Charlie's Angels 50th Anniversary Panel at Paleyest 2025

...a soupçon of memoir, as promised in my substack's full title...

NOTE: Theatre reviews return next post.

Pictured (L-R): Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, and Cheryl Ladd at the Dolby Theater | Photo: My Brother

I spent the last weekend in Los Angeles for the Museum of Television and Radio’s 50th anniversary panel of Charlie’s Angels, a show I discovered early in my childhood through my big brother—he was pubescent, I was gay—and have loved ever since. It was a blissful few days that stand in stark contrast to the terrifying and demoralizing news that’s unfolding as I sit on the tarmac. Like so many of us, I am terrified. And yet I find myself holding on to a tiny sliver of hope from the unlikely source of the panel itself.

Charlie’s Angels was originally built around Kate Jackson, the only actress (i) to have had hit shows before and after the series, and (ii) to have been nominated for three Emmy Awards, two for her work on “Charlie’s,” as Jaclyn Smith calls it. Farrah Fawcett(-Majors) was, of course, its biggest breakout star and a cultural icon. She left after one season and would later legitimize herself as an actress by starring in Extremities off-Broadway and in its film adaptation. Cheryl Ladd, who replaced her, still works constantly and is the show’s only Angel who’s been on Broadway, having replaced Bernadette Peters in Annie Get Your Gun.

But it’s Jaclyn Smith who has enjoyed the most enduring, consistent, and LUCRATIVE success, not just as an actress, but as arguably the first celebrity to launch her own product line at a discount department store (Kmart). Her longevity is even more impressive when you consider she was the last of the original Angels to be cast, only being offered her role after it was turned down by a slew of other women, including Barbara Bach and Connie Sellecca. Smith was objectively the weakest actress of all the Angels to do multiple seasons on the series, and yet she became the only one to remain on the series for its full duration (not to mention make appearances in the film franchise!).

It was a joy to see Jackson, Smith, and Ladd reunite last night. Yes, as the press is emphasizing, they looked fabulous, but, even better, they were deliciously full of life and possessed so much chemistry with—and respect for—each other. Each was a delightful speaker. Jackson’s remarks were characterized by candor and a wry wit that would’ve delighted Bette Davis; she was particularly hilarious while recounting being paid only $80 for all the Charlie’s Angels merchandise bearing her likeness…and 24 years after the show’s debut! Ladd was all bubbly effervescence and showbiz charm, but also demonstrated great vulnerability and resilience in revealing that she, like her two former costars, had battled breast cancer.

Smith, however, had a groundedness, eloquence, and evenkeeled energy that anchored the presentation. There was an aura of stability around her that often eludes performers, especially those who’ve weathered the brutality of the entertainment industry for decades. I found myself wondering about the relationship between this stability and her ongoing success. Which one was responsible for the other? Has her clearheaded-ness given her the perspective to identify good opportunities when she sees them? Or has she been able to remain clearheaded because the industry has treated her with a modicum of respect, sparing her the injustices and indignities imposed on many performers of a certain age—especially women and ESPECIALLY women who come to fame as sexual objects? In other words, is her equanimity a cause or an effect of her achievement?

Of course, the answer is that it’s probably both. Regardless of which feeds the other and to what degree, my unexpected takeaway from last night’s panel is that maybe—just maybe—in the end, stability wins. And today I’m going to hold on to that as the best bit of comfort I can get.

Thank you, Charlie’s Angels, for offering othered others like me 50 years of reassurance and empowerment.

a key to the pictures

• Cheryl Ladd sings “You Can't Get a Man with a Gun” on Broadway in Annie Get Your Gun, and “I’ve Got the Sun in Morning” in the production’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade spot.

• After Charlie’s Angels, Kate Jackson starred in Making Love, often described as the first major studio feature about homosexuality. It’s not a great movie, though she is legitimately great in it and it’s a fascinating historical artifact for queer folk, which you can even get an idea of in its trailer.

• Jaclyn Smith, who originally thought she was going to be a dancer, once appeared in a fantastic montage of dances from Emmy winning programs, including Liza With a Z. I cannot find it anywhere; if you have it, please message me!

  • In lieu of Smith doing Liza, here’s a famous, and thoroughly problematic!, sequence from Charlie’s where she belly-dancing.

a rare dedication

• This post is dedicated to my big brother who hosted me in Los Angeles, joined me at Paleyfest, and, nearly 30 years ago, was the first family member to whom I came out.  Thank you for introducing me to Charlie’s Angels—and so many other things I love—and playing such a huge role in making me who I am today.