Appreciating Charlie's Angels

[Spooky Owl!]

It was Kate's way of saying "no" because Kate would not have done it with Cheryl.

That's just Kate. Didn't she blackball Cheryl at the 2006 Emmy tribute to Aaron Spelling?

 

[lbf522]

What a shame there was not a cameo with the original three. No I don't believe that regarding Jill and Charlie. It was probably was her way of saying no.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

It was Kate's way of saying "no" because Kate would not have done it with Cheryl.

That's just Kate. Didn't she blackball Cheryl at the 1996 Emmy tribute to Aaron Spelling?

I didn't realize that there was an issue between the two. Can you elaborate?

 

[Spooky Owl!]

I didn't realize that there was an issue between the two. Can you elaborate?

The bitchy beauty of her Aquarius Rising face. I saw an interview not-too-long ago with Kate with a mid-length mid-'80s hair bob (it was recorded later) and several posters commented that they initially thought it was Victoria Principal.

They make great slappers, though. On screen and off.

Everyone thought Kate didn't like Cheryl, and Kate's never denied it. Perhaps she had her reasons, perhaps not. But anyone like Kate, despite her prickly intelligence, who would self-destructively marry the likes of Andrew Stevens -- an obvious mismatch, to be generous -- is lacking a core sense of self. So no one should have been surprised when he went after her bank account "with a Brink's truck and a broom" (his lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter, telling her not to say such things) during her divorce.

As I stated above, one of her ANGELS producers opined that Kate derived "great pleasure" in her own remoteness (and he wasn't referring to her sense of privacy), while even good buddy, Jaclyn Smith, once said that Kate "can, on occasion, be a bully" which, coming from famously gracious Smith, is the equivalent of calling someone the C-word.

Why did she dislike Cheryl Ladd, such that many days Kate wouldn't even speak to her on the set, including during Cheryl's difficult transition period into the show as the de facto replacement for Farrah Fawcett? Such that even Smith was afraid to be too nice to Cheryl, lest she incur Kate's wrath (silent wrath, I'm guessing)?

We'll never know the subtleties that go on, often non-verbally, between two people. There was probably some nuanced characteristic that Ladd displayed that Kate didn't trust or approve of. Or perhaps Ladd's vulnerability when she was first introduced into the show sparked Kate's primal "bully" instinct, complicated by Kate's possible concern that the show might not work after Fawcett took off.

But I suspect Kate Jackson's biggest dislike was of herself. And perhaps she had reasons to feel that way, too.

 

[ClassyCo]

 

[ClassyCo]

CHARLIE'S ANGELS was a piece of pop culture bubblegum, a international hit that ultimately became a revolving door for replacement Angels as the originals left, or as the replacement needed a replacement.

Season 1 was "The Age of Farrah", or so one commentator calls it, and I'm inclined to agree with that assessment. Farrah was the breakout star, the celebrity, the magazine covergirl that first season. Farrah is my favorite of the original trio, her chemistry eclipsing the other two right off the screen. Even so, I don't like how she got too big for her own good and walked out on a show that made her a household name in 1976.

Kate Jackson was the stability of the first three seasons, the quasi-leader of the Angels. The more level-headed, intelligent one, she was still attractive in a tomboyish-kind-of-way (my dad once said, "She's prettier than I remember" when watching CHARLIE'S ANGELS with my on DVD a few years back). Kate fought for better scripts and finally walked when she felt the show was dipping beyond repair.

Jaclyn Smith was the only original Angel to stay for all five seasons, and for most fans, she's their favorite. I like Jaclyn; she's beautiful and essential to the show, but I feel favorite label bestowed upon her happens by default. The episodes that center on her are usually the most sentimental ones and the ones so heavy-handed that they drag the ground. Still, I like Jaclyn and appreciate her commitment to staying with the show until ABC was done with it.

Cheryl Ladd came aboard during Season 2, the first of the replacements, essentially replacing runaway star Farrah Fawcett. Cheryl was pretty, spunky, and is probably my favorite Angel of them all. She brings a breezy class and humor to the show, and her stand-alone episodes are usually the best quality-wise. She not only filled Farrah's shoes, but made the audience forget about her by finding her own place in the trio.

Once Jackson left, Shelley Hack was brought on for Season 4. The producers cast her because they liked that she had been the Charlie perfume model. She had a nice look, and I felt she fit in nicely with Jaclyn and Cheryl once the producers decided to give her something more to do mid-season. But it was just too late by then. Season 4 suffered from too many solo Angel episodes and Shelley's chances at fitting in were sabotaged by a company just wanting another body in the trio. She was canned just when she was starting to click, even if the fandom wasn't on her side anyway.

