22 Years Ago, This Charmed Actor’s Heartbreaking Farewell Shook Fans!

In 2000, “Charmed” was among the top shows on American television when a new character entered the lives of the Halliwell sisters: Cole Turner, a deputy district attorney portrayed by the charismatic Australian actor Julian McMahon starting from the first episode of season 3.

A Beloved Character with Complex Nuances

Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) quickly falls for him. However, there’s a catch: he is actually the demon Balthazar, the right-hand man of the Source, the ruler of the Underworld and a powerful adversary to our favorite witches.

For two and a half seasons, Cole’s character wavers between his demonic nature—murderous and manipulative, tasked with eliminating the heroines—and his more human side, which grows as his feelings for Phoebe develop, leading to a love story as intense as it is tragic.

Sometimes an enemy, sometimes an ally of the Halliwells, Cole becomes a true anti-hero with a complex psychology, capturing the hearts of fans who become deeply invested in his relationship with Phoebe.

Yet, his character does ultimately perish. He dies multiple times throughout the series, first during the dark season 4 where he succeeds in luring his partner to the dark side before she regains her senses and helps her sisters destroy her great love in episode 20.

Death in a Landmark Episode

However, Cole does not completely disappear at that point: he initially remains trapped in a sort of purgatory, from which he escapes by stealing the powers of other demons trapped there with him. Fallen into depression, his sole focus becomes winning Phoebe back, even creating an alternate reality where they are married and Paige has not met her half-sisters in episode 12 of season 5.

This episode is significant as it is the 100th episode of “Charmed”; a major milestone for any series, where writers generally plan grandiose story arcs. The creators of this magical show did not hold back, orchestrating Cole’s definitive demise.

The character played by Rose McGowan is thus thrust into the reality created by Cole and convinces Phoebe to finally kill her husband, much to the dismay of fans who did not all appreciate how the storyline of this iconic character concluded, who had become a shadow of himself in his final episodes.

An Intended Exit

It is worth noting that it was Julian McMahon himself who requested to leave “Charmed,” feeling that he had explored his character thoroughly and wanting to pursue new projects.

In an interview with XPose, the dearly departed actor, who passed away last July from cancer, had shared: “After discussing it with Brad Kern [the showrunner], we both thought that if we kept Cole around, we would lose everything that made him charming, draining him of all substance.”

The actor, who quickly moved on to another iconic role after leaving “Charmed,” continued: “We decided it was time for my character to move on, and we more or less initiated his departure in the first twelve episodes of season 5.”

Brad Kern, on the other hand, told TVLine in 2016, about what remains a legendary TV couple: “In my mind, their story was always tragic. Cole wanted to overcome his demonic side, but all the fun was in watching him try. Phoebe, who embodied love, tried to conquer this evil, but it was ingrained in his DNA… In the end, she had to move forward. And he had to die.”

Julian McMahon made one final appearance in “Charmed” during another landmark episode—the 150th!—where Cole aids Piper, trapped in limbo between life and death, proving he had finally achieved his redemption.

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