Charlie's Angels (The Original Series) (1 Viewer)

[jimmyjet]

i never watched scarecrow - but that came after angels, correct ?

 

[jimmyjet]

an interesting clip of battle of the network stars - centering around cheryl ladd.

 

[Carabimero]

I tried to watch a Charlie's Angels the other day and for me personally, it just didn't hold up to me becoming an adult. It's a rare show I loved as a kid that I find unwatchable as an adult.

 

[younger1968]

I watched Charlie's Angels's Angels in Chains the other night and did not realize that Kim Basinger was actually in the episode. It is neat to look back and the old shows and see some of the guess stars

I also decided to give S4 another shot as it was the one with Shelly Hack. Shelly Hack acting was ok as one of the episodes she was feature as the main character. Shelly Hack's line were very limited in many of episodes as the plots of the episodes really revolved around both Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith.

 

[jimmyjet]

I tried to watch a Charlie's Angels the other day and for me personally, it just didn't hold up to me becoming an adult. It's a rare show I loved as a kid that I find unwatchable as an adult.

i dont think it was ever thought of as being a good show, or good acting. it was more of a "baywatch" type of show - if you show enough pretty girls, at least the guys will tune in !!

 

[moviebuff75]

That opening sequence from the first season really excited me back in the day. The music, narration, and poses from the angels in the clips.....Great stuff.

 

[younger1968]

That opening sequence from the first season really excited me back in the day. The music, narration, and poses from the angels in the clips.....Great stuff.

Yes, the opening sequence in S1 one was great. I recently watched the pilot again and it was neat seeing the angels being called into work. People can knock the show for being a bit cheesy, but at the time it was the only police drama that had females as lead (ex Police Woman) as such was going into uncharted territory. The show emphasis the beauty of the angels, but it also show how smart many of the angels were at getting information and solving the cases. It also led like many shows to action figures, posters, trading cards, etc. So, the show did something right at the time. We can say things are cheesy now, but the reality is that many of us watched the angels each week!

The problem is Charlie's Angels probably should have ended after S3 as the last two season out fairness lost at lot of its zest. Changing angels in S4 and S5 did not help the ratings and that was also the problem! Where good episodes? Yes, there were good episodes, but they were few and far between!

 

[HenryDuBrow]

The show is very cheesy indeed, like a lot of Spelling stuff, but it's the mid/late '70s and these type of less serious crime shows were becoming popular and the norm. Let's not forget, the network cancelled a true gem like Harry O in favor of more gloss. The centering around stories of assuming new identities, I think remains the strongest aspect of the Angels series, that's always been a win-win concept in my book.

 

[Neil Brock]

i dont think it was ever thought of as being a good show, or good acting. it was more of a "baywatch" type of show - if you show enough pretty girls, at least the guys will tune in !!

Have to agree on this point. The plots were pretty simplistic. Only reason I watched was that I loved Kate Jackson from The Rookies and I'd pretty much watch anything that she was in. Farrah had been around for years but no one really knew who she was until this show. Not a Jaclyn Smith fan, neither of her looks or acting. Many shows are very much of their time, especially 70s shows, and this is definitely one of them.

 

[Ron Lee Green]

I think the show had a unique premise at the time.
Was there ever a detective series before it that had THREE, gorgeous young woman in the lead roles?
The plots took a backseat, but people didn't tune in for the stories.
The emphasis was on the girls and how to put them in dangerous situations while still looking fabulous with every hair in place.
In recent years, whenever someone does an entertainment story or documentary on the show, they always point out how the angels were role models in a way because they were not your typical housewife, secretary or nurse characters.
Anyway, its a part of my childhood, and I had some of my first crushes on those girls. I had the posters, notebooks, and trading cards. They were on the cover of all the movie magazines just like Kim Kardashian is now.
We were bombarded and I drank the kool-aid.
Maybe its just a generational thing.

 

[Carabimero]

I'm sure if I watched the series again I could get back into some of the fun stuff, like them never seeing Charlie, etc. The premise was good and the opening was terrific. I had it bad for Smith. But there are too many classic shows that I actually enjoy, minute for minute, and my years are running out...

 

[jimmyjet]

for sure, some shows dont last for us - but they never were designed to do so.

if we had been a generation older at the time they were released, we probably would not have thought they were any good.

i think it is much more about us changing as we get older, as opposed to the show being dated, etc.

i think there are quite a few shows that i could enjoy, an episode here and there, but mainly because of sentimentality.

 

[Kasey]

I think poor writing on Charlie's Angels doomed it to cheese status. Had the producers listened to Barney Rosenzweig (who penned some clever scripts the first year) and didn't dumb-down the series for the kiddies in Season Two, it would hold up much better today. Season One had some of the same grit as Starsky & Hutch, etc. When Cheryl Ladd joined and the timeslot changed they toned down the murders and violence and it became more cartoonish. I didn't care for the farcical episodes like Pretty Angels All in a Row.

 

[Tooncy]

Trivia quiz! (NO cheating!)A famous comedienne campaigned to replace Kate Jackson on the show. Who was it? Hint: It would have made for a crazy change to the show!

 

[Ron1973]

I finally dug into my Charlie's Angels DVD's. I just finished S1 and I have mixed feelings on it.

#1, it just doesn't seem as good as I remember even though I really liked it when I caught in syndication a few years ago. If anything, the 1st part of S1 was really good while it seemed to tail off towards the end of S1. I'll see shortly how I like S2 and beyond.

#2, oh my gosh, I SOOO love Kate Jackson! Forget her Scarecrow and Mrs. King character, I sooo love her. She's so stinkin' cute!!! Of course I like the intellectual type in real life anyway and she has the natural looks and the intelligence to boot. There wasn't any need to flaunt what she had; it came natural.

I wish this was streaming in HD on Netflix. I remember seeing them in HD on Universal HD a few years back and they looked stunning; crisp color, totally restored. The DVD's leave a lot to be desired in my opinion. They're not terrible I guess but I've gotten spoiled to the treatment the Universal property shows (yes, I know it isn't Universal) have gotten on Netflix streaming in HD and the recent CBS release of The Beverly Hillbillies. I guess for $30 I can't complain too much, though, as it works out only to be $6 a season.

 

[Tooncy]

The first and last seasons were by far the worst if you ask me. Season two is probably the best, although it's not without a few duds.

 

[Ron1973]

The first and last seasons were by far the worst if you ask me. Season two is probably the best, although it's not without a few duds.

I'm up to E5 of S2 and it's a LOT better so far. I like Kris much better than Jill; I actually have class with a woman who looks almost like Kris. To have Phil Silvers and Jim Backus as guest stars on the 2-parter "Angels on Ice" was worth the price of admission alone. S2 seems to be better quality wise than S1 was on picture quality and the menus look more professional.

 

[Tooncy]

Season one has almost a grindhouse look compared to season two.

 

[Ron1973]

Season one has almost a grindhouse look compared to season two.

S2 is VERY tame compared to S1 thus far

 

[revgen]

I wish this was streaming in HD on Netflix. I remember seeing them in HD on Universal HD a few years back and they looked stunning; crisp color, totally restored.

Me too. They are airing on COZI (an NBC/Universal station) in widescreen, but it doesn't look HD to me.