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Appreciating Charlie's Angels
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ClassyCo
Telly Talk Warrior
I've watched the first disc of my Season Four of Charlie's Angels set, which includes the season's first four episodes, depending on how you judge the opener.
The season opener, "Love Boat Angels", obviously employed its gimmicky title for the ratings they wished it could generate. (The episode ended up placing first in the weekly Nielsen's.) The first five minutes or so of the episode concerns the movement and stealing of museum antiques, with almost no dialogue whatsoever. When the camera does its traditional transfer to the Townsend Agency, we learn from Charlie that Sabrina (season three exiter Kate Jackson) has married and is expecting a baby. Charlie informs remaining Angels Kelly (Jaclyn Smith) and Kris (Cheryl Ladd) that they should be expecting the arrival of their new partner, Boston police academy graduate Tiffany Welles (Shelley Hack), although the girls apparently thought their partnership had dwindled to a trio consisting of them and their sidekick Bosley (David Doyle). Within moments, Bosley's entered the office with Tiffany at his side, and so goes the introduction of Charlie's newest Angel.
Fast forward a little: The Angels are given their assignment and aboard the Love Boat to solve it. Kris masquerades as a decoy for a thief (Bert Convy), while Kelly and Tiffany cater to their client (Dick Sargent), and Bosley stays on shore to stir up any information he can with the leads available there. From the outside, this would appear as a ploy to simply get Bosley out of the way so Kelly and Kris and the audience can get use to Tiffany being the third side of the Angelic triangle. It doesn't quite execute that way, however. This two-parter (shown here in its separated syndicated version) focuses predominantly on Kris and her relationship with a good-turned-bad guy that she can't seem not to have feelings for. The episode plays out well, and the conclusion is to be expected.
Following is "Angels Go Truckin", one episode I clearly remember watching when I originally got this set. The Angels are hired to solve the crime of a stolen load belonging to Venus Trucking, which is ran by a woman and only uses female drivers. Charlie orders to Kris and Tiffany to take a truck driving course to prepare them to handle their big rig cover, while Kelly gets a job (perhaps thankful to 'gifted' Southern accent?) at a diner where a fight that broke out was presumably a diversion so the load before could be stolen. In the end, we learn that Venus' owner, Maggie, has been stealing her own loads hoping to "bring home the gold", but says she has proven women can do anything because a man wouldn't have so easily saw her scam. I liked this episode back when, and I still like it. It's a throwback to those earlier seasons and the episodes therein; Tiffany's edged into the group a little bit, but shares most of screen time here with Kris.
The last episode on the disc is "Avenging Angel", which is probably the most well thought out of the batch here. In an attempt to draw back to a never-before-heard-of case, Kelly is crossfire of a man she aided into prison some years ago. This a Kelly-centered outing here, and the other Angels basically take up the background to find where Kelly's been taken. Naturally, we know she's going to be found in time for them all to return and give their farewell to Charlie before the end credits roll.
Anyone that knows my Amazon screen name and taken the time to read my reviews for this season of Charlie's Angels knows that I wasn't initially a fan of Shelley Hack or her addition as Tiffany Welles. I had watched the first three seasons almost exclusively, and I didn't want to accept anyone else stepping into this well-oiled machine.
But...
My view has shifted. While I can't say that Tiffany's introduction necessarily evokes a breath of fresh air, it does bring a different wind. And that wind isn't overtly bad. She photographs superbly, and there is some early promise that she's going to fit in with the Angels that didn't register in previous viewings of these first batch of episodes. On the face of it, however, she isn't given a whole lot to do in the opener, and she's just a part of the big rig ploy in the trucking episode. However, in watching "Avenging Angel", I saw some minor attempts by the writers and producers trying to possibly push Tiffany as the trio's new 'leader', taking over from Sabrina. The way she instructs Kris how the order of execution, the need to call Bosley, etc. evoke similarities to the role Sabrina held on the show. Yes, I know the Angels have all taken charge in different situations, but here it seems as if they leave most of that leadership nudging for Tiffany to pick up. And I can't say I mind that. Kelly's too vulnerable to be the head and Kris is too quirky, so Tiffany's the only possible option left. This episode, to me at least, seemed to show that good things were possibly in store for Tiffany if the writers keep edging her to the forefront of the trio.
I'm going to keep up with these disc-by-disc reviews of this season so the information and my thoughts will be fresher in my head.
