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Jaclyn Smith considered Charlie's Angels peak entertainment
"I see our show as pure entertainment," Smith said.
Charlie's Angels was a series that got the attention of a lot of people. Throughout its five-season run, it was analyzed, satirized and criticized.
While the saying goes that "any press is good press," one of the show’s stars, Jaclyn Smith, didn’t quite understand what all the fuss was about.
According to a 1978 interview with The Florida Times‑Union, Smith didn’t see Charlie’s Angels as a pop culture phenomenon, nor did she see it as scandalous for having women as its only leads. She simply saw it as peak entertainment.
"It’s just a television show," Smith said. "It’s entertainment."
Smith played the role of Kelley Garrett and was an important piece of the success of the Angels. For her, it opened the door to commercials, posters, movies and stardom. That’s why when people criticized the series, she simply saw it as part of the job.
"It’s grueling, hard work and long hours," Smith said. "People think what a glamorous life I lead. When you do a TV show, you can’t do much else. You need understanding people around you. You come home, wash your makeup off, eat dinner, learn your lines for the next day and go to bed."
So for some people, judging the series was easy to do. But for her, it was her way to pay the bills. And for the audience, she wanted people to enjoy it for the adventure it was, rather than critically analyze everything it did.
In essence, Charlie’s Angels premise was pure entertainment. It wasn’t meant to be taken seriously. It was for entertainment purposes only.
"I see our show as pure entertainment," Smith said. "It’s not a deadly serious show. And it has lots of glamour. Granted, we’re three girls who don’t look like detectives. But in the scripts we come up with good ways to pull off our plans."
She said one of the reasons the show was so highly criticized is because it featured three women doing what many considered a man’s job. She also said they often intimidated male actors.
"Instead of looking down on us, they should be glad it’s three girls," Smith said. "They think Charlie has some power over us. But we act on our own."
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