Charlie's Angels

The Blu Ray box cover featuring all the angels.

I have been intending to review Charlie's Angels for years! It's been ages since the last time I wrote about a "retro" TV show. Trying to find the right approach, apply the rules that were the standard in 70s television, and avoid today's political correctness, plus all the social changes the world has undergone since then, had this review in storage, or in full lockdown in my head. 

Obviously, for a show this big, you can find thousands of reviews on it made by professional critics and avid fans. However, only here you can find one made by a neverwas/mighthavebeen reviewer that may see the pros this show still has to offer. You see, most of the information available for the series revolves around being a "jiggle TV show" which is merely a superficial perception that diminishes the good intentions this show had when it was made in 1976.

 

The original Trio of angels.

 

First of all, the concept of "Jiggle TV" it's very offensive. when people use this term, they mean the show was made exclusively to show "jiggling tits & ass", which is not the case of Charlie's Angels. While it's true the actresses all meet "supermodel" clichéd standards, episodes didn't have money shot scenes accenting their physique for 46 minutes. Actually, behind all the beauty these actresses had, there were stories, and most of them placed the angels as empowered women who faced evil men and beat them in their own game. This is usually overlooked, by most reviews you see about the show. 

Now, I'm not saying my review is the best, I'm just saying I'll try to focus on the pros the show had, so that the very few people still visiting blogs, are encouraged to watch this show one more time or even discover it for the first time. As a matter of fact I'm in the middle of season 4 as I'm typing these words, so my review will feel pretty fresh.

We want you to watch our show.

 

"Once upon a time, there were three little girls who went to the Police Academy; and they were each assigned very hazardous duties. But I took them away from all that, and now they work for me. My name is Charlie.  "

Charles Townsend.

These are the legendary opening lines that introduce our heroines to the audience on every episode, thus setting the basics of the show. 

 

The angels team from season 1 to 3.

Charlie's Angels ran for five seasons from 1976 to 1981, delivering a total of 110 episodes. The show has been released on DVD & Blu Ray and it's also available in some streaming platforms plus the usual reruns on TV around the world.

The series portrays the adventures of three female police officers who are rescued from their mundane duties by a mysterious multi millionaire named Charles Townsend, who hires these gorgeous girls as operatives in his new private investigation agency. Charlie's assistant, John Bosley (David Doyle), acts as a liaison with the ladies since the enigmatic Charlie never reveals himself in person. The three beauties, Sabrina Duncan (Kate Jackson), Jill Munroe (Farrah Fawcett), and Kelly Garrett (Jaclyn Smith), frequently go undercover as strippers, models, or whatever during the course of their investigations. When Jill leaves Charlie's agency to pursue an auto racing career, she is replaced by her younger sister, Kris Munroe (Cheryl Ladd). After Sabrina departs to start a family, she in turn is replaced by Julie and later by Tiffany Welles (Tanya Roberts).

 

Strong women scare weak men away.

From what I gathered through elder relatives and other reviewers, there wasn't a woman watching this show who didn't secretly wish she looked like one of these beautiful, curvaceous ladies. Kate Jackson played Sabrina, the 'smart angel' and often the brains of the operation. The blonde & bubbly Jill was portrayed by Farrah Fawcett and notable mainly for her hairstyle, which spawned a popular new look in the late 1970's. Kelly, the truly pretty & sweet one and the only angel permanent to the series, was played by the lovely Jacklyn Smith. Cheryl Ladd (who went on to do some pleasant little Danielle Steele TV movies) was cast as the perky and charming young rookie, Kris, my personal favorite, and then there is Julie, a street smart but classy New Yorker with an Ivy League education, played by Shelley Hack, who later starred briefly in another series, Jack and Mike. Finally, the role of the red haired model turned detective, Tiffany (whom I personally saw less of and never quite 'bonded' with), was given to Tanya Roberts.

 

Season 4 Angels with bonus guest star.

 

Some say this series contradicts feminist philosophies, since it isn't really a show whose point is to depict that women can possess beauty, intelligence, and strength...all three. While I can understand that sex appeal may or may not be a "skill" the angels use to solve their cases, I can say that we shouldn't be too harsh on Charlie's Angels. The film & TV industry, even today, is always looking for the best looking actors (male & female) to tell their stories. Beauty is clearly a stereotype linked to success, wealth and ultimately a happier life. Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication verse "It's understood that Hollywood sells Californication" here makes perfect sense. It's fiction we're seeing, not reality, and let's face it, the film industry beauty standards haven't changed that much since the 70s. Charlie's Angels was neither a softcore TV show nor a straight forward porn series, so that "jiggle TV" tag will not be discussed here any longer. On the other hand, standards in beauty have diversified since then. We no longer have the Caucasian look as the definition of ultimate beauty. While it's true the Angels always wear beautiful designer fashions and however harrowing their circumstances, their make up never smudges, a nail never breaks, nor a single hair stray out of place, the stories are not about how nice they look wearing whatever they're wearing. The stories are indeed about dealing with crime, and 90% of the time they're fighting against evil men, and as above mentioned, beating them in their own game.

