But the spell seemingly had worn off by the beginning of season three, with reports of major on-set tension between Doherty and Milano overshadowing the scripted drama. While no reason given at the time for their falling out, one theory was that Doherty was jealous of Milano’s growing popularity. Another is that Doherty was just frustrated with the direction the show was going in and wasn’t shy about making her opinion known. (Burge reportedly left the show ahead of season three when she became frustrated that storylines were more focused on the sisters’ relationships with their love interests than each other.)
According to Doherty, though, they just didn’t vibe. As she explained on the Dec. 11 episode of her podcast, she felt “competitiveness” with Milano and accused the Who’s the Boss? star of creating a “weird divide” between her and Combs.
Things between the on-screen sisters got so bad that they reportedly only spoke when absolutely necessary. “There were times when I’d come in and say, ‘Good morning, Shannen,’ and she didn’t say anything to me,” Milano admitted. “And there were times when she’d come in and say, ‘Good morning, Alyssa,’ and I wouldn’t say anything to her.”