My name is Charlie

Given how popular my Love Boat post was, I thought I would attempt it with Charlie’s Angels. The only problem is, from a design perspective, not much changed. If anything, with each title change, the openings seemed to get more and more out of date. You also can’t sing along to the late Jack Elliott’s theme. Still, it is an interesting journey into recent TV history, and how a show began sinking because of cast changes and ever-inexperienced actresses. But Jaclyn Smith is still hot, so there.
   Here is the original cast:

   Then, goodbye Farrah. She may have been the 1970s icon and with hindsight, her departure from the show helped turn her into a legend. Word has it that her husband, our good mate Harv Yeary, wanted her at home more. For whatever disputes went on behind the scenes, Spelling and Goldberg decided that Farrah’s role would be replaced by that of a sister, played by Cheryl Ladd.
   Just as Jaclyn Smith was chosen for her good looks, Cheryl was chosen for her figure. To this day, there is something alluring to me about a girl with her hair up in a hot tub. Cheryl did that. 

   Now, change Kate’s clips a little for the New Year and put Cheryl’s name on a single line. Is it me, or has John Forsyth’s narration changed a little, too?
   Kate always thought she was the star and I reckon she must have felt overshadowed. So exit Kate—the smart one—and hello Shelley Hack. Shelley was the first woman I remember on TV who wore slacks in a perfume commercial. What next? Being Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?
   In the final series, the narration changed: the third member was no longer an ex-cop, but an ex-model, played by Tanya Roberts. And thank God, we still have Cheryl in the hot tub. Not all was lost, but by this time, the show’s impact on everyday life hit an all-time low. It never recovered the days of Farrah’s nipples showing through her T-shirt from the first season. No one wanted to have hair like Jaclyn, Cheryl or Tanya.
   So while they had new Mustang IIIs to drive around in, the Charles Townsend detective agency closed its doors, at least till Drew Barrymore got bored one day. And word has it that Charles Townsend went undercover in Denver with the alias of Blake Carrington. At least they sounded like the same guy.