Happy 50th Anniversary to
C H A R L I E ' S A N G E L S !!!
The cast of Charlie's Angels TOS (1976 to 1981)
Kate Jackson as Sabrina Blaylock Duncan
Farrah Fawcett (then Majors) as Jill Munroe
Jaclyn Smith as Kelly Garrett
Cheryl Ladd as Kristine "Kris" Munroe
Shelley Hack as Tiffany Welles
Tanya Roberts as Julie Rogers
Happy 50th Anniversary to the groundbreaking, the biggest and the most successful TV series that came out of the 1970s, Charlie's Angels TOS (The Original Series). The pilot was aired on March 21, 1976; and it premiered as a TV series on September 22, 1976. Produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions (by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg), the series was a phenomenon of the 1970s and it starred six women as the Angels: Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd, Shelley Hack and Tanya Roberts. David Doyle played John Bosley, Charlie's associate and the Angels' link to Charlie; and John Forsythe did the voice of Charles "Charlie" Townsend, the Angels' and Bosley's big boss (he was not credited for his role to add mystery to the character). The series aired for five seasons, and it ranked among TV's Top 20 shows for four seasons before dropping to 59th place in season 5 (which was most likely due to the continuous timeslot changes made by the network throughout the season). The final episode was aired in June 24, 1981. But interest in the show and the Angels themselves continued and grew, as the series went into syndication and garnered even more fans. And now, it is regarded as the most iconic show to ever come out of the 1970s. It inspired, delighted and entertained generations of women as well as men.
The cast of Angels '88 (1988)
Karen Kopins as Trisha Lawrence
Claire Yarlett as Connie Bates
Sandra Canning as Pam Ryan
Téa Leoni as Bernie Colter
Charlie's Angels was such a huge hit that Aaron Spelling couldn't help but reboot the series. In 1988, Spelling decided to update the series and come up with a new set of women to play the Angels. Auditions were held and four women were cast in the new series called Angels '88. Karen Kopins, Claire Yarlett, Sandra Canning, and Téa Leoni were set to play the Angels of the 1980s. The updates took into consideration the big steps the women's movement had made at the time... making the Angels work for themselves instead of working for an unseen boss and no Bosley for back up. The new Angels were introduced by Spelling himself at a press conference held at the FOX Television Center in Hollywood, California, on May 5, 1988. But a writer's strike severely delayed the production, and after being renamed Angels '89, the project was finally shelved. The cast organized a Fallen Angels party to commemorate the show's demise. This Angels iteration was never actually filmed and never had a script, so it could always be reimagined as a continuation of the original series. Maybe an AI version could be produced. It could bridge the gap between the end of TOS and Charlie's Angels the 2000 movie.
The cast of Charlie's Angels the movies (2000, 2003)
Cameron Diaz as Natalie Cook
Drew Barrymore as Dylan Sanders/Helen Zaas
Lucy Liu as Alex Munday
Demi Moore as Madison Lee
In 2000, plans to reboot Charlie's Angels was again on the table. This time, Drew Barrymore and Leonard Goldberg wanted to bring it to the big screen as a big budget action movie simply called Charlie's Angels. Drew Barrymore agreed to play one of the new Angels and convinced Cameron Diaz to play the second Angel. The search for the third Angel found Lucy Liu, chosen for her good chemistry with Drew and Cameron. Bill Murray played John Bosley. With Drew being an advocate for gun control, firearms were a no-no for these Angels; so, the three women underwent martial arts training prior to filming. The film, directed by music-video director McG, was such a huge blockbuster that a sequel was made in 2003 called Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Drew convinced Demi Moore to join the cast as Madison Lee, a former Angel turned villain. She also asked Jaclyn Smith to reprise her role as Kelly Garrett in a surprise cameo in the film. Bernie Mac was introduced as Jimmy Bosley. Again, the sequel was a blockbuster.
The cast of Charlie's Angels (2011)
Annie Ilonzeh as Kate Prince
Minka Kelly as Eve French
Rachael Taylor as Abby Sampson
Nadine Velazquez as Gloria Martinez
In 2011, Charlie's Angels was rebooted as a TV series once again by Drew Barrymore and Leonard Goldberg. Dubbed Charlie's Angels 2011, the series introduced audiences to a new set of Angels played by: Annie Ilonzeh, Minka Kelly and Rachael Taylor. A fourth Angel was introduced as well (played by Nadine Velazquez) but was killed in the first act of the first episode... making her the Angel with the shortest screen time. Ramón Rodríguez played Juan Bosley. The setting was moved to Miami, Florida, and the tone was more serious than the previous Angel iterations. Nevertheless, the Angels had good chemistry and were fun to watch in action. Storylines were carried through various episodes and the characters were slowly developed as the series went on... with the introduction of Kate's former fiancé and Abby's father. But just as the series was getting interesting, it was abruptly canceled.
The cast of Charlie's Angels (2019)
Kristen Stewart as Sabina Wilson
Naomi Scott as Elena Houghlin
Ella Balinska as Jane Kano
Elizabeth Banks as former Angel Rebekah/Susan Bosley
In 2019, a new Charlie's Angels movie was released. It was directed, written and produced by Elizabeth Banks who starred in it as well. The movie introduced audiences to four new Angels played by: Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska and Elizabeth Banks herself. The movie further developed the Charlie's Angels premise, turning the Townsend Agency into a global entity with branches and operatives in different countries. "Bosley" was turned into a position within the organization (somewhat like lieutenant) which was now held by various people. The role of John Bosley, David Doyle's character, was reprised by Patrick Stewart. An Angels training facility was also introduced in the film. The new Angels and their female Bosley (played by Banks, who was also a former Angel) had great chemistry and it made the film a good watch. It was well-paced and fun; but, unfortunately, it wasn't a blockbuster. Tweaks here and there would have made the film better though. Sabina (Stewart), Jane (Balinska) and Rebekah (Banks) would have made a great Angels team for this film, with Rebekah working on her last mission before being promoted to "Bosley"... as Elena Houghlin (Scott) was actually their client and not yet an Angel. Patrick Stewart would have been better as Bosley 002, the successor of Bosley 001 (David Doyle's character) and, for continuity within the franchise, the Bosley of the ill-fated Angels '88 (which was never filmed, so it could be reimagined as a continuation of TOS). This would have kept the original Bosley character's good name intact. And to balance the hyper feminist tone, maybe a female villain would have been a better choice. The mid-credits montage where Elena undergoes rigorous Angel training would have been great if she was trained by the many former Angels from the various Angels iterations throughout the decades.
the many Angels
throughout the decades
In February of 2026, it was reported that a new Charlie's Angels reboot is in the works and is in early development, with Drew Barrymore's Flower Films involved in again producing the film with Sony. Pete Chiarelli, the screenwriter behind hits like Crazy Rich Asians and The Proposal, has been tapped to write the script. The film hasn't yet been cast but rumors that Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu might appear in the film. But wouldn't it be great if the previous Angels from the various iterations appeared in this one? The living TOS Angels, the Angels from 1988, 2000, 2011 and 2019... wouldn't it be phenomenal to see them all in one movie? Let's see what this one adds to the Angels franchise.
