Editing Charlie's Angels (section)

==Cast changes==
[[File:Charlies Angels cast 1976.JPG|thumb|Season one cast (1976&ndash;1977): [[Jaclyn Smith]], [[Farrah Fawcett]], and [[Kate Jackson]]]] 
Over the course of its five-year run, ''Charlie's Angels'' had a series of highly publicized cast changes.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20068543,00.html |title= Farewell, Farrah|website=[[People (magazine)|People]] |access-date=2014-02-15}}</ref> The first of these took place in the spring of 1977, just after the conclusion of the [[Charlie's Angels: Season One|first season]]. Fawcett turned in her resignation just before the season one finale aired on May 4, 1977. Fawcett's decision not to return for a second season triggered a lawsuit against the actress by ABC and Spelling.<ref name="cbsnews.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-charlies-angels-changed-tv/|title=How 'Charlie's Angels' Changed TV|website=www.cbsnews.com|date=March 3, 2004 }}</ref>

During the 1977 summer hiatus of the series, ABC and Fawcett entered a legal battle over her contract. At the beginning of the series, all three female leads signed five-year contracts, and the network was insistent that they live up to their commitments. Business partners [[Leonard Goldberg]] and Aaron Spelling tried to work out a deal with Fawcett and her agents. Goldberg and Spelling had arranged for her to make one film during her summer hiatuses, and her choice over subsequent television shows and miniseries. ABC even agreed to raise her salary from $5,000 to $8,000 a week, but she declined those offers. ABC reluctantly released her from her series contract in the summer of 1977. However, she was assigned to another contract with ABC, stating that since she left her contract four years early that she would return to the series later on in its run for six guest appearances. Fawcett would return as Jill Munroe on ''Charlie's Angels'' for three guest appearances in season three, and again returned for three more in season four.

[[File:Cheryl Ladd Fotos International 1977.jpg|thumb|left|[[Cheryl Ladd]] as Kris Munroe]]
As Fawcett departed the series, ABC began searching for her replacement. Executives eventually noticed singer turned actress Cheryl Ladd and offered her a screen test. Initially, Ladd refused the opportunity for a screen test, but after lobbying from studio executives, she relented. Although executives noticed Ladd was inexperienced, they saw promise in her performance and signed her to a four-year contract. In an effort to keep the hype the series had with Fawcett, Ladd was written in the series as her sister, San Francisco police academy graduate Kris Munroe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20069144,00.html|title=Taking Farrah's Spot|website=People.com|access-date=19 November 2017}}</ref>

Ratings dropped during the third season. Jackson began to complain about the show's diminishing script quality (she once complained: "The scripts are so light it would take a week to get to the floor if you dropped it from the ceiling")<ref name="people.com">{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-charlies-fallen-angel-vol-11-no-22/|title=Charlie's Fallen Angel|website=PEOPLE.com|date=4 June 1979}}</ref> and further stated that initially the series focused on "classic detective work", but had become more of a "cop story of the week". During the third season, Jackson was offered the part of Joanna Kramer in ''[[Kramer vs. Kramer]]'' (1979) with [[Dustin Hoffman]] but the ''Charlie's Angels'' producers refused to reorganize the shooting schedule to allow Jackson time off to shoot the film (the part of Joanna ultimately went to [[Meryl Streep]], who won an [[Academy Award]] for her performance). Upset by this situation and her negative opinion of the scripts, Jackson became problematic, as she admitted, "I guess I did cause a few problems" and she was let go. In a statement, Spelling said: "Due to problems on the set, Kate is being dropped for the good of the show".<ref name="people.com"/>

