THE DARK SIDE OF CHARLIE'S ANGELS

SOMETIMES THE SET WAS MORE LIKE HELL THAN HEAVEN...

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Charlie’s Angels was a breath of fresh air when it debuted in the 1970s.

Forty-one years since the Townsend Agency closed its doors for the final time, the show’s legacy continues, with a 2011 TV reboot and two big-screen franchises that have given actresses such as Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Kristen Stewart their wings.

Still, there’s nothing like the original, so here’s what you mightn’t have known about the filming of the iconic show...

NO BOYS’ CLUB

In the mid-1970s, legendary producer Aaron Spelling pitched the idea of an hour-long crime drama/action series for TV starring three female detectives – with no men among the leading cast. One ABC network executive allegedly went so far as to say the pitch was “the worst idea they had ever heard”. But a short while later, a different executive saw it differently, and the show was picked up.

THE NAME GAME

Originally, the show’s working title was The Alley Cats, but producers decided early on that the name was inappropriate!

Kate Jackson, who starred as Sabrina Duncan, offered the suggestion of ‘Harry’s Angels’ – because that was the name of their unseen boss. The only problem was that another detective show, Harry-O, was already on the air. Ultimately, it was decided that the easiest solution was to change the character’s name from Harry to Charles – and thus Charlie’s Angels was born.

YOU’RE FIRED!