While many dismissed a show like Charlie’s Angels as nothing more than shallow “jiggle television,” the series gave an opportunity to shine a spotlight on some pretty powerful women. Actors like Kate Jackson got their start on the series. Jackson played Sabrina, known to audiences as the brainy angel.

Off-screen, Jackson was just as intelligent as her character, with determination and confidence to match. “I like to think, without sounding funny about it, that I’m growing into the artist I left Alabama to become,” said Jackson during an interview with the Waterloo Region Record. Jackson disagreed with the poor reputation that television had garnered. While many saw television shows as fodder for the masses, Jackson viewed them for what they were: a stepping stone in her career. “It’s [television] been too good to me to suddenly be above it,” said Jackson. “I won’t ever turn down anything just because it’s for TV.”

Starring in the series allowed Jackson to take control of her own career. Once Charlie’s Angels made her a star, she used her high-profile name to become the captain of her own ship, no longer at the mercy of television executives.

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“I’m at a new beginning,” said the actor. “I’m glad I walked away from the TV megabucks. I had a $10-million deal to do a half-hour series. At the time, I had a high enough TV-Q that it didn’t matter what the series was about. But I decided I couldn’t do another one. I didn’t have to. I’d earned a lot of megabucks already.”