All Hell Breaks Loose (Charmed): Difference between revisions

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===Cast response===

In 2011, Doherty stated that out of the episodes she directed on ”Charmed”, “All Hell Breaks Loose” was her favorite.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wieselman |first1=Jarett |title=Shannen Doherty: I Remember What I Want & Conveniently Forget Everything Else |url=https://pagesix.com/2011/01/17/shannen-doherty-i-remember-what-i-want-conveniently-forget-everything-else/ |website=[[Page Six]] |publisher=[[News Corp]] |access-date=December 30, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126041738/https://pagesix.com/2011/01/17/shannen-doherty-i-remember-what-i-want-conveniently-forget-everything-else/ |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |date=January 17, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2025, Krause and [[Drew Fuller]] ~~reviewed~~ “All Hell Breaks Loose” on an episode of ”The House of Halliwell”; a podcast dedicated to rewatching ”Charmed” episodes.<ref name=”EW September 21″/><ref name=”EW September 28″/> Both of them described the episode as one of their least favorite ones, criticizing its plot and describing the time loop storyline as not having been well executed.<ref name=”EW September 28″>{{cite web |last1=Tolentino |first1=Daysia |title=””Charmed” Stars Explain How Shannen Doherty Salvaged Her Final Episode: ‘The Story Wasn’t There’ |url=https://ew.com/charmed-stars-explain-how-shannen-doherty-salvaged-her-final-episode-11816673 |website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |publisher=[[People Inc.]] |access-date=October 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251027151147/https://ew.com/charmed-stars-explain-how-shannen-doherty-salvaged-her-final-episode-11816673 |archive-date=October 27, 2025 |date=September 28, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, they commended Doherty’s directing skills, with Fuller expressing that the episode “looks great” and praising the performances of the cast, stating that “everyone is just on their A-game”.<ref name=”EW September 28″/>

In 2011, Doherty stated that out of the episodes she directed on ”Charmed”, “All Hell Breaks Loose” was her favorite.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wieselman |first1=Jarett |title=Shannen Doherty: I Remember What I Want & Conveniently Forget Everything Else |url=https://pagesix.com/2011/01/17/shannen-doherty-i-remember-what-i-want-conveniently-forget-everything-else/ |website=[[Page Six]] |publisher=[[News Corp]] |access-date=December 30, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126041738/https://pagesix.com/2011/01/17/shannen-doherty-i-remember-what-i-want-conveniently-forget-everything-else/ |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |date=January 17, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2025, Krause and [[Drew Fuller]] “All Hell Breaks Loose” on an episode of ”The House of Halliwell”; a podcast dedicated to rewatching ”Charmed” episodes.<ref name=”EW September 21″/><ref name=”EW September 28″/> Both of them described the episode as one of their least favorite ones, criticizing its plot and describing the time loop storyline as not having been well executed.<ref name=”EW September 28″>{{cite web |last1=Tolentino |first1=Daysia |title=””Charmed” Stars Explain How Shannen Doherty Salvaged Her Final Episode: ‘The Story Wasn’t There’ |url=https://ew.com/charmed-stars-explain-how-shannen-doherty-salvaged-her-final-episode-11816673 |website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |publisher=[[People Inc.]] |access-date=October 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251027151147/https://ew.com/charmed-stars-explain-how-shannen-doherty-salvaged-her-final-episode-11816673 |archive-date=October 27, 2025 |date=September 28, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, they commended Doherty’s directing skills, with Fuller expressing that the episode “looks great” and praising the performances of the cast, stating that “everyone is just on their A-game”.<ref name=”EW September 28″/>