Casting calls for Jackson's replacement began during the summer of 1979. Several up-and-coming actresses were considered for the role, including [[Barbara Bach]] {{Efn|''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'', which starred Bach as [[Daisy Duke]], premiered on CBS in January 1979.}}, [[Connie Sellecca]], [[Shari Belafonte]], [[Judith Chapman]], newcomer [[Michelle Pfeiffer]] and ''[[The Price Is Right]]'' model [[Dian Parkinson]]. ABC producers auditioned [[Revlon]] [[Charlie (fragrance)|Charlie]] perfume model [[Shelley Hack]] and cast her as Jackson's replacement. Producers at Spelling-Goldberg were quoted as saying: "We feel that Shelley Hack has exactly the talent, style, and intelligence we were looking for".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mediavillage.com/article/charlies-angels-star-shelly-hack-finds-heaven-at-hallmark/ |title="Charlie's Angels" Star Shelley Hack Finds Heaven at Hallmark |first=Steve |last=Gidlow |work=MediaVillage |date=2018-01-30 |access-date=2020-03-13}}</ref> Producer Spelling loved the idea of the headline "The Charlie Girl Becomes A ''Charlie's Angel''".<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-charlies-latest-angel-vol-12-no-13/|title=Charlie's Latest Angel|website=PEOPLE.com}}</ref> Hack debuted in the fourth-season premiere as [[Tiffany Welles]], who graduated "top of her class" from the [[Boston]] police academy and recruited from the [[Boston Police Department]]. In hiring Hack, Spelling's priority for season four was to "bring back the glamour"<ref>Gough-Yates, Anna, (December 16, 2001) ''Action TV: Tough-Guys, Smooth Operators and Foxy Chicks''. Routledge Publishing, p. 95, {{ISBN|978-0415226219}}</ref> while ABC hoped Hack's sophisticated personality would bring an interesting new mystique and intrigue to the series.<ref name="auto"/> However, after an initial spike in the ratings, they began to erode, so in an attempt to revitalize declining ratings and regain popularity, ABC released Hack from her contract in February 1980. A statement later issued by Spelling-Goldberg read: "When she signed her contract for the series, Miss Hack had a personal agreement that she could review her continuation with the show at the end of her first season since series television represented an enormous change in her career and lifestyle",<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mediavillage.com/article/charlies-angels-star-shelly-hack-finds-heaven-at-hallmark/ |title="Charlie's Angels" Star Shelley Hack Finds Heaven at Hallmark |first=Steve |last=Gidlow |work=MediaVillage |date=January 30, 2018 |access-date=March 13, 2020}}</ref> implying that Hack was included in the decision to exit ''Charlie's Angels''. In an interview with ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'', Hack said: "They can say I didn't work out, but it isn't true. What happened was a network war. A business decision was made. Change the timeslot or bring on some new publicity. How to get publicity? A new Angel hunt. Who is the obvious person to replace? I am—the new kid on the block".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20075988,00.html|title=Caught in the Nielsen Wars, Charlie's Latest Pearly Angel, Shelley Hack, Gets the Gate|website=People.com|access-date=19 November 2017|archive-date=August 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816094711/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20075988,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hack later stated: "I never expected to be there more than a year and I wasn't. I did my year and I moved on".<ref name=TVTales>{{Cite episode |title=Charlie's Angels |series=TV Tales |publisher=Primary Fusion Productions |network=[[E!]] |url=http://primaryfusionproductions.com/2018/11/20/tv-tales-charlies-angels/ |access-date=2018-08-31}}</ref>

Casting calls went out for Hack's replacement. After a series of false commitments, Spelling and ABC selected model and former dance instructor [[Tanya Roberts]], beating out [[Jayne Kennedy]], [[Susie Coelho]], and what Roberts skeptically called "the [other] alleged 2,000 Angel candidates".<ref name=jiggle>{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-is-the-jiggle-up-vol-15-no-5/|title=Is the Jiggle Up?|website=PEOPLE.com|date=9 February 1981}}</ref> Roberts debuted in the fifth-season premiere as [[Julie Rogers (Charlie's Angels)|Julie Rogers]], a streetwise fighter and model from [[New York City|New York]], but the season premiere episode drew mild ratings. She was pictured on the cover of ''People'' magazine and featured in an article surrounding the series. The article, titled "Is the Jiggle Up?", asked if Roberts could save ''Charlie's Angels'' from cancellation. Executive Brett Garwood said that they hoped to keep the show going for next year, but nothing was certain.<ref name=jiggle/>
Between November 1980 and June 1981, the series was broadcast in three different time slots and its ratings further declined, so ABC cancelled the show in the spring of 1981.