Charlie’s Angels had an original run of five seasons, lasting from 1976-1981, and featured a trio of girls working for a private detective agency in Los Angeles. The original three angels consisted of Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson, respectively. The show has been noted for its trendsetting premise of three independent women working in law enforcement and living life in the fast lane, so to speak.
They took on dangerous assignments and saved the day multiple times, and as the show went on, more “angels” joined the cast in the forms of Cheryl Ladd, Shelley Hack and Tanya Roberts. While the series did have some intriguing episodes, they had a few that weren’t so angelic, either in interest or in ratings. That said, here are the 5 best and 5 worst episodes of Charlie’s Angels.
Worst: Marathon Angels (Season 3, Episode 19)
The angels are drawn in when two women mysteriously disappear in connection to an upcoming marathon race. Kris and Kelly enter in the race to chase down the suspects on foot.
As it turns out, there are many angles in play in this particular race, from the real target of the kidnappers to Bosley himself mixing business with pleasure when he secures a date with the woman who hired them to begin with. It all seems a little ludicrous and hastily written, which is why we’re writing off this episode.
Best: Charlie’s Angels (Season 1, Episode 0)
Technically the pilot, this TV movie was split into two episodes for syndication. The Angels start off with a bang, investigating the mysterious circumstances regarding the disappearance of a wealthy man named Vincent. Believing that the man now running Vincent’s business is behind the murder, Vincent’s estranged daughter recruits the Angels to prove it.
Kelly and Sabrina take turns posing as the estranged daughter before Vincent is legally declared dead to uncover the grisly truth to Vincent’s fate. Also featuring a young Tommy Lee Jones, there’s a lot to love when it comes to the debut of the Angels.
Worst: Moonshinin’ Angels (Season 5, Episode 7)
The Angels are out in the country to investigate the flare-up of a long-lasting feud between two moonshine competitor families. It seems like someone took moonshining and Romeo and Juliet, and simply threw them together to make a haphazard episode.
The two families have been somewhat peaceful, each conducting their own businesses, until recent flare-ups have sent the feud into a sudden downward spiral. Not only this, but the daughter of one family and the son of another have fallen in love, further complicating matters. Sound familiar?
Best: Angel in a Box (Season 3, Episode 17)
This episode came with a meaningful twist. Blaming Jill for his son’s death, a man arranges to have her sister Kris kidnapped as vengeance. The kidnappers are tricky and leave false clues to distract the Angels, but the Angels being the Angels uncover the truth and get to action.
Not only is the kidnapping resolved, but Jill gets a chance to try to reconcile with her deceased ex-boyfriend’s father, explaining that his son’s crash wasn’t suicidal, but accidental. Plus, this episode is a chance to see Bosley posing as a Scottish golfing aficionado…who doesn’t love watching that?
Worst: Angels Belong in Heaven (Season 3, Episode 11)
This episode is a touch too much. A man who Charlie once helped calls to warn Charlie that someone has taken a hit contract on one of the Angels, but before he can tell Charlie which Angel, he’s killed. Typical.
The Angels must figure out which of them is the target before it’s too late. Again, something of a cliché plot. Plus, Bosley has a bit of a bumbling moment as he’s talking to Charlie and fails to notice that the assassin is nearby, eavesdropping on the conversation. Not the best moment for Bosley or the Angels.
Best: Angel On My Mind (Season 3, Episode 10)
This episode makes the list for many reasons, but suspension is definitely one of them. Kris witnesses a murder, but unfortunately suffers from amnesia soon afterwards. Unaware of who she is, what she saw, or the fact that she is now in danger, she wanders aimlessly, leaving the other Angels and Bosley to track her down before the murderer does.
In a show of heroism, Bosley is the one to shoot the criminal before handing him over to the police in this episode, and thankfully Kris recovers and lives to see the next several episodes following.
Worst: Angels Remembered (Season 3, Episode 22)
This episode finds the three Angels–that being Sabrina, Kelly and Kris at this point in the series–reminiscing about their time working together. Considering this was Kate Jackson’s (Sabrina) final episode, this seems like a weak send-off and goodbye.
Sure, it’s nice to see the highlights of previous missions in clips, but it doesn’t exactly make for a strong plotline, especially when it lasts for the entirety of the episode. As far as send-offs go, this is a sad one, and not just because we were saying goodbye to Sabrina.
Best: The Jade Trap (Season 2, Episode 22)
This episode does a splendid job of intertwining two complicated plotlines into one. Not only are the Angels looking for someone trying to kill a millionaire who betrayed a playboy in a fancy residence, but a notorious cat burglar runs into the killer while he’s making his rounds, leading to some confusion as to who did what.
The two storylines work together beautifully and keep us invested in the episode. Meanwhile, Bosley mistakenly sells valuable jade belonging to Charlie, which was meant to be used as bait. Whoops…
Worst: Disco Angels (Season 3, Episode 15)
Many things are twisted and plain wrong about this episode. One, there’s a serial killer targeting elderly men just after they get off the city bus. Gross and creepy galore. Additionally, the disco angle. We get it was the ’70s and that disco was a thing, but this episode went a little overboard with the disco numbers, making us cringe and feel bad for all those involved in the scene.
To sum it all up, this episode was too creepy, too strange, and frankly, just too much disco.
Best: Angels in Chains (Season 1, Episode 4)
The Angels are hired by a woman trying to locate her sister in a prison. Unable to visit her and having been given the runaround by the prison staff, the woman hires the Angels to investigate. The Angels infiltrate the prison, finding nine kinds of corruption inside. From trumped charges to inadequate conditions and a prostitution ring, the prison oozes with wrongdoing.
The Angels earn the trust of the other inmates and learn the unfortunate fate met by the woman’s sister. Nevertheless, the prison staff faces charges and other prisons are now under investigation, with the Angels narrowly escaping themselves.
