After leaving Charlie's Angels in 1980, Shelley was slowly gaining recognition as an actress. She received praise for her work on stage, screen and television, taking everyone by surprise. She had talent and was gaining credibility as an actress. In 1983, she landed a lead role in another TV series, Cutter to Houston. Shelley costarred with Jim Metzler and Alec Baldwin. They played city-trained doctors relegated to a small town clinic in Cutter miles away from a huge hospital in Houston. But in the era when nighttime soaps like Dallas and Dynasty reigned supreme, the series had a hard time finding an audience. After just three months, it was cancelled and although Shelley had gained huge strides and recognition for her acting, she was somehow in the position where she had to prove herself acting-wise again. But in other parts of the world, she always had fans. Cutter to Houston was aired in Germany in 1988 and was a success. Unfortunately, the short run of the series left fans wanting more.