The season opener, "Love Boat Angels", obviously employed its gimmicky title for the ratings they wished it could generate. (The episode ended up placing first in the weekly Nielsen's.) The first five minutes or so of the episode concerns the movement and stealing of museum antiques, with almost no dialogue whatsoever. When the camera does its traditional transfer to the Townsend Agency, we learn from Charlie that Sabrina (season three exiter Kate Jackson) has married and is expecting a baby. Charlie informs remaining Angels Kelly (Jaclyn Smith) and Kris (Cheryl Ladd) that they should be expecting the arrival of their new partner, Boston police academy graduate Tiffany Welles (Shelley Hack), although the girls apparently thought their partnership had dwindled to a trio consisting of them and their sidekick Bosley (David Doyle). Within moments, Bosley's entered the office with Tiffany at his side, and so goes the introduction of Charlie's newest Angel.
Fast forward a little: The Angels are given their assignment and aboard the Love Boat to solve it. Kris masquerades as a decoy for a thief (Bert Convy), while Kelly and Tiffany cater to their client (Dick Sargent), and Bosley stays on shore to stir up any information he can with the leads available there. From the outside, this would appear as a ploy to simply get Bosley out of the way so Kelly and Kris and the audience can get use to Tiffany being the third side of the Angelic triangle. It doesn't quite execute that way, however. This two-parter (shown here in its separated syndicated version) focuses predominantly on Kris and her relationship with a good-turned-bad guy that she can't seem not to have feelings for. The episode plays out well, and the conclusion is to be expected.
Following is "Angels Go Truckin", one episode I clearly remember watching when I originally got this set. The Angels are hired to solve the crime of a stolen load belonging to Venus Trucking, which is ran by a woman and only uses female drivers. Charlie orders to Kris and Tiffany to take a truck driving course to prepare them to handle their big rig cover, while Kelly gets a job (perhaps thankful to 'gifted' Southern accent?) at a diner where a fight that broke out was presumably a diversion so the load before could be stolen. In the end, we learn that Venus' owner, Maggie, has been stealing her own loads hoping to "bring home the gold", but says she has proven women can do anything because a man wouldn't have so easily saw her scam. I liked this episode back when, and I still like it. It's a throwback to those earlier seasons and the episodes therein; Tiffany's edged into the group a little bit, but shares most of screen time here with Kris.
The last episode on the disc is "Avenging Angel", which is probably the most well thought out of the batch here. In an attempt to draw back to a never-before-heard-of case, Kelly is crossfire of a man she aided into prison some years ago. This a Kelly-centered outing here, and the other Angels basically take up the background to find where Kelly's been taken. Naturally, we know she's going to be found in time for them all to return and give their farewell to Charlie before the end credits roll.
Anyone that knows my Amazon screen name and taken the time to read my reviews for this season of Charlie's Angels knows that I wasn't initially a fan of Shelley Hack or her addition as Tiffany Welles. I had watched the first three seasons almost exclusively, and I didn't want to accept anyone else stepping into this well-oiled machine.
But...
My view has shifted. While I can't say that Tiffany's introduction necessarily evokes a breath of fresh air, it does bring a different wind. And that wind isn't overtly bad. She photographs superbly, and there is some early promise that she's going to fit in with the Angels that didn't register in previous viewings of these first batch of episodes. On the face of it, however, she isn't given a whole lot to do in the opener, and she's just a part of the big rig ploy in the trucking episode. However, in watching "Avenging Angel", I saw some minor attempts by the writers and producers trying to possibly push Tiffany as the trio's new 'leader', taking over from Sabrina. The way she instructs Kris how the order of execution, the need to call Bosley, etc. evoke similarities to the role Sabrina held on the show. Yes, I know the Angels have all taken charge in different situations, but here it seems as if they leave most of that leadership nudging for Tiffany to pick up. And I can't say I mind that. Kelly's too vulnerable to be the head and Kris is too quirky, so Tiffany's the only possible option left. This episode, to me at least, seemed to show that good things were possibly in store for Tiffany if the writers keep edging her to the forefront of the trio.
I'm going to keep up with these disc-by-disc reviews of this season so the information and my thoughts will be fresher in my head.
Alexis
Telly Talk Superhero
Why did you post a pic of Krystle from The Reunion asking Blake to turn the air-con off? Not everything is about DYNASTY.She probably thought it was dumb. But she would have fit in perfectly.
ClassyCo
Telly Talk Warrior
I finished watching disc two of the fourth season of Charlie's Angels earlier today. Two of the four episodes featured here I've watched enough that I didn't feel the need to revisit them, while the other two I needed some definite refreshing on. Considering the fact that I'm re-watching Season Four to reexamine the treatment and evolution of Shelley Hack as Tiffany Welles, I feel these pieces I'm constructing disc-by-disc should be more Tiffany-centric than I initially intended. These episodes have Tiffany masquerading as a violinist, a nun, and a hooker.
