Charlie's Angels - Series 1 [1977] (NTSC)

Amazon.co.uk Review

Back in the late 1970s Charlie's Angels was wildly popular television at its most self-consciously banal. The jiggly, joggly jolly first series' three (and best-remembered) belles--lioness Farrah Fawcett (then Farrah Fawcett-Majors), pin-up babe Jaclyn Smith and thinking man's beauty Kate Jackson--were something like primetime Spice Girls, gracing countless magazine covers and bestselling posters. The idea (even if a fan of the show didn't happen to be a straight male) was that one was compelled to choose a favourite angel as a kind of ink-blot window into one's subconscious life.

While the 2000 Angels feature film kept faith with the original show's self-mockingly sloppy storytelling, there's nothing like seeing the old episodes for a lesson in narrative hubris. Basically, the three leading characters were bored policewomen wooed away to a private firm owned and operated by the unseen sybarite, Charlie (voiced--over speakerphone--by an uncredited John Forsythe). After a long set-up each week, the girls' investigations typically saw them going undercover as fashion models--no great stretch--in "Night of the Strangler", nurses in "Terror on Ward One", roller-derby stars in "Angels on Wheels" and vulnerable convicts (of course) in "Angels in Chains". The exploitation factor is not as bad as it might have been. The cast was so glamorous, their chemistry so perfect, that Charlie's Angels never became a mere meat market. Despite such nods to modernity as Fawcett's no-bra look, the episodes were old-fashioned in their heroine-in-peril appeal, yet there was a difference: the Angels looked out for themselves and each other. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Fun Guilty Pleasure.......2007-08-20

There is great television that captures the imagination with its complicated characters and plots. Then there are shows like this one that are mindless, fluff entertainment but completely fun in their own cheesy way.

The show focuses on three female police officers who quit their boring police jobs to work for mysterious millionaire Charlie Townsend (voiced by the never really seen John Forsyth). Sabrina (Kate Jackson), Jill (Farrah Fawcett), and Kelly (Jaclyn Smith) now work as private detectives handling cases for people who turn to Charlie for help. That usually requires the three of them to go undercover to gather the clues needed. Assisting them in any way needed is Bosley (David Doyle).

So what kind of cases do they take on in this season? Well, there's the aging film starlet who keeps seeing scenes from her old movies. There's the case of the rag doll strangler. The centerfolds at Feline Magazine keep dying. Jill goes undercover at a roller derby. And in the most famous episode of the season, the three ladies get themselves arrested to discover the fate of a woman arrested and never heard from again.

While the series will never be mistaken for great television, it is fun. The acting is decent, at least from the leads. And there's an impressive display of guest stars including a young Tommy Lee Jones, Kim Basinger, and Tom Selleck.

Unfortunately, the stories sometimes leave a little something to be desired from a mystery standpoint. Many of the cases are solved by coincidence with the details being explained to us in the last few minutes. A couple of the episodes are clunkers, like "The Big Tap-Out" which is boring the entire way through. And some of the guest actors are so over the top it really gets annoying.

Fans will enjoy watching this set, which contains the original two hour long pilot plus all 22 first season episodes. The only extra, a documentary on the popularity of the series, isn't that special.

This show is not great television. It was popular because it was fun. And, if you can ignore some of the flaws, it really still is.

Girl power fun from the seventies.......2006-09-26

The first of five series, and the only one to include Farah Fawcett who provides the ideal contrast to her two sisters in sleuth.

Relaxing and watching this easygoing entertaining series one wonders why everything is now so serious and intense.

Sure the plots are wafer thin and repetitive, but acted out by three very attractive young women and with a humorous foil in Bosley (David Doyle) and the off screen boss Charlie Townsend whose voice comes through a small loudspeaker they are great fun.

The Second and Third Seasons are available in the USA, so maybe they will arrive here some time.

Disappointing.........with the product details........2006-07-14

I'm a fan of Charlie's Angels but I've never seen the first series so I bought this boxset. As I'm hard of hearing, I always check if there is subtitles before I buy it and there is so I bought it. But unfortunately when I got the dvds there is no subtitles at all like what the boxset said. So its a shame that I cant be able to enjoy watching it without understanding what they're saying.

MUST HAVE.......2005-08-20

If you are an angels fan it is a must have, even if you have never seen it, it is a 100% garunte you will love it!
There is a pilot episode and 22 other episodes. There is also special features where there are trailors to the new movies!

YOU MUST GET IT

What happened to season 2,3,4 & 5?.......2004-07-05

I think that Charlie's Angels is a great show despite it's age and the two movies starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu definitely revived the series!

Season One is the best season because everything is new and you don't really know what to expect. These 3 angels are also the best angels who are later replaced by younger angels sadly!

I've got one question though. Why have they only released the first season? Do the makers know that there is a season 2,3,4 & 5 which follows the first season? Hopefully they'll hurry up and get them all out on DVD as they seem to be doing it with MASH and Frasier!

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