Editing Charlie's Angels (section)

==Premise==
{{Quote_box|width=45%|align=Centre|"Once upon a time, there were three little girls who went to the police academy; and they were each assigned very hazardous duties. But I took them away from all that and now they work for me. My name is Charlie!"|Charles "Charlie" Townsend's opening narration.}}

In the initial concept, Sabrina Duncan, Jill Munroe, and Kelly Garrett have graduated from the police academy in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]. Despite proving their capability during training, all three have subsequently been assigned by the [[Los Angeles Police Department]] to be a [[meter maid]], office worker, and [[crossing guard]], respectively. Dissatisfied with these jobs, they are recruited to work for the Charles Townsend Agency as [[private investigator]]s. All of this is explained in the opening credit sequence; neither the pilot film nor subsequent series ever actually depicted an "origin story" as they are seen to have been working as investigators for some time as of the start of the pilot.

[[File:Charlie's Angels 1977.jpg|thumb|The trio as depicted in a publicity still for the "[[Charlie's Angels (season 1)#Episodes|Angels in Chains]]" episode]]

Their boss, Charlie Townsend, who nicknames them "Angels", is never viewed full face, but is often seen from the back, mostly in the company of beautiful women. As a former detective, Charlie made many enemies, therefore to protect the Angels, as well as his own identity, Charlie gives the Angels their assignments via a [[Western Electric]] speakerphone; he never meets them face to face (Bosley being the exception), which leads to recurring queries from the Angels as to when, or if, he will ever join them on an assignment.

In season two, [[San Francisco]] police academy graduate Kris Munroe takes the place of her older sister, Jill, in the trio; in the fourth season, Tiffany Welles, a [[Boston]] police academy graduate, takes Sabrina's place; and in the fifth and final season, upon Tiffany's departure, Julie Rogers, a former [[New York City|New York]] model fills the void when she is granted a temporary private detective license.

''Charlie's Angels'' was generally formatted in the way of a procedural drama, much like the vast majority of other crime shows of the era. Many of the episodes follow a regular structure whereby a crime is committed, the 'Angels' are given the case details, and then they go undercover to solve the crime. Inevitably, the final scene takes place back at the Townsend office with Charlie offering his congratulations for a job well done. Most episodes have stand-alone plots and are usually not referenced in future episodes.