Combs, who co-hosts ~~the~~ ~~podcast~~ alongside them, refused to watch “All Hell Breaks Loose”, giving the episode zero stars due to the events that transpired during its production and stating that it was “such massive insult to injury to let [Doherty] direct it and go out on this high note”.<ref name=”EW September 21″>{{cite web |last1=Tolentino |first1=Daysia |title=”Nobody Wants to Speak their Truth” about Shannen Doherty’s ”Charmed” Exit in Fear ‘They’ll be Hated’, Costar Says |url=https://ew.com/charmed-stars-say-nobody-wants-to-speak-about-shannen-doherty-exit-11812981 |website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |publisher=[[People Inc.]] |access-date=October 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250928084525/https://ew.com/charmed-stars-say-nobody-wants-to-speak-about-shannen-doherty-exit-11812981 |archive-date=September 28, 2025 |date=September 21, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=”EW September 28″/> Prior to this, in September 2001, Combs had criticized the decision to have Doherty depart ”Charmed”, arguing that the character of Prue deserved a “graceful exit” that was planned out by the show’s writers, instead of being a last-minute change.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Baldwin |first1=Kristen |title=””Charmed” – Thursday Returning Shows, Fall 2001 |url=https://ew.com/article/2001/09/07/charmed/ |website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |publisher=[[People Inc.]] |access-date=January 3, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250509010949/https://ew.com/article/2001/09/07/charmed/ |archive-date=May 9, 2025 |date=September 7, 2001 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Combs, who co-hosts alongside them, refused to watch “All Hell Breaks Loose”, giving the episode zero stars due to the events that transpired during its production and stating that it was “such massive insult to injury to let [Doherty] direct it and go out on this high note”.<ref name=”EW September 21″>{{cite web |last1=Tolentino |first1=Daysia |title=”Nobody Wants to Speak their Truth” about Shannen Doherty’s ”Charmed” Exit in Fear ‘They’ll be Hated’, Costar Says |url=https://ew.com/charmed-stars-say-nobody-wants-to-speak-about-shannen-doherty-exit-11812981 |website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |publisher=[[People Inc.]] |access-date=October 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250928084525/https://ew.com/charmed-stars-say-nobody-wants-to-speak-about-shannen-doherty-exit-11812981 |archive-date=September 28, 2025 |date=September 21, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=”EW September 28″/> Prior to this, in September 2001, Combs had criticized the decision to have Doherty depart ”Charmed”, arguing that the character of Prue deserved a “graceful exit” that was planned out by the show’s writers, instead of being a last-minute change.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Baldwin |first1=Kristen |title=””Charmed” – Thursday Returning Shows, Fall 2001 |url=https://ew.com/article/2001/09/07/charmed/ |website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |publisher=[[People Inc.]] |access-date=January 3, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250509010949/https://ew.com/article/2001/09/07/charmed/ |archive-date=May 9, 2025 |date=September 7, 2001 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==References==

22nd episode of the 3rd season of Charmed

“All Hell Breaks Loose” is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the third season of the American fantasy drama television series Charmed. Written by series showrunner Brad Kern and directed by Shannen Doherty—the third and final episode of Charmed she directed—”All Hell Breaks Loose” was originally broadcast on The WB on May 17, 2001.

Charmed focuses on the three Halliwell sisters, Prue (Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), who are known as the Charmed Ones, the most powerful good witches who use their combined “Power of Three” to protect innocent lives from evil beings such as demons and warlocks in San Francisco, while trying to lead normal lives. “All Hell Breaks Loose” focuses on their secret as witches getting exposed to the public after Prue and Piper are caught on tape battling the demon Shax (Michael Bailey Smith), which proves to have deadly consequences.

Shortly before the episode aired, Doherty was fired from the series. In contemporary press releases it was reported that she left the series of her own volition due to creative differences. However, rumors circulated that her departure was facilitated by an ongoing conflict with Milano. In 2023, Doherty and Combs would state that her exit from Charmed was indeed due to a feud with Milano. In a 2016 interview, Kern stated he intentionally wrote the episode to end on a cliffhanger with all three sisters’ lives being in jeopardy to accommodate any potential cast changes. After Doherty’s departure, Tiffani Thiessen and Jennifer Love Hewitt were offered the role of Prue, but both turned it down. Following this, it was decided to kill Prue off, which resulted in the episode’s ending being recut.

“All Hell Breaks Loose” was watched by 5.26 million viewers and received positive reviews, often being cited as one of Charmed‘s best episodes. Its focus on magic’s exposure and the consequences this has for the Charmed Ones was praised; anthropologist Willem de Blécourt also recognized “All Hell Breaks Loose” for its thematic connection to prior works. Some of the show’s cast members responded negatively to the episode owing to the circumstance regarding Doherty’s firing—particularly Combs—though her directing skills were praised. Doherty considered “All Hell Breaks Loose” her favorite episode out of the ones she directed.