First, I'll take a moment to highlight the episodes themselves:
"Angels on the Street" has always struck me as one of those "Wow, that's a really good idea" episodes the producers cooked up to put the Angels in a sexy situation. Certainly, the material was probably considered a little edgy for a late 1970s cop procedural, in which the female leads were usually presented in a fashion which suited them to be role models for young ladies across the globe, but the outcome is pleasant enough. Tiffany, I must say, looks stunning in her hooker get-up. Her face isn't clowned out like poor Kelly's, and I like how they have her hold her own against a hooker who calls herself "Rose" and the pimp that goes by Freddie. Her purse-twirling street walk is cheeky, but adds a certain flair that shows a TV buff like me that Hack was at least trying to broaden this character of Tiffany, and that she was perhaps trying her hardest to find some fun in the role.
As I said earlier, I had to revisit the other two episodes before I felt I needed to write this piece. Visually, albeit briefly, the episode "Caged Angel" evokes memories of Season One's "Angels in Chains". There's a bit where Kris opens her towel and has to be sprayed for lice just like Jill, Kelly, and Sabrina had to do back in the show's infancy. ("Angels in Chains" was the show's highest-rated episode ever.) Tiffany, along with Kelly and Bosley, sit the majority of this episode out because Kris' adventure here is deliberately a solo outing. After the episode's half-over, there's a need for the Angels to get information to Kris that Charlie's just given them. Their contacts aren't available, and so Tiffany and Kelly borrow some nun outfits and go into the prison as soul-saving sisters and give Kris a pamphlet laced with the information she needs to fulfill her undercover operation successfully.
The last one ─ but the first one on the disc ─ is "Angels at the Altar". I remembered the least about this episode, so a re-watch here was a must for sure. Kelly's old friend needs the Angels to help her find out why all these death threats are coming against her fiancee, so they all take disguises at her wedding. Tiffany channels her inner violinist and takes a sit in the orchestra, while Kris is a waitress and Bosley minds the bar. The peach-colored dress that Tiffany wears to the wedding is beautiful, and she looks stunning in it. We learn in this episode that Tiffany is a skilled violinist, but not much else.
In watching these episodes, I still don't have a clear shot as to what the writers, producers, directors, what have you, want to do with Tiffany. She's beautiful and she wears clothes beautifully, but her execution and usage is sparse. In some cases, it seems they want to push her to the forefront and make her the new "leader," but at the same time, she's held back to make room for the other Angels, especially Kelly, although I've always found the Kelly-centered episodes a bore for the most part. But hey, Jaclyn Smith had stuck with the show for four years and I'm sure the producers didn't mind catering to her a little here and there. When considering the size of her role in these episodes, Tiffany doesn't have a crowning achievement on this disc. I'd argue her best work this go-around comes in "Angels on the Street". Her sharp-tongued comebacks and blank stares to the antagonists are pretty effective, and like I said, she looks nice in her hooker outfit.
I'm enjoying re-watching these shows. Maybe I'll have a complete change of heart for Shelley Hack in revisiting her episodes.
First, I'll take a moment to highlight the episodes themselves:
"Angels at the Altar" (October 3, 1979): Kelly's childhood friend hires the Angels to investigate the multiple near-death experiences and attacks on her fiancee's life.
"Fallen Angel" (October 10, 1979): The Angels are hired to protect a valuable diamond from infamous jewel thief and notorious stud Damion Roth (guest star Timothy Dalton). They are shocked to learn that he's being aided in his plot by Jill Munroe (Farrah Fawcett in the first of her three guest shots this season).
"Caged Angel" (October 31, 1979): A young female inmate is shot and killed during a robbery. Kris goes undercover at the minimum security prison to find out how the girl got tangled up in such a mess, and soon walks upon trouble of her own.
"Angels on the Street" (November 7, 1979): After a young music teacher is beaten up by a pimp, Kelly and Tiffany go undercover as streetwalkers, while Kris tries to get close to the girl. In the meantime, they learn this girl might not be who she says she is.
I've watched "Fallen Angel" and "Angels on the Street" enough these past few years that I didn't see the necessity of revisiting them before writing this tonight. I know the plot points and the outcome, so there's nothing else I really needed any particular refreshing on. In "Fallen Angel", Tiffany is basically on the sidelines as Kris worries about Jill's involvement with jewel thief Damion Roth. There is one instance where Tiffany makes the assumption that Jill could possibly be hiding something from the rest of them, which shakes Kris and prompts her to exit the room. While this might seem minor, considering Tiffany and Jill don't know each other, it can hit a viewer sideways that's use to the close-knit bond the main characters on this show generally hold together. Jill's deliberate refusal to cooperate with Kris and Kelly come off as odd, but somehow fresh in a show that's grown increasingly formulaic. "Fallen Angel" (October 10, 1979): The Angels are hired to protect a valuable diamond from infamous jewel thief and notorious stud Damion Roth (guest star Timothy Dalton). They are shocked to learn that he's being aided in his plot by Jill Munroe (Farrah Fawcett in the first of her three guest shots this season).