For the fifth and final season, Tanya Roberts replaced Shelley. Tanya was intended to bring a more streetwise appeal to the show, but she wasn't even a police academy graduate. Her character was a graduate from a modeling school, and got her police license on a trial basis or some sort of mess. Tanya is my least favorite of the batch, and Season 5 is easily the worst of the series.

CHARLIE'S ANGELS is perhaps best-known today for its trend-setting premise, and for changing cast members more often than not. The changes weren't always successful, unfortunately, and that fact ultimately hurt the series' legacy and credibility.

 

[Spooky Owl!]

Kate Jackson was the stability of the first three seasons, the quasi-leader of the Angels. The more level-headed, intelligent one, she was still attractive in a tomboyish-kind-of-way (my dad once said, "She's prettier than I remember" when watching CHARLIE'S ANGELS with my on DVD a few years back). Kate fought for better scripts and finally walked when she felt the show was dipping beyond repair.

There were other issues with Kate, too: she wanted time off to go on a date with Warren Beatty (allegedly) and to co-star in KRAMER VS. KRAMER (a role that went to Meryl Streep, who got an Oscar for it, her first). Nolan Miller was very critical of Jackson's "neurotic" on-set demeanor, pointing out on an '80s daytime talk show, lovingly holding Linda Evans' hand, that although Jackson seems cute sweet on-screen, "she's .... not."

Kate herself described her exit from ANGELS as an "I-quit/no-you-can't-quit-you're-fired" scenario.

But she's territorial about CHARLIE'S ANGELS, a show she named herself. When Drew Barrymore's reboot movie was released 20-plus years later, Jackson snarked ungenerously on-camera, "But Charlie's Angels aren't in it!!"

Years later, even Kate conceded, "I guess I caused them some problems."

Anyway, the first season was the best -- the frothy blonde Aquarius in the middle, surrounded by the brunette vampire-beauty of those two Scorpios.

I liked Cheryl, and the scandal swirling around Farrah's early exit probably even helped the ratings (it was indeed a huge deal at the time) but the energy of the first year wasn't quite there.

And I could never sit through Hack's blanched blandness or Roberts' down-market charms. CHARLIE'S ANGELS was so lightweight that it required a sparkly vivacity the two final Angels couldn't bring it.

Plus, it was an Aaron Spelling show. Which are always hard to sit through -- especially after the first two or three years.

That said, Kate was probably my favorite. And prettier than sometimes credited.

There were other issues with Kate, too: she wanted time off to go on a date with Warren Beatty (allegedly) and to co-star in KRAMER VS. KRAMER (a role that went to Meryl Streep, who got an Oscar for it, her first). Nolan Miller was very critical of Jackson's "neurotic" on-set demeanor, pointing out on an '80s daytime talk show, lovingly holding Linda Evans' hand, that although Jackson seems cute sweet on-screen, "she's .... not."

Kate was very upset about the KRAMER VS. KRAMER miss out, and I remember Nolan Miller calling her (and Shelley Hack) "fussy" about their wardrobe.

Anyway, the first season was the best -- the frothy blonde Aquarius in the middle, surrounded by the brunette vampire-beauty of those two Scorpios.

I liked Cheryl, and the scandal swirling around Farrah's early exit probably even helped the ratings (it was indeed a huge deal at the time) but the energy of the first year wasn't quite there.

Yes, the first season was the best. The show was a media circus at the time. It exploded and was a pop culture phenomenon.

Cheryl was a very good replacement, but the chemistry and feeling from that first year was never recaptured.

And I could never sit through Hack's blanched blandness or Roberts' down-market charms. CHARLIE'S ANGELS was so lightweight that it required a sparkly vivacity the two final Angels couldn't bring it.

This is a good way to summarize what Hack and Roberts lacked and why they didn't work as an Angel.

 

[Spooky Owl!]

That's just Kate. Didn't she blackball Cheryl at the 1996 Emmy tribute to Aaron Spelling?

Corrected to "2006" --- God!!!

 

[Chris2]

Barney Rosenzweig (who later produced “Cagney and Lacey“ to critical acclaim) said he wanted to fire the makeup people when he first came aboard “Charlie’s Angels” because he felt that Kate Jackson was beautiful in real life and that wasn’t coming across on screen. But he found out that was Kate’s choice - she wasn’t interested in makeup and fashion the way the other Angels were.

