50 Years Later, 'Charlie's Angels' Star Reveals the Bikini Stunt Saved the Show

For an entire generation, the action franchise Charlie's Angels wasn't a series of tongue-in-cheek movies from the early aughts, but instead, a mega-popular TV series that launched in 1976. Focusing on three women who are private investigators, working for the unseen titular "Charlie," the show redefined what a prime-time action-adventure series could be, and because all the main characters were women, and not superheroes, the show was unusual for its time. Today, some pundits and fans have floated the idea of a female James Bond, but from 1976 to 1981, Charlie's Angels basically already created a female James Bond, times three.

In celebration of the show's 50th anniversary this year, three of the original cast members, Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson, and Cheryl Ladd, recently spoke at a panel celebrating Charlie's Angelsat PaleyFest in Hollywood on Monday, April 6. And, during the panel, Ladd recounted one surprising story that probably helped the show stay popular.

After Farah Fawcett departed the show after Season 1, Ladd took her place as the character Kris Munroe, who, in the continuity of the show, was the sister of Fawcett's Jill Munroe. Speaking at the PaleyFest panel, Ladd recalls that series creator Aaron Spelling had pressured her into wearing a bikini on screen so much that she eventually devised a trick that allowed her to get into outfits that made her more comfortable.

"I went out and bought the tiniest little bikini ever seen on television!" Ladd explained, according to Variety. This was her way of sending a message to the producers and Spelling. "We filmed, and Aaron was not happy...So he said to someone, ‘Tell the little troublemaker that she’s never going to do that again!' And I didn’t, but I did make my point. And after that, I was wearing swimsuits I felt comfortable in.”

This move worked. Ladd was able to select more modest clothes, and thus slightly elevated the realism of the show. And, as Smith added, "Our ratings went up!"

The panel also discussed how Jackson herself helped get the show off the ground. After Spelling had talked to her about an unnamed show called Alley Cats, Jackson was inspired by a painting of angels and suggested the basic concept of Charlie's Angels. The rest is history.

Where to Stream the Classic Charlie's Angels

For fans of retro action shows, like The A-Team or Knight Rider, the original Charlie's Angels still holds up. The show ran from 1976 to 1981 for five seasons, with several lineup changes, though Jaclyn Smith appeared in all five seasons as Kelly Garrett. The classic show streams for free on Tubi.