"Caged Angel" (October 31, 1979): A young female inmate is shot and killed during a robbery. Kris goes undercover at the minimum security prison to find out how the girl got tangled up in such a mess, and soon walks upon trouble of her own.
"Angels on the Street" (November 7, 1979): After a young music teacher is beaten up by a pimp, Kelly and Tiffany go undercover as streetwalkers, while Kris tries to get close to the girl. In the meantime, they learn this girl might not be who she says she is.
"Angels on the Street" has always struck me as one of those "Wow, that's a really good idea" episodes the producers cooked up to put the Angels in a sexy situation. Certainly, the material was probably considered a little edgy for a late 1970s cop procedural, in which the female leads were usually presented in a fashion which suited them to be role models for young ladies across the globe, but the outcome is pleasant enough. Tiffany, I must say, looks stunning in her hooker get-up. Her face isn't clowned out like poor Kelly's, and I like how they have her hold her own against a hooker who calls herself "Rose" and the pimp that goes by Freddie. Her purse-twirling street walk is cheeky, but adds a certain flair that shows a TV buff like me that Hack was at least trying to broaden this character of Tiffany, and that she was perhaps trying her hardest to find some fun in the role.
As I said earlier, I had to revisit the other two episodes before I felt I needed to write this piece. Visually, albeit briefly, the episode "Caged Angel" evokes memories of Season One's "Angels in Chains". There's a bit where Kris opens her towel and has to be sprayed for lice just like Jill, Kelly, and Sabrina had to do back in the show's infancy. ("Angels in Chains" was the show's highest-rated episode ever.) Tiffany, along with Kelly and Bosley, sit the majority of this episode out because Kris' adventure here is deliberately a solo outing. After the episode's half-over, there's a need for the Angels to get information to Kris that Charlie's just given them. Their contacts aren't available, and so Tiffany and Kelly borrow some nun outfits and go into the prison as soul-saving sisters and give Kris a pamphlet laced with the information she needs to fulfill her undercover operation successfully.
The last one ─ but the first one on the disc ─ is "Angels at the Altar". I remembered the least about this episode, so a re-watch here was a must for sure. Kelly's old friend needs the Angels to help her find out why all these death threats are coming against her fiancee, so they all take disguises at her wedding. Tiffany channels her inner violinist and takes a sit in the orchestra, while Kris is a waitress and Bosley minds the bar. The peach-colored dress that Tiffany wears to the wedding is beautiful, and she looks stunning in it. We learn in this episode that Tiffany is a skilled violinist, but not much else.
In watching these episodes, I still don't have a clear shot as to what the writers, producers, directors, what have you, want to do with Tiffany. She's beautiful and she wears clothes beautifully, but her execution and usage is sparse. In some cases, it seems they want to push her to the forefront and make her the new "leader," but at the same time, she's held back to make room for the other Angels, especially Kelly, although I've always found the Kelly-centered episodes a bore for the most part. But hey, Jaclyn Smith had stuck with the show for four years and I'm sure the producers didn't mind catering to her a little here and there. When considering the size of her role in these episodes, Tiffany doesn't have a crowning achievement on this disc. I'd argue her best work this go-around comes in "Angels on the Street". Her sharp-tongued comebacks and blank stares to the antagonists are pretty effective, and like I said, she looks nice in her hooker outfit.
I'm enjoying re-watching these shows. Maybe I'll have a complete change of heart for Shelley Hack in revisiting her episodes.
James from London
International Treasure
Just made the exciting discovery that Farrah Fawcett, via Whitney Houston's mother, was responsible for Gladys Knight and the Pips' biggest hit:
“Midnight Train To Georgia,” Knight and the Pips’ second single on Buddah, was another song from [Jim] Weatherly, that ex-quarterback. Weatherly played rec-league flag football with Lee Majors, the Six Million Dollar Man star, and the two got to be friends. One night, Weatherly called Majors, and he ended up making conversation with Farrah Fawcett, Majors’ girlfriend. Fawcett mentioned that she was packing; she had to catch a “midnight plane to Houston.” The phrase stuck in Weatherly’s head, and he wrote the song in about half an hour, using Majors and Fawcett — or hypothetical unsuccessful versions of Majors and Fawcett — as the song’s characters. When he recorded his own take on “Midnight Plane To Houston,” it was basically a country song. He put the song on Weatherly, the solo album he released in 1972.