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell arrive at their manor with Dr. Griffiths (Matt Malloy), who is being hunted by the demon Shax; he attacks them, wounding Prue and Piper. Phoebe performs a vanquishing spell that repels Shax, and she calls for Leo Wyatt (Brian Krause), Piper’s husband and the sisters’ guardian angel. Leo teleports in and heals Prue and Piper, who then search the streets for Shax. He attacks them again, only for Piper to blow him up using her powers, unaware a news crew has filmed them. Once Prue and Piper return to the manor, Phoebe informs them that she will go to the Underworld to find her half-demon/half-human boyfriend Cole Turner (Julian McMahon).

At the news station, Elana Dominguez (Mercedes Colón) shows the footage of Shax’s vanquish, convincing them to air it. Darryl Morris (Dorian Gregory), a police officer friend of the Halliwells, sees the news and informs Prue and Piper their secret is exposed. In the Underworld, Phoebe manages to find Cole. Worried about Shax, Prue and Piper reach the hospital to take Dr. Griffiths back to the manor. Shax appears, forcing them to kill him, where they realize Elana filmed them again.

The manor is swarmed by police officers, news reporters, and protesters. Leo informs Prue and Piper they need the demon Tempus to reverse time. He goes to the Underworld, informing Phoebe and Cole about magic’s exposure, and asks his assistance getting Tempus to reverse time. Cole asks the Source of All Evil (Michael Bailey Smith) for help, as the existence of demons has also been exposed. The Source agrees to help, but only if Phoebe joins the dark side, prophetically stating it will be the only way to save one of her sisters.

At the manor, Piper is shot by a Wiccan fanatic. With Leo unable to hear them in the Underworld, Prue rushes Piper to the hospital, where she dies. A SWAT team arrives, and Prue uses her powers against them. Leo arrives to learn Piper has died and immediately goes back to the Underworld. Phoebe agrees to stay in the Underworld to save Piper’s life. Cole informs the Source, who secretly orders that Phoebe be killed and Cole be detained. As the SWAT team shoots at Prue, time is reversed to the sisters’ first encounter with Shax. With Phoebe in the Underworld, Shax attacks Prue, Piper, and Dr. Griffiths, leaving them for dead.

“All Hell Breaks Loose” was directed by Shannen Doherty (left; pictured in 2008) and marked her final appearance as Prue Halliwell. According to Doherty and other sources, she was fired from Charmed due to a feud with co-star Alyssa Milano (right; pictured in 2011) a week prior to the episode’s airing, which resulted in Prue being killed off.

“All Hell Breaks Loose” was written by Charmed showrunner Brad Kern and directed by Shannen Doherty.^[2] Doherty’s role as director was first announced in March 2001, with filming taking place during April.^[4] “All Hell Breaks Loose” marked the third and final episode of Charmed that Doherty directed, following “Be Careful What You Witch For” and “The Good, The Bad, and The Cursed”.^[5] By May 1, production on the episode was still underway, with Kern stating he had seen “the rough cut” for the episode.^[6]

On May 10, a week before “All Hell Breaks Loose” aired, Doherty exited the series; Spelling Television released a statement about how “[they] didn’t want to hold [Doherty] back from what she wanted to do”.^[7] In June, ABC News reported that Doherty chose to leave so as to “seek other creative opportunities”.^[8] Despite these statements, various media outlets reported that Doherty had a conflict with Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano,^[9] with the New York Daily News alleging that Milano had forced the network to fire one of them.^[10] During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Doherty commented on her exit by stating there was “too much drama on the set [of Charmed] and not enough passion for the work”, although she did not mention Milano by name.^[11]

Academic Karen A. Romanko stated in 2019 that while Doherty had expressed a dissatisfaction with the storylines of Charmed, her departure was facilitated by her feud with Milano. Doherty stated in 2023 that she was fired because of her feud with Milano;^[13] the Doherty-Milano feud was partly fuelled by Doherty being the highest-paid actress on Charmed.^[13] According to Combs—based on information one of Charmed‘s producers had provided to her—Milano gave the producers an ultimatum and demanded they had to fire either her or Doherty from the series; Milano also threatened to sue them for a hostile work environment.^[13]

