resolution to the story was unrealistic, this doesn’t change the fact that the earlier part of the story made some women going through their own struggles feel seen in a way they might have been previously.
Power does not have to mean perfection
In the prophecy predicting the eventual arrival of the Charmed Ones, it is stated that the eldest sister will be the most powerful witch of the three. Prue takes this statement seriously, putting a large amount of pressure on herself to be the best, and sometimes cracking under said pressure, such as in the episode Just Harried, when her Astral Projected self subconsciously creates a free-spirited alternate personality to escape the struggles of her life.
Following Prue’s death in the season three finale and the introduction of half-sister Paige Matthews at the beginning of season four, it is assumed, much to Piper’s chagrin, that she will become the most powerful Charmed One. Despite her initial reluctance to accept the expectation of power being placed upon her, Piper does still emerge as the most powerful witch in the reforged Power of Three, but this is mostly because her power to freeze or blow up objects has the most combat applications. Piper, unlike Prue, does not put pressure on herself to be the most powerful, or actively try to be. She experiences various emotional breakdowns and struggles throughout the series, and is more willing to accept help from her sisters when these problems occur, because unlike Prue, Piper accepts she is not perfect, and doesn’t try to be.
Piper Halliwell is the most relatable Charmed One because, despite the magical hijinks going on around her, she is the one who most often feels like a real person in whom viewers can see themselves. This is why, 20 years after Charmed left our screens, she remains the one new fans are most likely to fall in love with.
You can meet Charmed Supa-Stars Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause at Supanova in Sydney (19–21 June 2026) and Perth (27–28 June 2026).