Shortly thereafter, Cissy Houston, a gospel singer who’d found some level of fame singing backup for Aretha Franklin, recorded a countrified R&B version of “Midnight Plane To Houston.” Cissy Houston’s version of the song made some crucial changes. It flipped the genders around, and it changed both the song’s destination and its mode of transportation. It seemed confusing to have a singer named Houston singing about flying to Houston, so “Midnight Plane To Houston” became “Midnight Train To Georgia.” (A train from Los Angeles to Georgia would take fucking forever, but never mind.)
When Knight and the Pips got ahold of the song, they kept the changes from the Cissy Houston version. Working with the producer Tony Camillo, they gave it a sweltering slow-burn soul arrangement. This was one of those cases where everyone in the studio must’ve been feeling some kind of divine inspiration. Everything about that arrangement is perfect: The opening drum-cracks, the immaculately-timed horn stabs, the churchy organ, the glowing Fender Rhodes, the burbling bass, the flighty strings. Knight belts in a hard, gospel-derived rasp, putting on a real command performance. And then, of course, there are Pips, chiming in with those little ripostes — “I know you will” — that undercut Knight even as they build her up.
https://www.stereogum.com/2040859/t...-train-to-georgia/franchises/the-number-ones/
“Midnight Train To Georgia,” Knight and the Pips’ second single on Buddah, was another song from [Jim] Weatherly, that ex-quarterback. Weatherly played rec-league flag football with Lee Majors, the Six Million Dollar Man star, and the two got to be friends. One night, Weatherly called Majors, and he ended up making conversation with Farrah Fawcett, Majors’ girlfriend. Fawcett mentioned that she was packing; she had to catch a “midnight plane to Houston.” The phrase stuck in Weatherly’s head, and he wrote the song in about half an hour, using Majors and Fawcett — or hypothetical unsuccessful versions of Majors and Fawcett — as the song’s characters. When he recorded his own take on “Midnight Plane To Houston,” it was basically a country song. He put the song on Weatherly, the solo album he released in 1972.
Shortly thereafter, Cissy Houston, a gospel singer who’d found some level of fame singing backup for Aretha Franklin, recorded a countrified R&B version of “Midnight Plane To Houston.” Cissy Houston’s version of the song made some crucial changes. It flipped the genders around, and it changed both the song’s destination and its mode of transportation. It seemed confusing to have a singer named Houston singing about flying to Houston, so “Midnight Plane To Houston” became “Midnight Train To Georgia.” (A train from Los Angeles to Georgia would take fucking forever, but never mind.)
When Knight and the Pips got ahold of the song, they kept the changes from the Cissy Houston version. Working with the producer Tony Camillo, they gave it a sweltering slow-burn soul arrangement. This was one of those cases where everyone in the studio must’ve been feeling some kind of divine inspiration. Everything about that arrangement is perfect: The opening drum-cracks, the immaculately-timed horn stabs, the churchy organ, the glowing Fender Rhodes, the burbling bass, the flighty strings. Knight belts in a hard, gospel-derived rasp, putting on a real command performance. And then, of course, there are Pips, chiming in with those little ripostes — “I know you will” — that undercut Knight even as they build her up.
https://www.stereogum.com/2040859/t...-train-to-georgia/franchises/the-number-ones/
ChrisSumner
Telly Talk Fan
I know this thread is for the tv show, but I thought this was the best place to discuss the new movie considering yall are fans of the brand. First I'll say it was one of the best action films I've seen of the year and also the worst marketed film in recent memory. Based on the trailers I expected this to suck. I wasn't enthused about the casting and it didn't look particularly funny, it looked very middle of the road. When I got there I got a straight up action flick with good humor, an easy to follow plot and an EXCELLENT cast. They tried to market it like the Drew/Cameron/Lucy films which were slapstick comedy, but this was more in line with a Mission Impossible with a lighter feel. The action scenes were truly excellent and I loved all the globe trotting location shooting. Why didn't they highlight the action in the trailers?!