Kern revealed in 2016 that “All Hell Breaks Loose” ending on a cliffhanger was intentional.^[14] According to him, having the lives of Prue, Piper, and Phoebe be in jeopardy by the episode’s end “gave everyone options about what they were or were not going to do”.^[14] Kern clarified that had Doherty remained on the series, they would have resolved the cliffhanger differently in season four.^[14]

Following Doherty’s departure, the producers initially planned to keep Prue alive and recast the role.^[15] Tiffani Thiessen was approached first, having previously replaced Doherty on Beverly Hills, 90210, but she declined the offer due to wanting to work on a sitcom. The role was then offered to Jennifer Love Hewitt, who also turned down the role; Entertainment Weekly writer William Keck speculated Hewitt wanted to focus on her film career.^[15] Following this, it was decided in June 2001 to kill off Prue and replace her with a new Charmed One.^[15] This necessitated the producers “recutting [the] season finale to explain [Prue’s] sudden disappearance”.^[15]

“All Hell Breaks Loose” was first broadcast on The WB on May 17, 2001.^[16] The episode received a Nielsen rating share of 3.4/5.^[17] This means that 3.4 percent of all households with a television viewed the episode, while among those households watching TV during this period, 5 percent of them were actively watching the program.^[18] The original broadcast was watched by 5.26 million viewers, making it the 82nd most-watched primetime network television program for the week of May 14 to 20, 2001.^[19] This marked an increase in viewership compared to the previous episode, “Look Who’s Barking”, which was watched by 4.68 million viewers.^[20]

“All Hell Breaks Loose” has been cited as one of Charmed‘s best episodes.^[21]^[22]^[23] The Guardian‘s Isabelle Oderberg and Sam Damshenas of Gay Times both described “All Hell Breaks Loose” as the best episode of Charmed, with Damshenas further labelling it as “one of the best episodes of any fantasy drama ever”.^[21]^[22] Paste‘s Lacy Baugher Milas echoed similar remarks, highlighting Prue’s death as a “shocking choice” and lamenting how it led to the show’s declining quality.^[23] Ryan Keefer, in reviewing the third season for DVD Verdict, labelled the ending of “All Hells Breaks Loose” as a “defining moment for [Charmed]”.^[24]

The episode’s focus on the exposure of magic and the Halliwell sisters’ status as witches, including the negative repercussions this has for them, was commended. Paste‘s Baugher Milas praised the episode’s plot, arguing that “All Hell Breaks Loose” showcased Charmed‘s greatest strength being in showing the “more uncomfortable aspects of what being a witch could mean, both from a personal and professional perspective”.^[23] In his review of the third season, television critic David Hofstede described the Halliwells’ status as witches being exposed as the greatest moment from the season. Anthropologist Willem de Blécourt argues that the Bewitched episode “I Confess”, the film Escape to Witch Mountain, and the Sabrina the Teenage Witch episode “To Tell a Mortal” influenced “All Hell Breaks Loose”; de Blécourt notes how all four works share the central theme of “outsiders becoming aware of witches in a world that denies their existence, followed by the consequences of this revelation”.

In 2011, Doherty stated that out of the episodes she directed on Charmed, “All Hell Breaks Loose” was her favorite.^[27] In 2025, Krause and Drew Fuller—who portrayed Chris Halliwell, the son of Piper and Leo^[28]—reviewed “All Hell Breaks Loose” on an episode of The House of Halliwell; a podcast dedicated to rewatching Charmed episodes.^[29]^[30] Both of them described the episode as one of their least favorite ones, criticizing its plot and describing the time loop storyline as not having been well executed.^[30] However, they commended Doherty’s directing skills, with Fuller expressing that the episode “looks great” and praising the performances of the cast, stating that “everyone is just on their A-game”.^[30]

Combs, who co-hosts The House of Halliwell alongside them, refused to watch “All Hell Breaks Loose”, giving the episode zero stars due to the events that transpired during its production and stating that it was “such massive insult to injury to let [Doherty] direct it and go out on this high note”.^[29]^[30] Prior to this, in September 2001, Combs had criticized the decision to have Doherty depart Charmed, arguing that the character of Prue deserved a “graceful exit” that was planned out by the show’s writers, instead of being a last-minute change.^[31]