Product Details

• Actors: Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, Diana Muldaur, David Doyle
• Directors: Allen Baron, Bernard McEveety, Bob Kelljan, Cliff Bole, Don Chaffey
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English (Unknown)
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: May 27, 2003
• Run Time: 1164 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008WJEZ
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,760 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #3 in	Movies & TV > Television > Action & Adventure > Charlie's Angels
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• For more information about "Charlie's Angels - The Complete First Season" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 1 in The Charlie's Angels Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

America's guiltiest pleasure of 1976--the inaugural season of Charlie's Angels--has returned in all its jiggly, jolly glory in this tidy boxed set. It's hard to describe just how captivated the nation's media and viewing public were with cheesemeister Aaron Spelling's ABC-TV hit, but for awhile Charlie's Angels was wildly popular appointment television at its most self-consciously banal. The first season's three (and best-remembered) belles--lioness Farrah Fawcett (then Farrah Fawcett-Majors), pin-up babe Jaclyn Smith, and Thinking Man's beauty Kate Jackson--were something like primetime Spice Girls, gracing countless magazine covers and bestselling posters. The idea (even if a fan of the show didn't happen to be a straight male) was that one was compelled to choose a favorite angel as a kind of ink-blot window onto one's subconscious life.

While the 2000 Angels feature film (starring Cameron Diaz, etc.) kept faith with the original show's self-mockingly sloppy storytelling, there's nothing like seeing the old episodes for a lesson in narrative hubris. Basically, the three leading characters were bored policewomen wooed away to a private firm owned and operated by the unseen sybarite, Charlie (voiced--over speakerphone--by an uncredited John Forsythe). After a long set-up each week, the girls' investigations typically saw them going undercover: as fashion models--no great stretch--in "Night of the Strangler"; nurses in "Terror on Ward One"; roller-derby stars in "Angels on Wheels"; and vulnerable convicts (of course) in "Angels In Chains." The exploitation factor is not as bad as it might have been. The cast was so glamorous, their chemistry so perfect, Charlie's Angels never became a mere meat market. Despite such nods to modernity as Fawcett's no-bra look, the episodes were old-fashioned in their heroine-in-peril appeal, yet there was a difference: The Angels looked out for themselves and each other. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

This five-disc compilation features the entire First Season with the original Angels Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith and all their adventures from one of the most classic shows in television history.

Once upon a time, Jill, Sabrina and Kelly were police officers whose skills were being wasted in menial duties such as answering phones and filing. A mysterious millionaire named Charles Townsend took them away from all that by opening his own private investigation agency and hiring these gorgeous ladies as his operatives with John Bosley acting as their assistant and liaison.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Once Upon a Time, There Were Three Little Girls.........., June 18, 2003

By	Scott Cloonan (Taunton, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's great to have this 5-disc complete first season compilation on DVD. Although no one will confuse Charlie's Angels with "quality" television (this show was never meant to be taken seriously), this campy series is just plain fun, even 27 years later. Most episodes are light on plotline but the appeal of it's three stars make up for that. Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett-Majors and Jaclyn Smith have a chemistry unmatched by any of the future Angel pairings. Season One contains the series most "infamous" episode, "Angels in Chains." Every single "women in prison" cliche is here......the brutal prison matrons, the leacherous sheriff and deputy, the crooked warden and of course the obligatory shower scene. This is probably the highlight of the season.

This DVD collection gets high marks for including the original movie pilot. Although the pilot movie is just average, I haven't seen it since it first aired, so it was a nice bonus. Although Jaclyn Smith is featured prominently in the pilot, it was meant to be a showcase for Kate Jackson. Kate (for whom the series was created) was originally supposed to play Kelly Garrett but decided to play Sabrina at the last minute, thus Jaclyn Smith gets most of the screen time in the movie.
Unfortunately, the pilot movie is the best that can be said about the extras in the DVD collection. It also contains a rather dull featurette called "Angels Forever" which consists of a lot of geeky fans reminiscing about the series. TV Land and the E network had much better features about the series. Alas none of the stars are featured offering their thoughts on the series. The DVD also does not contain chapter selections for each episode, which is rather irritating. The packaging of the collection is certainly sparse as well. Each disc is contained in a flimsy plastic cover. Hopefully Sony Entertainment will correct these issues in future seasons.

