Charlie's Angels

"Once upon a time there were three little girls

who went to the police academy... and they were
each assigned very hazardous duties. But I took
them away from all that and now they work for me.
My name is Charlie..."

One of my favorite TV shows of all time is Charlie's Angels.

Charlie's Angels aired on ABC from 1976 to 1981. The first program of its kind to showcase an all-female leading cast, Charlie's Angels also ushered in the era of "jiggle TV". Though a smash success from the beginning, critics and feminists ripped it apart, comparing the often scantily-clad girls to glammed-up prostitutes, with the elusive Charlie as their pimp.

The original cast featured Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Jaclyn Smith as smart and sexy private detectives. The girls would become media icons: their faces (and bodies) were plastered on magazine covers, posters, lunch boxes and loads of other toys and related merchandise.

Farrah Fawcett's stint on the show lasted only one season, while Kate Jackson left after the third. Cheryl Ladd successfully picked up where Fawcett left off (she became one of Charlie's most popular angels), but Jackson's departure proved to be the beginning of the end of the series...

Whether Charlie's Angels ultimately helped or hurt female portrayals on TV remains debatable. But as pure camp, the show is a cult classic.

As Charlie, himself, would say: "Good work, Angels"...

images: (1) image montage by author
(2-3) charliesangels.gr
(4) libreopinion.com