Saturday, May 12, 2001- from news.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Actress Shannen Doherty is leaving the cast of WB's ``Charmed'' after three seasons, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

``We have had a long and prosperous relationship with Shannen and we didn't want to hold her back from what she wanted to do,'' the show's producer, Spelling TV, said in a story posted on the Reporter's Web site Friday.

``We wish her all the best and much continued success,'' Spelling TV said.

It will be the second time Doherty leaves a Spelling show.

In the 1990s she departed the hit Fox TV series ``Beverly Hills 90210'' after four seasons amid reports of tension on the set.

Last month she pleaded no contest to charges of drunken driving, driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit and refusing to submit to a chemical test in connection with a December traffic stop in Thousand Oaks. She is scheduled to be sentenced June 12.

From Zap2it.com:

"Charmed" is coming back for another season on The WB but don't expect Shannen Doherty to be there. The star of the three-year old program has left the series, according the The Hollywood Reporter.

Spelling TV, the production company behind "Charmed," confirmed the departure Friday, but no reason was given. The show, which revolves around three sisters who are witches, is left without one of its central characters. There was a casting change made once before in the series, which originally had Lori Rom cast as sister Phoebe in its pilot. However, Alyssa Milano was brought in when the series went to production. Holly Marie Combs also stars.

Doherty was known for her attitude and temper on her previous series, "Beverly Hills, 90210," and was fired after four seasons. The character of Hunter Fallow in The WB's recent comedy "Grosse Pointe" was loosely based on Doherty, who did have a recent run-in with the law when she was arrested for drunk driving last year. She pleaded no contest to the charges earlier this month.

How the Season Will Start

Returning Series

One Hour Drama

Thursday 9/8c

For three spellbinding years, the Charmed Ones - Prue, Piper, and Phoebe - have used their witchcraft and the "Book of Shadows" to keep themselves alive as they save innocent souls and fight the darkest evil. Now, this season, the unthinkable will happen. The power of three will be broken forever.

So begins a new chapter in the CHARMED saga as the surviving sisters search for a way to stay alive and strengthen their fragile bond while they continue to vanquish the diabolical. The sisters find renewed faith in the form of an unexpected revelation: there may be yet another Halliwell offspring they never knew about - one who could reunite the power of three and return these virtuous witches to their former glory. They'll find that fighting the good fight is a deadly occupation, but one they were born to do.

From executive producers Aaron Spelling, E. Duke Vincent, Connie Burge and Brad Kern, with Spelling Entertainment.

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