Kate was fired. In those days, actors who were series regulars on TV shows were signed to 5 or 7 year contracts. They didn’t walk away unless the producers wanted them to go. Or unless they never signed a valid contract to begin with, such as Farrah or Wayne Rogers on MASH.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

CHARLIE'S ANGELS was a piece of pop culture bubblegum, a international hit that ultimately became a revolving door for replacement Angels as the originals left, or as the replacement needed a replacement.

Season 1 was "The Age of Farrah", or so one commentator calls it, and I'm inclined to agree with that assessment. Farrah was the breakout star, the celebrity, the magazine covergirl that first season. Farrah is my favorite of the original trio, her chemistry eclipsing the other two right off the screen. Even so, I don't like how she got too big for her own good and walked out on a show that made her a household name in 1976.

Kate Jackson was the stability of the first three seasons, the quasi-leader of the Angels. The more level-headed, intelligent one, she was still attractive in a tomboyish-kind-of-way (my dad once said, "She's prettier than I remember" when watching CHARLIE'S ANGELS with my on DVD a few years back). Kate fought for better scripts and finally walked when she felt the show was dipping beyond repair.

Jaclyn Smith was the only original Angel to stay for all five seasons, and for most fans, she's their favorite. I like Jaclyn; she's beautiful and essential to the show, but I feel favorite label bestowed upon her happens by default. The episodes that center on her are usually the most sentimental ones and the ones so heavy-handed that they drag the ground. Still, I like Jaclyn and appreciate her commitment to staying with the show until ABC was done with it.

Cheryl Ladd came aboard during Season 2, the first of the replacements, essentially replacing runaway star Farrah Fawcett. Cheryl was pretty, spunky, and is probably my favorite Angel of them all. She brings a breezy class and humor to the show, and her stand-alone episodes are usually the best quality-wise. She not only filled Farrah's shoes, but made the audience forget about her by finding her own place in the trio.

Once Jackson left, Shelley Hack was brought on for Season 4. The producers cast her because they liked that she had been the Charlie perfume model. She had a nice look, and I felt she fit in nicely with Jaclyn and Cheryl once the producers decided to give her something more to do mid-season. But it was just too late by then. Season 4 suffered from too many solo Angel episodes and Shelley's chances at fitting in were sabotaged by a company just wanting another body in the trio. She was canned just when she was starting to click, even if the fandom wasn't on her side anyway.

For the fifth and final season, Tanya Roberts replaced Shelley. Tanya was intended to bring a more streetwise appeal to the show, but she wasn't even a police academy graduate. Her character was a graduate from a modeling school, and got her police license on a trial basis or some sort of mess. Tanya is my least favorite of the batch, and Season 5 is easily the worst of the series.

CHARLIE'S ANGELS is perhaps best-known today for its trend-setting premise, and for changing cast members more often than not. The changes weren't always successful, unfortunately, and that fact ultimately hurt the series' legacy and credibility.

Good post!

I thought season 1 was really enjoyable, seasons 2 and 3 more good than not, season 4 was inconsistent at best, season 5 was the nadir.
Not really Tanya Roberts fault, the series had just run its course

 

[ClassyCo]

Good post!

Thank you!

I thought season 1 was really enjoyable

Season 1 is the best season and my favorite season. The energy was high, there's the newness of it all, and the balance between the original Angelic trio was crisp and level. Kate, Farrah, and Jaclyn really seemed like close friends that actually enjoyed hanging out with each other outside of their job.

seasons 2 and 3 more good than not

There are some very good episodes during Seasons 2 and 3. I really like the first handful of episodes of the second season, especially the pageant one where Kris masquerades as a Southern belle contestant.

Cheryl was a very good replacement for Farrah, even if her sequel presence lacks some of the sparkle of the original. She was a just successor, and fit into the trio well. The on-screen relationship between the three Angels is more or less the same as it was in Season 1, even if Kate and Cheryl never got along and Jaclyn was left torn in the middle.

season 4 was inconsistent at best

Season 4 has some pretty good episodes in it. I like the ones where Kris and Tiffany are truckers, and when Tiffany is haunted by dreams of a dark-haired lady at her friend's house. That episode has a masquerade party towards the end where Kelly dresses up like Scarlett O'Hara.

Shelley Hack was treated unfairly, which Cheryl Ladd admits on multiple occasions; Jaclyn Smith less directly. I thought Tiffany was a serviceable replacement for Sabrina, but I found the biggest error during Season 4 to be the producers' decision to do so many "Angel in the field alone" episodes where one Angel carried the bulk of the episode and the other two were just there in the background.

season 5 was the nadir.

