Charmed Scoop! Alyssa's Demon Lover Lost
By Daniel R. Coleridge

Three Charmed sisters have much evil to vanquish, kids. So these witchy women have no more time for Phoebe's triflin' ex-husband, Cole. You know, the "Source of All Evil," as played for two years by Aussie looker Julian McMahon. "The 100th episode [airing Jan. 19 on the WB] is Julian's last episode," exec producer Brad Kern confirms. "It's time to free up Alyssa Milano's [Phoebe] character, and Julian has expressed interest in exploring other creative opportunities. I'll miss him terribly, personally and professionally."

"It is bittersweet to celebrate the fact that I'm dying!" McMahon laughs. "But I need to push my boundaries a bit creatively, so I called up Brad and asked if I could get off the show. He's been wonderful in regard to everything with the exit and demise of my character."

The consensus is that Phoebe and Cole's dysfunctional demon romance has gone too soapy. "We were stretching the character and the relationship too much," Kern admits. Adds McMahon: "I don't want to feel like I'm stale and repeating myself. Sexy roguishness is way overrated, man." Still, the actor loves Cole's tortured complexity. "To play the devil was exciting!" he enthuses. "I didn't want to play the nasty, mean guy in black the whole time. I wanted to bring compassion, hope and love to the character, so it was a challenge."

With ratings so spiffy since WB switched Charmed to Sunday nights, Kern expects the supernatural series will be renewed for a sixth season. "If they don't pick us up, I'll kill 'em!" he grins. "How can they not? We're doing great."

How shall they fill the venomous void left by Cole? Without the wanton warlock in their way, Phoebe and Paige will likely date more. Plus, Kern adds: "We've developed a lot of mystery about Piper's baby, in utero. What can it do? It magnifies her powers. But it's a good baby - it's not Rosemary's Baby!"