Charlie's Angels entered its 4th season in 1979 when Shelley joined the cast as Angel no. 5 Tiffany Welles. During that season, there were rumors that Jaclyn Smith herself was ready to leave the show as well, following the footsteps of Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson. It was reported that she told US magazine, "If Shelley goes over with the viewers this year, there's no reason why I couldn't leave after this season." Another writeup reported that Jackie said, "Then next year, a replacement for me would be found and viewers again would have the opportunity of seeing a new face. I'd readily agree to return for a couple of shows next year." Like Kate, it seems Jackie had been turning down roles in movies (like the Bond film Moonraker) due to her Charlie's Angels work schedule.
If Jackie did leave and Tanya Roberts was cast as her replacement, what would have season 5 been like? The new team would have been a fresh new start for the series with cute girl-next-door Kris Munroe, classy intellectual Tiffany Welles and the wild street-smart Julie Rogers now catching the bad guys. The interaction between them would have been interesting. (In fact, it probably would have been reminiscent of the first season team with the smart no-nonsense Sabrina Duncan, the sporty California girl Jill Munroe and the sultry mysterious Kelly Garrett.) The chemistry between Cheryl and Shelley was apparent in the "Angels Go Truckin'" episode; and the addition of Tanya to the mix as the new streetwise Angel would have brought a fresh new energy to this Angel team. What would opening credits have looked like? What if Julie was a police officer from New York instead? Maybe something like this?
an imagined opening credits for Charlie's Angels season 5, 1980
Cheryl, Shelley and Tanya have been called the replacement Angels as they were cast in subsequent seasons after the show's debut in 1976 (after a spot on the Townsend Agency had been vacated); but they are full-fledged Charlie's Angels as well, just like Kate, Farrah and Jackie. They too were hand-picked and approved by producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg to become part of the show. Spelling/Goldberg thought they were beautiful, had talent and had their unique brand of star quality to bring into their show. In other words, they were all Angel material as well.