Some claim that Charlie's Angels does support the feminist cause because our P.I. ladies are single, smart, independent, capable, and mutually supportive. They don't wait around for a man to rescue them when danger befalls, but instead depend upon each other. And that's the point a lot of reviewers tend to forget about the show. They only focus their attention on the beauty of the actresses instead of seeing what the show was really about. Besides, like I said before, this is a show made in the 70s. Standards were different than today's, we can't crucify producers and writers for what they did then.

 

 

Season 5 Angels.

 

According to Women & Hollywood,  On the top 100 grossing films of 2019, women represented:

• 10.7% of directors
• 19.4% of writers
• 24.3% of producers
• 70.4% of casting directors.
  

So even though we're decades ahead of the 70s, the industry hasn't changed that much regarding women inclusion, even though the ladies account for a 50% of moviegoers. A sexist shame that still permeates the world. We need more Wonder Women and less Supermen.

 

All that being said, Charlie's Angels is a generally fun & entertaining show to watch. There's mystery, assorted engaging adventures, occasional exotic locales, and an effective chemistry of friendship & co-operation between these female private investigators. Moreover, all the 70s clichés can be seen here. Rollerskating, eccentric wealthy people, drugs, prostitution, muscle cars, fashion,  etc. 

 

Men won't harm the world anymore.

 

Now let's take a look at some of the things you probably didn't know (or didn't care) about Charlie's Angels:

-Kelly Garrett ( Jaclyn Smith ) was the only Angel to last the entire series. Between season 1 and 2, Jaclyn appeared to have had a bit work done, albeit subtle-looking yet forevermore drastically altering her (still beautiful) face: Kelly's eyes were big and round in S1, whereas they are, all of a sudden, much smaller and almond-shaped in S2. This is achieved via a mini brow lift. A shorter haircut for Kelly helped to further conceal the puzzling changes to her appearance but, whereas she obviously looked youthful and juvenile in season 1, her face, all-of-a sudden, became way more mature and "sophisticated" just a mere couple months later, in S2.  

 

-John Forsythe was called in at the last minute to voice Charlie, when the original actor (Gig Young) who had been cast turned out to have a drinking problem. Producer Aaron Spelling called Forsythe past midnight on a Friday, and begged him to come to the studio immediately, as the pilot was to be broadcast after the weekend. Forsythe ended up recording his first voice-over in his pajamas.  

 

Frenemies.

 
-The Angels all drove Ford automobiles. Jill, and later Kris, drove a Cobra, Kelly drove a Mustang, and Sabrina drove a Pinto. For the record, Bosley drove a Thunderbird. 

 
-When Farrah Fawcett left the series, her absence was explained by having her character Jill become a professional racing driver on the Grand Prix circuit in Europe. Kate Jackson's absence was explained by having Sabrina getting married and starting a family.  

 
-Drew Barrymore owns the screen rights to the series. 

 

Dress for the job you want.

 
-On her first day at the studio, Cheryl Ladd wore a specially designed t-shirt with the phrase, "Farrah Fawcett Minor" as her way of breaking the ice of replacing Farrah Fawcett-Majors.

 
-When Farrah Fawcett left the series, this began a series of lawsuits, in which the producers sued her over breach of contract. However, the suits ended, when Fawcett agreed to make a total of six guest appearances the following two seasons, so she would be let go.  

 

80s Fashion on season 5.

 
-Jill, Kelly, and Sabrina were all former members of the Los Angeles Police Department. Kris worked for the San Francisco police, and Tiffany was with the Boston police. The only Angel who was never a cop was Julie, who was originally a model. 

 
-The house used as the filming location for the Charles Townsend Private Investigations office façade address is: 189 N. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211.  

 

Everyone's favorite Angel.

 
-Kate Jackson was the only Angel to receive an Emmy nomination. In fact, she was nominated two consecutive years, but never won. 
Kate Jackson (Sabrina Duncan) is the only Angel who never wore a bikini or swimsuit in the series.  

 
-This show was in the top ten for its first two seasons: 1976 to 1977 number five, 1977 to 1978 number four, competing in a three way tie with "60 Minutes (1968)" and "All in the Family (1971)." After season three when Kate Jackson was fired, the audience tired of the annual cast changed and ratings dwindled. 

 

Season 2 kicked ass.

 
-Shelley Hack's absence was explained as a result of her character Tiffany Welles' decision to move to the East Coast.  

 
-When the show first started both Farrah Fawcett and Jacklyn Smith were paid $5000 an episode, due to their limited experience as actresses, while the more experienced Kate Jackson was payed $10,000 an episode. Eventually as time went on Smith, who stayed with the show for all five seasons, salary grew so that by the fifth season she was making $75,000 an episode making her one of televisions highest paid stars. In fact only four other stars made more money than Smith that being Carroll O' Connor, Alan Alda, Larry Hagman, and Linda Gray. 

Now let's get into our classic video section:

Season 1 opening:

Season 2 opening:

Season 3 opening:

Season 4 opening:

Season 5 opening: