Entertainment

‘CHARMED,’ I’M SURE: ROSE MCGOWAN’S ‘P’ FOR PERFECT

ROSE McGowan has been signed to replace Shannen Doherty on “Charmed” – confirming an exclusive story first reported by The Post last week.

McGowan, the ex-girlfriend of goth-rocker Marilyn Manson, will join Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs on the Aaron Spelling-produced good-witches show, now entering its 4th season on The WB.

McGowan has starred in the movies “Driven” and “Monkeybone” and recently broke off her relationship with Manson, the goth-rocker known for wearing makeup and women’s clothing.

Doherty, who had previously been fired from “Beverly Hills, 90210” reportedly quit “Charmed” because of difficulties with Milano. Even though Doherty directed the show’s season-ending episode, she and Milano reportedly did not speak to each other unless absolutely necessary.

There’s no word yet on what McGowan’s character will be named, although it’s a good bet that her name will begin with the letter “P” – since all the female “Charmed” characters (Prue, who was played by Doherty; Phoebe, played by Milano; and Piper, played by Combs) begin with that letter.

Besides her past relationship with Manson, McGowan is best-known for her role as a sexy screen queen in “Scream” and for roles in “The Doom Generation,” “Jawbreaker,” “Monkeybone” and “Ready to Rumble.”

“Charmed” producers had also approached ex-“Party of Five”/”Time of Your Life” star Jennifer Love Hewitt and Denise Richards to replace Doherty, but both actresses declined.

“Charmed” has always performed well for The WB (Ch. 11 here in New York) and has consistently been the network’s second-highest-rated show behind “7th Heaven,” which is also produced by Spelling.

The WB is counting on “Charmed” to retain its popularity now that it’s lost “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Roswell” to rival UPN, which is hoping to cash in on The WB’s strong teen demographic.