Set in the fictional college town of Hilltowne, Charmed follows the lives of three sisters, Macy, Mel and Maggie Vera who, after the tragic death of their mother, discover they are three of the most powerful witches of all time.

A "contemporary prequel" to the 1960 film Psycho, depicting the life of Norman Bates and his mother Norma prior to the events portrayed in Hitchcock's film, albeit in a different fictional town and in a modern setting. The series begins after the death of Norma's husband, when she purchases a motel located in a coastal Oregon town so she and Norman can start a new life.