Shelley became a superstar in 1979 after being cast in the worldwide phenomenon Charlie's Angels. And like all the Angels before and after her, she garnered a lot of media attention... even after leaving the hit series. Shelley was a visible presence in the Hollywood scene beginning in the 1980s and was photographed by the paparazzi at various events. She was also a busy actress in the 1980s. She conquered stage, receiving glowing reviews for her work on Jack Heifner's Vanities, Elizabeth Diggs's Close Ties and Garson Kanin’s Born Yesterday. On the big screen, she impressed critics for her work on Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy and Joseph Ruben's The Stepfather. On TV, she delivered notable performances opposite acting veterans George Segal (Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer), Dick Van Dyke and Sid Caesar (Found Money). And she lead the cast in two TV series, Cutter to Houston and Jack and Mike, which were well-received by most critics but were both short-lived.