Season 5 is, by far, the worst of the show. Tanya Roberts was just brought on too late, but she shouldn't have been hired anyway. The writers should've just salvaged what they had with Shelley Hack, since things had gotten better towards the end of Season 4.

There's a bulk of Hawaii episodes at the beginning, Angela Channing does a guest spot, and I like the hotline episode where the villain is a crossdresser.

 

[Chris2]

Tiffany was better than Julie, but both of those characters were poorly conceived and cast. The great thing about the angels from the first three seasons was that they all had an Everyman quality, even though they were more beautiful than anyone you’d know in real life. You wanted to be friends with them and hang out with them. Tiffany wasn’t like that - she was kind of a stiff and you couldn’t imagine being friends with her. Same with Julie.

 

[ClassyCo]

Tiffany was better than Julie, but both of those characters were poorly conceived and cast. The great thing about the angels from the first three seasons was that they all had an Everyman quality, even though they were more beautiful than anyone you’d know in real life. You wanted to be friends with them and hang out with them. Tiffany wasn’t like that - she was kind of a stiff and you couldn’t imagine being friends with her. Same with Julie.

Interesting perspective you have here. There was a everyman quality to the Kate, Farrah, Jaclyn, and Cheryl that made them seem nice and inviting.

Shelley seems a little standoffish, and to me, Tanya just seems dumb.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Tiffany was better than Julie, but both of those characters were poorly conceived and cast. The great thing about the angels from the first three seasons was that they all had an Everyman quality, even though they were more beautiful than anyone you’d know in real life. You wanted to be friends with them and hang out with them. Tiffany wasn’t like that - she was kind of a stiff and you couldn’t imagine being friends with her. Same with Julie.

I thought that the ideas of the character of Tiffany (old eastern refined ice queen) and Julie (street smart/checkered past)
were good ones, but it did not translate in the writing/directing

Interestingly, at least to me, Kelly Garrett was supposed to be a more streetwise character according to Jaclyn Smith, from what I understand
The dialogue didn't fit and Kelly was reworked to be more consistent with JSmith's personality
In that regard, Julie may be a reinvented Kelly Garrett
I thought about the pilot. I had a theory that Charlie was Kelly Garrett's father - Kelly didn't know her father, and
she was recruited, I think

 

[Gore-a Avery-Sumner]

I had a theory that Charlie was Kelly Garrett's father - Kelly didn't know her father, and
she was recruited, I think

Okay then I'm not the only one! Kelly was an orphan so I always imagined that Charlie kept tabs on her while growing up and when she showed interest in police work, he created The Townsend Agency to employ her. It just always seemed that it would be revealed. When Jaclyn Smith showed up in the Charlie's Angels movie as running Townshend, it just proved it to me.

 

[ClassyCo]

Interestingly, at least to me, Kelly Garrett was supposed to be a more streetwise character according to Jaclyn Smith, from what I understand

Yeah, after the first couple of episodes, Kelly is given a soft reboot. Originally intended as the streetwise Angel in the trio, the producers eventually decided to highlight the vulnerability of Jaclyn Smith instead.

In that regard, Julie may be a reinvented Kelly Garrett

I've thought about this myself. Tanya Roberts was hired to be the Angel from the streets who is brash and tough-as-nails. Even so, I still don't like her on the show.

 

[Spooky Owl!]

ANGELS ran on a simple formula: two girls are vivacious with Sabrina the bitch at the center.

Tiffany and Julie couldn't supply or maintain that.

 

[ClassyCo]

I am honestly a little stunned that the Season 4 trio of Kelly, Kris, and Tiffany has, of this post, three individual votes. Tiffany routinely placed last in fan site popularity polls, leading a reviewer on DVD Talk (or one of those websites) to say she was "the least popular Angel ever".

I must admit that I originally rode the "Let's Hate Tiffany" bandwagon, but my opinion has improved over time. The fandom overall has changed their attitude towards Shelley Hack and her character Tiffany Welles over the years. In some cases, the support for Tiffany has saw her ranking high in popularity polls, besting Kate Jackson and Tanya Roberts, and sometimes even Farrah.

Either way, I don't despise Tiffany the way some might. Is she the best Angel? Of course she isn't. But she was given a raw deal that did her no favors.

And Season 4 actually has some of my favorite episodes that I remember most often when I want to watch the show.

 

[Spooky Owl!]

Funny, I just never thought of CHARLIE'S ANGELS as having characters.

 

[ClassyCo]

Funny, I just never thought of CHARLIE'S ANGELS as having characters.

Well, I suppose saying CHARLIE'S ANGELS had "characters" is something of a stretch, but they did at least give their on-screen personas different names than what they have in reality.