Shelley joined the cast of Charlie's Angels in 1979. In May of that year, she was chosen by producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg to replace Kate Jackson in the hit TV series. Spelling and Goldberg were looking for someone long and lean like Kate. They were looking for a girl with "the right bubble and intelligence." The new Angel, Tiffany Welles, was written as a Smith College graduate, a girl from the East who was not a voluptuous sexpot... and Shelley fit the bill perfectly. Plus, she came with the approval of her future co-Angels Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd. Jaclyn said, "I feel good about her. I think the three of us are going to get along great." Cheryl said, "Shelley seems like a terrific girl. I think she's good and I'll do everything I can to make her feel at home." In fact, Shelley said that her fondest memory of Charlie's Angels was the first time she met Jaclyn and Cheryl. Both of them were so nice to her.
