Ratings History
The series proved a runaway hit in the 1976–1977 ratings, finishing at #5 for the season and a great deal of attention was centered on the three leads (Jackson would later comment that this first few months was like being in the eye of a storm). Suddenly all three lead actresses were propelled into big time stardom with Fawcett proving hugely popular, so much so that she was branded a phenomenon. However, the situation off screen was not so happy. The long working hours on set, combined with numerous calls for photo shoots, wardrobe fittings, and promotional interviews, were taking their toll on the trio. Jackson was especially unhappy as she felt the quality of scripts was declining and the format was now more "cop story of the week" rather than classy undercover drama, which had been the intention with the pilot film.
With the departure of Fawcett, the series remained in the top five but lost nearly eight-hundred thousand viewers. With the comeback of Fawcett in the third season (1978–1979), the show's viewership rose but had fallen out of the top ten. With the absence of Jackson in the show's fourth season, Charlie's Angels fell to #20 for the season with the introduction of Shelley Hack. Trying to regain its success by replacing Hack with Tanya Roberts, in the 1980–1981 television season, Charlie's Angels changed from timeslot to timeslot during its fifth year and finished off its run at #47 in the ratings. Smith, the last remaining original Angel, announced partway through season 5 that she would be leaving the show, and with a severe decline in the show's viewership by the end of 1981, ABC cancelled Charlie's Angels after five seasons and 110 episodes.
Read more about this topic: Charlies Angels
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The awareness that health is dependent upon habits that we control makes us the first generation in history that to a large extent determines its own destiny.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)