It’s celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, but did you know Charlie’s Angels almost never happened?
Studio executives threatened to clip the show’s wings before it had a chance to soar.
“They thought it was a fluke, that it didn’t have endurance,” star Jaclyn Smith recalled last week at a 50th anniversary event, where she reunited with fellow Angels Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd.
“They thought these women in men’s roles, it wasn’t going to work.”
The pilot, produced by Leonard Goldberg and Aaron Spelling, made its debut in March 1976.
Based around three female private crime fighters and their anonymous millionaire boss, Charlie, the pilot got enormous ratings.
Still, America’s ABC Network was so convinced the show was a dud that they repeated the pilot a week later. The numbers were hot again, and the series was finally given the green light.
Originally, the show was to be called Alley Cats after the three female characters – Allison, Lee, and Catherine. It was to be a star vehicle for Kate, who had been creatively involved in the concept from an early stage.
After seeing a painting of cherubs in Aaron’s office, she had the idea of calling the characters ‘Angels’. And so, Charlie’s Angels was born.
Kate was cast to play Sabrina Duncan, alongside Jaclyn as Kelly Garrett and Farrah Fawcett as Jill Munroe.
Charlie’s Angels made its proper TV debut on September 22, 1976, and ran for five seasons. Quickly, all three Angels were in demand in magazines and on posters.
“These three women were not only breaking the ceiling being three leads on their own show, but they were number one in the ratings … It was just lightning in a bottle,” says Mike Pingel, Farrah’s former assistant.
Of course, the producers shamelessly exploited their sexuality, dressing the characters in skimpy bikinis or as beauty contestants.
“When the show was number three, I figured it was our acting,” Farrah recalled. “When it got to number one, I decided it could only be because none of us wears a bra.”
While the show was developed for Kate, it was Farrah who became an instant star – and a lot of that came down to one photograph.
Farrah’s manager Jay Bernstein had an idea for a swimsuit poster featuring his client in a red one-piece. The poster was released the same year as Charlie’s Angels premiered and went on to sell a record-breaking 12 million copies!
During the 50th festivities, Kate acknowledged that Farrah’s poster had a huge role in changing the show’s trajectory.
She told People, “Overnight, we were hailed with something akin to ‘rock-star fame’.” Farrah’s hairstyle also became iconic worldwide, being dubbed ‘the Farrah flip’.
Despite all this, Farrah decided she’d had enough of the 14-hour days on set and quit the show after just one season. Jay Bernstein says it was Farrah’s “very old-fashioned” then-husband, Lee Majors, who wanted her to quit.
ABC took her to court. The case was eventually settled after Farrah agreed to make six guest appearances for the next two seasons. She was replaced by Cheryl Ladd, who was cast as Jill’s younger sister Kris.
Cheryl, 74, was initially reluctant to accept Aaron Spelling’s offer. She had no desire to replace Farrah. However, after some coaxing, she accepted.
Together, she, Jaclyn and Kate took Charlie’s Angels to the next level.
The trio’s reunion at the PaleyFest on April 7 was a rare public outing for Kate, 77.
She effectively retired from acting in 2007 and retreated from the public eye to focus on her mother. Although, on the red carpet she teased she is ready to make a comeback after a 20-year hiatus!
Kate was the second Angel to hand in her wings, departing after the third season.
She was unhappy about having to turn down the female lead in Kramer vs. Kramer because the show’s bosses refused to rework her schedule. Meryl Streep later won an Oscar for the role.
Shelley Hack was hired as Kate’s replacement, playing Tiffany Welles. After an initial spark in ratings, the numbers continued to decline. Shelley, now 78, was eventually dropped.
“They can say I didn’t work out, but that isn’t true,” she told People magazine.
The show’s final line-up saw Tanya Roberts joining Jaclyn and Cheryl as Angel Julie Rogers. However, the network cancelled the show in 1981.
That wasn’t the end, though. In 2000, Charlie’s Angels was resurrected into a movie starring Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore.
John Forsythe, who voiced Charlie in the original series, reprised his role. The film was a box-office smash and naturally a sequel followed. Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle was released in 2003, with Jaclyn appearing in a cameo role.
While the movies were a success, a reboot of the TV show in 2011 was canned after just four episodes.
Aussie actress Rachael Taylor, Minka Kelly and Annie Ilonzeh were cast as the Angels. In 2019, another movie iteration was made, this time with Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska as the new crime-fighting trio.
Now, 50 years on since the Angels entered the public consciousness, another movie is said to be in the works, potentially with the original 2000s trio returning.
Looking back at the series’ enduring legacy, Jaclyn, 80, says what she values most is her bond with her fellow Angels, as “sisterhood was the heartbeat of our show”.
