Julian McMahon Gave Us One of TV's Greatest Antiheroes, And We'll Miss Him Forever

Julian McMahon, portrayed Cole Turn, the demon turned loved interest of Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano) for forty-seven episodes of Charmed, the supernatural drama that ran for eight season. After he left the series, he went on to appear as the lead in Nip/Tuck as Dr. Christian Troy, and even though he made that character his own, fans continued to see him as Belthazor, the scary-looking demon who wanted the magic the Charmed Ones possessed.

McMahon passed away in July 2025, leaving behind a legion of devastated fans and memories that could never be surpassed. His portrayal as both darkness and light in Charmed hightlighted his talent and turned a character we were supposed to hate into one we rooted for.

The relationship he built with Phoebe, though toxic in the end, still had us wishing for change, hoping he'd conquer the darkness inside of him so he could finally be the man Phoebe needed him to be.

There are very few villains that develop a loyal following, creating fans that believe in them and want more for them. McMahon managed that with both the dark side and lighter side of his character.

A rewatch of just the episodes where Cole appeared takes a viewer down a path of a demon struggling to find the light, a light he didn't even realize he needed until he met Phoebe. And every moment McMahon graced the screen, fans hoped the writers would change him, that he would get his happily ever after.

Instead, Charmed went the way of a "leopard can't change his spots" and allowed the darkness to consume Cole, leaving a heartbroken Phoebe behind. But along the way, while wading through the morally gray areas, Cole became a protector and someone who loved with all his heart despite the darkness within.

What would have happened had Cole changed into an actual hero, one whose demon side could have ben totally eliminated forever? Phoebe could have had her perfect man, but Charmed wasn't all about happily ever afters because it showed the challenges of witches and who they loved. It showed that love doesn't always win in the end.

McMahon embodied a character with the worst and the best and took every fan on a journey we wanted to continue with him. I won't deny crying when Cole was vanquished by the Charmed Ones. I kept holding out hope that something, anything could change...even if it meant Phoebe stayed wth him in darkness.

McMahon's death felt personal to his fans, especially those who fell in love with him on Charmed. We knew watching the series would never be the same. Yes, we can still see him on our screens, and we can watch him as often as we want, but knowing there will never be another Cole Turner is heartbreaking.

So many of us fell for Cole the moment he first saw Phoebe. McMahon changed the face of television, giving us one of the most hardcore demons who sold his soul to darkness. And we spent forty-seven episodes believing he could change, believing his love for Phoebe would be stronger than his desire for the ultimate power.

We were wrong, but Julian McMahon's portrayal of an evil demon was overshadowed by the conflicted side of him, the side that struggled with the goodness he so desperately want to hold onto. He gave us an antihero we looked forward to seeing every week. Other shows might have their own antiheroes that earns a fanbase, but McMahon only took a few episodes to make believers out of us. We wanted his character to be better, but, admittedly, we liked it when he was bad.

We'll miss both Julian McMahon and Cole Turner forever.