Then the cast. My goodness, Elizabeth Banks, Djimon Hounsou and Patrick Stewart were all excellent as their respective Bosley's. I also liked them making Patrick Stewart the Bosley of the original series and 00 movies which allowed the to tie all that together. Jacklyn Smith as one of the new Charlie's was also a nice touch and a great thread to follow for a sequel. The actual angels disappointed me prior to seeing the movie. I HATE Kristen Stewart in everything she does, but she was so fun and relaxed and a true bad ass. She reminded me of a modernized Jill Monroe. The Sabrina of the group was definitely Ella Balinska's character and for a newcomer she carried a lot of the film. She was by far the best in the action scenes, she was smart and also helped emotionally center the film with her relationships with Stewart's character and Djimon's Bosley. The third Angel was a newcomer and felt like a mix of Kris and Julie. She provided lots of comedic elements to the film.
Overall this was a beautifully made film and I hate it didn't do better so we could get a sequel. The other films I felt were dated with the lack of guns and fighting style and it was too slapstick to really evoke the Angels for me. This treated the subject matter with respect while still having fun. They were allowed to be unabashedly sexy, but also bad ass fighters on the same level as men and most importantly they were smart. If this is the last Angels related thing we get I'll be happy. It's just a shame because they set up so many different potential storylines. They have it set up where ANY of the former Angels can return as a Charlie or a Bosley and by showing the different groups of Angels worldwide (this movie probably featured around 20 Angels), they could easily do a spin-off tv series on one of the streaming networks.
Then the cast. My goodness, Elizabeth Banks, Djimon Hounsou and Patrick Stewart were all excellent as their respective Bosley's. I also liked them making Patrick Stewart the Bosley of the original series and 00 movies which allowed the to tie all that together. Jacklyn Smith as one of the new Charlie's was also a nice touch and a great thread to follow for a sequel. The actual angels disappointed me prior to seeing the movie. I HATE Kristen Stewart in everything she does, but she was so fun and relaxed and a true bad ass. She reminded me of a modernized Jill Monroe. The Sabrina of the group was definitely Ella Balinska's character and for a newcomer she carried a lot of the film. She was by far the best in the action scenes, she was smart and also helped emotionally center the film with her relationships with Stewart's character and Djimon's Bosley. The third Angel was a newcomer and felt like a mix of Kris and Julie. She provided lots of comedic elements to the film.
Overall this was a beautifully made film and I hate it didn't do better so we could get a sequel. The other films I felt were dated with the lack of guns and fighting style and it was too slapstick to really evoke the Angels for me. This treated the subject matter with respect while still having fun. They were allowed to be unabashedly sexy, but also bad ass fighters on the same level as men and most importantly they were smart. If this is the last Angels related thing we get I'll be happy. It's just a shame because they set up so many different potential storylines. They have it set up where ANY of the former Angels can return as a Charlie or a Bosley and by showing the different groups of Angels worldwide (this movie probably featured around 20 Angels), they could easily do a spin-off tv series on one of the streaming networks.
Spooky Owl!
Telly Talk Supreme
Why is it getting poorly reviewed in your opinion?
Spooky Owl!
Telly Talk Supreme
ChrisSumner
Telly Talk Fan
Honestly for such a "flop" the reviews aren't too bad. In fact before box office reports came out they were mostly positive and the audience score is a B+. I think the press just prefers the story of a dramatic flop more so they're running with it. On Twitter most of the response is people being surprised it's good based on what they'd heard.
The reason I think it failed though is down to marketing. They didn't market it as a potential franchise of action films and highlight the action. It was marketed as a fluffy chick flick. I also think promoting the well known supporting cast and Jacklyn Smith's return could've helped the fact that the main cast is mostly unknown. I also would've had Drew Barrymore cameo instead of only using her on pictures. People were confused thinking this was a remake instead of a reboot that brought all the projects together and in today's market that would've given them a boost.
Sea - Boo! - Er
Telly Talk Warrior
That was certainly my impression. Simply calling it Charlie's Angels without a subtitle didn't help.
ChrisSumner
Telly Talk Fan
I’m continuing my rewatch of the original series, which I’m going to follow up with the 3 movies and the reboot tv series. I just wrapped up season 4 and am two hours into the 3 hour season 5 premiere. Crazy they gave them a 3 hour premiere, but I give them props for going all out for Julie’s introduction. Even more so than when they introduced Kris, they do a good job of fleshing Julie out from the start and considering she isn’t a police officer or detective, she certainly needed that. It is bittersweet since I think the Tiffany/Kris/Kelly grouping was the best after the original trio once they starting writing for Tiffany.
One thing that is immediate that I Miss is the glam of the previous season. Because Tiffany had that classy east coast vibe they ended up stepping the fashion up for all of them. Kris in particular benefited that season because she was no longer the baby of the group and got to finally grow up. This season seems more gritty action based and the style is more trendy and 80s. So far I do like it, but it’s certainly different from the other seasons. I will say I much prefer this to the isolation you’d get in some of those season 4 episodes focused only on one Angel.
