Something Wicca This Way Comes

"Something Wicca This Way Comes" is the first episode of the television series Charmed. Written by series creator and executive producer Constance M. Burge and directed by John T. Kretchmer, it was first broadcast in the United States on The WB on October 7, 1998. "Something Wicca This Way Comes" was the highest-rated episode of Charmed in the entire series. It was watched by 7.7 million viewers and broke the record for the highest-rated premiere episode in The WB's history, being later surpassed by the pilot episode of Smallville. The series focuses on the lives of three Halliwell sisters, known as the Charmed Ones: Prue (Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano), as they deal with their grandmother's death and learn that they inherited a little more than the house they grew up in. All three of them have inherited magic powers; Prue has the power of telekinesis, Piper has the power to freeze time, and Phoebe has the power of premonition. Together they try to live everyday normal lives in San Francisco, while battling demons and warlocks, and keeping their supernatural identities a secret. The name of this episode is a play on words from Shakespeare's Macbeth: "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." Plot In San Francisco, witch Serena Fredrick (Lonnie Partridge) is murdered in her apartment by an unidentified man. Homicide Inspectors Darryl Morris (Dorian Gregory) and Andy Trudeau (T.W. King) investigate her murder. Andy tells Darryl that he suspects that witchcraft is involved, but Darryl dismisses the idea.