ABC’s Classic Action Series Is Quietly Finding Redemption on Streaming 50 Years Later
Charlie's Angels, the 1970s ABC series long dismissed as "jiggle TV," is finding fresh appreciation nearly 50 years after its debut, having recently climbed into the Top 10 on the Apple TV store. The show was frequently lumped in with the disparaging genre label coined by an NBC executive to describe programmes featuring attractive young stars in skimpy clothing running about, a tag that also stuck to series such as The Love Boat and Three's Company. Its renewed popularity on streaming suggests audiences are reassessing the show beyond that reductive framing, recognising it instead for its blend of detective drama and strong female leads.
Produced by Leonard Goldberg, Charlie's Angels combined elements of the British spy series The Avengers with the female-led detective show Honey West, following three women who received assignments from an unseen man over speakerphone. Kate Jackson was cast first and helped shape the show, including suggesting the "Angels" name, before Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith joined as Jill Monroe and Kelly Garrett respectively. Fawcett left after just one season and was replaced by Cheryl Ladd as Kris Munroe, who remained for the remainder of the series' run.
- Charlie's Angels has re-entered Apple TV's Top 10 chart decades later
- The 1970s show was once dismissively labelled "jiggle TV"
- Producer Leonard Goldberg blended spy and detective genres to create it
New here? Start with this
Charlie's Angels was an ABC television series that first aired in 1976, following three women working as private detectives for an unseen boss named Charlie, who gave them instructions by speakerphone. It mixed the stylish spy-drama feel of the British series The Avengers with the female-led detective format of the earlier show Honey West. At the time, it was often dismissed by critics as "jiggle TV", a term coined by a network executive to describe shows built around attractive young stars, a label also applied to programmes like The Love Boat and Three's Company.
The original cast included Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith, though Fawcett left after the first season and was replaced by Cheryl Ladd. Kate Jackson was cast first and reportedly influenced the show's direction, including suggesting the "Angels" name. The series was produced by Leonard Goldberg.
Nearly 50 years on, the show is now attracting new attention through streaming, recently reaching the Top 10 on the Apple TV store, prompting some reconsideration of its legacy beyond the "jiggle TV" tag it was once given.