I’m sad that I’m almost at the end, but I look forward to rewatching the first two movies which I haven’t seen in probably 10 years, as well as the reboot series which I only saw one or two episodes of.
One thing that is immediate that I Miss is the glam of the previous season. Because Tiffany had that classy east coast vibe they ended up stepping the fashion up for all of them. Kris in particular benefited that season because she was no longer the baby of the group and got to finally grow up. This season seems more gritty action based and the style is more trendy and 80s. So far I do like it, but it’s certainly different from the other seasons. I will say I much prefer this to the isolation you’d get in some of those season 4 episodes focused only on one Angel.
I’m sad that I’m almost at the end, but I look forward to rewatching the first two movies which I haven’t seen in probably 10 years, as well as the reboot series which I only saw one or two episodes of.
ClassyCo
Telly Talk Warrior
I enjoy Season Four when I watch it. While I'm almost always disappointed that Tiffany Welles (Shelley Hack) wasn't used too much earlier in the year, I genuinely enjoy the episodes she's the central focus of. I think the episode "Angels on Campus" (Season 4, Episode 11) was the first true Tiffany-centric episode. It's the one where she visits her old sorority to investigate the disappearance of some young college-age girls who are being sold into white slavery. There are other good episodes revolving around Tiffany, such as: "Of Ghost and Angels", which concerns Tiffany having psychic insights to her troubled friend's abusive husband; "Home Sweet Homes", when the girls get tied up in real estate; and "Nips and Tucks", which follows a plastic surgeon who gives criminals a new face.
These are pretty good episodes, and I always wish Tiffany had been brought back for that final season. As the age old story has it, the audience did not take to Tiffany too well, and naturally the ratings dipped that year, but it was still in the top twenty in 1980. The numbers were solid, and I personally think the reason the audience tapered off was because the episodes were not including all the angels at the center, and because Tiffany was not even a character then. She was just a prop, a clotheshorse even.
My main issue with Season Four is how the episodes mainly center around one angel. In the earlier seasons the episodes involved all three angels (and Farrah when she guest-starred) in some capacity, but these episodes here routinely place one angel at the helm, and leave the other two as background characters for the hour. While the episodes are still good enough, I just don't really like their decision to do that. I guess they felt it was time for each angel to have their hour in the sun and therefore decided to give each of them a chance to "star" in an episode throughout the year. I was really sad that Tiffany and Shelley Hack got the ax, but the producers were perfectly willing to let her take all the blame for the downturn in popularity the show suffered that 1979-80 season and decided it was easier to replace her.
Enter Tanya Roberts. As I understand it, there was considerable publicity surrounding Tanya's physical appearance back in 1980, and the producers felt she was the right fit, primarily on a physical level, to get their show back at the top of the viewership charts. I've never been a big fan of Tanya Roberts, her character Julie, or the final season in general. There's a couple of episodes, namely "Angel on the Line", that are pretty good. The stories seem stale, and the energy is gone this go-round.
ChrisSumner
Telly Talk Fan
@ClassyCo One funny thing, I’ve been watching some documentaries about the show and one main thing is that the producers keep saying what a bad actress they found Shelley Hack even before she aires and blame that for limiting her role and not promoting her. Only problem is, those scripts would’ve been written already so I don’t buy that. Also, she auditioned so they knew what they were getting. She was just fine when she had stuff to do. Contrast that with Tanya Roberts and she can’t act to save her life lol. I think the truth is that Hack was probably the network choice and not the producers choice and they resented that. If acting was your main issue then you wouldn’t have replaced her with Roberts.
ClassyCo
Telly Talk Warrior
It's interesting you bring this up. You're absolutely right.
I think ABC wanted Shelley Hack because she was in the Charlie perfume commercials, and they thought her being on Charlie's Angels would be cute. They (as in the network heavyweights) probably thought she would bring a breathe of fresh air, a sense of class to a show slowing loosing its sizzle. I also know costume designer Nolan Miller was a big fan of Shelley. He routinely defines her as "chic" and raves about how she just knew how to wear his clothes. He says "everybody in wardrobe fell in love with her," and he sometimes edges himself as being the one man that suggested Shelley to Aaron Spelling to play Tiffany.
If Shelley's acting was the issue, then they took yet another step-down when they brought Tanya Roberts in. It was painfully obvious that the producers were judging Tanya's credibility based solely on her physical appearance. Her skills as an actress are sparse; she seems wooden, and although they try to edge her into the trio harder than they did Shelley, it doesn't work for her. The writing that last season was drab and the performances were bland. Nothing about it was new, and Tanya not being from the police academy just tossed the whole concept off-balance. It was a desperate attempt by the network to keep their hot show hot and retaining its sexiness. It didn't work.
