Charlie’s Angels – The Complete Third Season

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: D     Episodes: B-

 

 

In order to cement Cheryl Ladd as Farrah Fawcett’s replacement on Charlie’s Angels, something that happened by the second season, the producers began The Complete Third Season with a two-parter in Las Vegas and followed it with one of the agreed upon guest stints with Farrah.  It worked!  The show continued to be a ratings powerhouse and this new set offers all 24 hour-long shows from that big season.  Farrah even returned for the Angel In A Box episode later in this season.

 

Watching again, I was surprised how decent the incidental mystery elements were on the show, especially versus some full-fledged mystery series we have seen in since the 1980s.  Guest stars for the Angels In Vegas double-show include Dean Martin, Scatman Crothers, Herb Edelman, Michael Conrad, Dick Sargent and Vic Morrow.  It also features Robert Urich as Dan Tana in a crossover appearance from soon-to-be-hit Vegas.  Steven Collins joins Farrah in the Angel Come Home episode, while Bert Freed is the guest in first regular episode Angel On High.  We also get stars like Mercedes McCambridge (Angels In Springtime), Casey Kasem & Jaime Lee Curtis (Winning Is For Losers), Anne Francis (Pom Pom Angel), David Hedison (Angels In The Stretch), Jeanette Nolan (Angels On Vacation), Zalman King & Diane McBain (Disco Angels), Rossano Brazzi, Christopher George & Kathleen Nolan (Terror On Skis), James B. Sikking (Angels In Waiting) and Ramon Bieri (Rosemary For Remembrance).  The show attracted top talent and future talent, making it more than mere “jiggle TV” as the late Aaron Spelling always preferred not to think of the show as.  He was right.  Charlie’s Angels offered much more and this set reminds us of how much effort (versus lame sex-and-kill shows that happened much later) Spelling and ABC put into the private investigators with a twist series.  It is worth looking through again and more than you’d think.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image is not bad for its age, though there are variances between the shows.  Color tends to be consistent, though detail has a few more minor issues.  This certainly looks as good as it ever did.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is not bad for its age either, with dialogue on the clean and clear side.  There are no extras, though there should be.  The show is still fun after all these years.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo