Fernando Lafuente
Holly Marie Combs got emotional remembering Shannen Doherty on the “Charmed” rewatch podcast.
Combs, 50, recorded the first episode of “The House of Halliwell” since Doherty’s death with Brian Krause and Drew Fuller, and shed tears while talking about her late co-star and friend.
“That’s one of the saddest parts to me is that she was really looking forward to this,” Combs said about Doherty, who died at age 53 on July 13 after a long battle with cancer.
“She was really looking forward to this and she was really looking forward to watching the episodes with Rose [McGowan],” Combs continued on the Monday episode. “One of the last times I was with her we actually watched the first two episodes together like we were freaking teenagers again.”
Doherty appeared on the first two episodes of the podcast that were recorded before her passing. During the July 15 episode, called “Shannen’s Magic Lives On,” Doherty suggested doing a reboot of the hit show.
On Monday’s episode, Combs said she’s “had a little bit of time to reflect” on the fact that the podcast is moving on without Doherty.
“I think she did as much as she could in the time that she had, but we did think we had more time,” said Combs. “That’s the really sad part. We had big, big plans for this year. She didn’t think she was going anywhere anytime soon.”
“It sounds terribly cliché … until it happens to you, you always think you have more time,” the actress continued through tears. “Life changes on a dime.”
Combs went on, “I want everyone to know she was super happy to be here, and she was really happy to watch it again with fresh eyes, as she kept saying. She became like a fan, she watched it like an audience member. I don’t think anybody loved ‘Charmed’ more than she did. And that’s a fact. And it’s also a fact that she’s probably laughing at all of us right now being super sad. I mean, there’s a degree of sadness that she does want.”
Doherty, Combs and Alyssa Milano played a trio of sister witches on “Charmed.” Doherty left the series after Season 3 and was replaced by Rose McGowan.
On the second episode of the rewatch podcast, Doherty said she was “amazed” and “enthralled” rewatching the show, which aired from 1998 to 2006.
“There were episodes that I was like, ‘Wow, that was really good,’ ” she said. “I was really impressed by the pilot, to be honest. I think later on, probably like third season when I know I’m going to die, I will be much more emotional.”
When the co-hosts discussed a possible “Charmed” reboot, Doherty shared her idea for her character’s storyline.
“I always just sort of thought like she became an elder. She becomes a cool elder and she becomes the most powerful elder where she can always be down with you guys wearing sick, awesome clothing,” she said.
Five episodes of the podcast featuring Doherty will come out posthumously.
The “Charmed” cast, including Combs, mourned Doherty on social media after she lost her battle with stage IV cancer.
“A part of me is missing even though I know exactly what you would say to me right now,” Combs wrote on Instagram. “I know exactly what you would tell me to do right no. I know your undying spirit will live in me and my kids who you loved as your own.”
Milano, 51, paid tribute as well after she was accused of getting Doherty fired from the show by her former co-stars.
“It’s no secret that Shannen and I had a complicated relationship, but at its core was someone I deeply respected and was in awe of,” she said in a statement to The Post.
“She was a talented actress, beloved by many and the world is less without her. My condolences to all who loved her,” Milano added.