ChrisSumner
Telly Talk Fan
I’m still watching season 5 and I boy is the energy gone. The Hawaii episodes mostly worked for the location, but once they went back to LA it’s just deadly dull. You can’t have Julie in a bikini so she can’t even really utilize her sex appeal. These episodes highlight just what a bad actress Tanya Roberts was. They also keep writing her like a doofus with this high pitches squeal every time she gets caught. It’s rough. Jacklyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd seem bored like they’re going through the motions. If anything I’d say the standout this season has been David Doyle who has had some nice moments so far. He’s also the only one who has chemistry with Tanya Roberts. Still, I’m ready for this to be over so I can watch the reboot tv show. I expect that to be another stinker but I’m still curious about it.
ClassyCo
Telly Talk Warrior
Season Five is horrifically bad. Shelley Hack has always said that the reason she was axed is because the producers were perfectly alright with her taking all the blame for Season Four's downturn in popularity, and that by axing her they could bring forth further publicity for Season Five by searching for a new angel. It certainly makes sense. In 1977 and 1979, the two times prior they had searched for a new actress, there was considerable buzz around who would fill the vacant angel seat. It didn't really happen this time around, though. Interest in the show itself had fizzled, although a lot of people did seem eager to see Shari Belafonte, daughter of singer Harry Belafonte, step into the available role. That, of course, was not meant to be.
There are only a couple of Season Five episodes I enjoy, among them "Angel on the Line". That may be the only episode from the final season that I like, but there are a few others that are marginal. Tanya or Julie or what ever you want to call her was just bad. No one has chemistry with her, and her not being a graduate from the police academy tosses the whole thing off. That's the whole purpose of the show.
She's a model?
What?
Yeah, it's bad.
ChrisSumner
Telly Talk Fan
I just finished season 5 today @ClassyCo and I must say I’m stunned at how each episode was progressively worse than the previous one. I have such vague memories of this season and I now see why I never watched it in full. I had *no* idea the show had gotten so bad.
Tonight I’m going to watch the first two movies and another admission, I never saw Full Throttle! I wasn’t too fond of the new trio. It’s a fun movie, but it was too different for me to truly get behind. I’m curious how I’ll react to them now. I haven’t seen the first movie since it was in theaters however many years ago.
Tonight I’m going to watch the first two movies and another admission, I never saw Full Throttle! I wasn’t too fond of the new trio. It’s a fun movie, but it was too different for me to truly get behind. I’m curious how I’ll react to them now. I haven’t seen the first movie since it was in theaters however many years ago.
ClassyCo
Telly Talk Warrior
Yes, that last year is horrendous. I seem to keep saying some variation of that opinion over and over again. But it's worth repeating. The fifth and final season of Charlie's Angels is really bad. I think the episode "Mr. Galaxy" is probably the worst of the batch, although those early season Hawaiian episodes are horrible as well. The show was never Shakespeare, but it was at least fun before. Now it's stale. No flavor, no energy. It's boring. The episodes seem endless and the chemistry has been shot in the head and died a cold, lonely death.
The movies are alright, but it isn't the same. Sure, they retain some of that campy and cutesy fun, but it's a little too adult for my taste. Some of the humor is not really funny, it's just vulgar. The angels were never vulgar, even when draped in bikinis and bouncing down the street bra-less. They cheapened the girls.
I remember watching an episode or two of the reboot back in 2011, but it was really bad. The writing was bad and the acting was bad. Bad sums it up. I wouldn't watch it if it was given to me free of charge.
Yes, that last year is horrendous. I seem to keep saying some variation of that opinion over and over again. But it's worth repeating. The fifth and final season of Charlie's Angels is really bad. I think the episode "Mr. Galaxy" is probably the worst of the batch, although those early season Hawaiian episodes are horrible as well. The show was never Shakespeare, but it was at least fun before. Now it's stale. No flavor, no energy. It's boring. The episodes seem endless and the chemistry has been shot in the head and died a cold, lonely death.
The movies are alright, but it isn't the same. Sure, they retain some of that campy and cutesy fun, but it's a little too adult for my taste. Some of the humor is not really funny, it's just vulgar. The angels were never vulgar, even when draped in bikinis and bouncing down the street bra-less. They cheapened the girls.
I remember watching an episode or two of the reboot back in 2011, but it was really bad. The writing was bad and the acting was bad. Bad sums it up. I wouldn't watch it if it was given to me free of charge.