closeups of Shelley Hack and Farrah Fawcett
from the cover of Gossip, June 1980
Supermodel and Charlie Girl Shelley Hack joined the cast of Charlie's Angels in 1979, as Kate Jackson's replacement, during its 4th season; and her casting brought renewed interest in the series. The series had slipped significantly in the Nielsen ratings the year before - from #4 in 1977 to #12 in 1978 (a huge eight-point drop) - and it needed a publicity boost to bring it back into TV's top ten shows. "We're bringing back the glamour," proclaimed executive producer Aaron Spelling of Charlie's latest detective trio. And Shelley's debut episode "Love Boat Angels" topped the Nielsen ratings the week it was aired. When asked whether she liked being a TV star, Shelley said, "Yes. I've got two parking spaces with my name on them. It's wonderful." And Shelley was featured on countless magazines all over the world.
a writeup about Shelley and Farrah
from Gossip magazine, June 1980
But early on (except on the first two episodes of the 4th season) Shelley wasn't given much to say or do. Furthermore, the "solo" episodes of Jaclyn and Cheryl were aired early in the season (Due to the request of the cast for more time off, "solo" episodes, episodes focusing on one Angel, were produced.) Shelley's first "solo" episode, "Angels on Campus," was the 10th original episode of the season and was aired on the 12th week. After all that hype upon the announcement of her Angel-dom, Shelley Hack was sadly reduced to mere decoration early in the season. This prompted the writers to play up Shelley's role, but it was too late (Surprisingly, she did very well in these later episodes; but, unfortunately, many viewers had lost interest in the show). Farrah Fawcett was on the second and final year of her contractual return to the TV series; but her her presence did little to help pull up the ratings as well. The Result: Shelley was let go at the end of the season. "They can say I didn't work out, but it isn't true. What happened was a network war. A business decision was made. Change the time slot or bring in some publicity. How to get publicity? A new Angel hunt. Who is the obvious person to replace? I am — the new kid on the block," Shelley told People magazine in 1980. (FYI: In spite of everything, the 4th season of Charlie's Angels still finished within TV's top 20 shows of 1979.)
a writeup about Shelley and Farrah
from Gossip magazine, June 1980
