Monday, October 31, 2022

Forever Angels

a closeup of Shelley from a promo pic from 1980

Charlie's Angels is an unforgettable and groundbreaking TV series that aired from 1976 to 1981. The premise was simple - three beautiful women working as detectives for a millionaire recluse named Charles Townsend. They got their assignments via speaker phone and weren't allowed any face time with the boss for his protection as well as their own. The series broke new ground because aside from having women as leads (a first for TV), it portrayed women as buddies, helping each other through jams and having each other's backs. It portrayed women as independent, liberated and capable of taking care of themselves without the help of men - which was perfect for the time when women's lib was at its peak. Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett (then Majors) and Jaclyn Smith played the first ever team of Angels in season 1. Cheryl Ladd, Shelley Hack and Tanya Roberts followed suit in seasons 2, 4 and 5 respectively. The series was a phenomenal hit around the world, and all the women leads will forever be remembered as TV's beloved crime-fighting Angels.

Shelley with Tanya Roberts, Cheryl Ladd
and Jaclyn Smith in a spread from the Japanese
fan magazine Roadshow, October 1980