I suspect the appeal of this series lies predominantly with those of us who remember when it first aired in the 1970s. Today, it's hard to believe this innocent, cheesey little show caused as much controversy as it did. It's nice to see that Chucky's girls are still fun to watch after all these years.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bona fide TV classic..., July 27, 2005

By	Britt Gillette "thedvdreport.blogspot.com" (Chesapeake, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Long before Magnum, PI put Tom Selleck on the map, Charlie's Angels owned the world of TV private eyes. Nominated for 4 Emmys and 7 Golden Globes, including 2 for Best TV Series - Drama, Charlie's Angels was a truly rare overnight sensation. The forerunner to modern day shows such as La Femme Nikita and Alias, creators Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts capped off long careers as showbiz writers by penning the unforgettable story of three sexy and vivacious private investigators. Executive producer Aaron Spelling (linked to innumerable hit shows such as Beverly Hills 90210, The Love Boat, Melrose Place, Dynasty, 7th Heaven, and Charmed among others) played a prominent role in the pop culture explosion of this series which witnessed the immediate mass marketing of Charlie's Angels trading cards, posters, lunchboxes, and endless other memorabilia - including a full-length feature film of the same name two decades later (2000). Through the duration of the series (five seasons), the cast changed continuously as Charlie's angels became media stars in their own right and left to pursue various opportunities in modeling, film, and TV...

Charlie's Angels centers around a group of gorgeous female ex-police officers hired to work for the Charles Townsend Detective Agency. A mysterious multi-millionaire with seemingly unlimited means, Charles Townsend communicates with his girls via speaker-phone and through the aid of his personal assistant, John Bosley (David Doyle). Charlie sends the girls on various undercover missions and dangerous assignments where they apprehend criminals and pursue justice with a vengeance. The original angels are Sabrina Duncan (Kate Jackson) who plays the role of the "smartest" angel, Kelly Garrett (Jaclyn Smith) who plays the part of the "street-smart" angel, and Jill Munroe (Farrah Fawcett) who plays the role of the "athletic" angel. Together, they unleash their collective talents on the criminal underworld, putting their own lives at risk in process... As the show progressed, Jill Munroe left as a regular on the series and was replaced by her sister Kris (Cheryl Ladd). The following year, Sabrina left the agency to tend to her family and was replaced by Tiffany (Shelley Hack) and later by Julie (Tanya Roberts)...

The Charlie's Angels (Season 1) DVD features a number of action-packed episodes including the series premiere "Hellride" in which the audience first learns of the mysterious Charles Townsend Detective Agency and the beautiful women who comprise the majority of its agents. When a female racecar driver suffers a questionable death, Charlie sends the girls out to uncover the truth. To get the job done, Sabrina poses as a racecar driver, and the girls discover the existence of a murderous conspiracy... Other notable episodes from Season 1 include "Bullseye" in which the angels uncover a drug-ring owned and operated by two corrupt military officials, and "The Vegas Connection" in which the angels and Bosley travel to Las Vegas in order to catch a deviant con artist...

Below is a list of episodes included on the Charlie's Angels (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Hellride)
Episode 2 (The Mexican Connection)
Episode 3 (Night of the Strangler)
Episode 4 (Angels in Chains)
Episode 5 (Target: Angels)
Episode 6 (The Killing Kind)
Episode 7 (To Kill an Angel)
Episode 8 (Lady Killer)
Episode 9 (Bullseye)
Episode 10 (Consenting Adults)
Episode 11 (The Seance)
Episode 12 (Angels on Wheels)
Episode 13 (Angel Trap)
Episode 14 (The Big Tap Out)
Episode 15 (Angels on a String)
Episode 16 (Dirty Business)
Episode 17 (The Vegas Connection)
Episode 18 (Terror on Ward One)
Episode 19 (Dancing in the Dark)
Episode 20 (I Will Be Remembered)
Episode 21 (Angels at Sea)
Episode 22 (The Blue Angels)

The DVD Report

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PLEASE DON'T FORGET THE LATTER SEASONS!!!, April 16, 2003

By	CHUCK WEST (ATLANTA, GA, USA) - See all my reviews

What can be said about CHARLIE'S ANGELS, the Primetime television series, which aired on ABC-TV, from 1976-1981, which hasn't already been said or written? Now it can be said that the FIRST of the five ESSENTIAL components of the series, Season One (1976-1977), is to be released on DVD! Hopefully the episodes will be digitally remastered from the original full-length ABC Primetime edits, instead of the excruciatingly disappointing, chopped up-edits from syndicated television.

KUDOS to whomever is responsible for getting the original ABC-TV Movie of the Week, "CHARLIE'S ANGELS," (March, 1976 & September, 1976) included on this DVD release. This made-for-TV movie and Edward J. Lakso's initial 5 scripts for the following episodes are very solid and extremely important for setting the foundation of the series. Included also on the DVD release are many extras and perks, enough to keep the most avid collectors and devoted fans satisfied with the release... at least until time for the DVD release of Season Two (the time when the series increased EVEN MORE in popularity). I watched the whole series while on ABC, and like many fans, believe that the series progressively got BETTER as the seasons unfolded...

Most Charlie's Angels fans tend to have a favorite Angel, season, and/or episode. My favorites all coincided with the arrival of SHELLEY HACK as "Tiffany Welles," at the beginning of Season Four in the Season Premiere Angels Movie, LOVE BOAT ANGELS (1979), from an original script titled ANGELS IN THE SUN. Tiffany's arrival was as awe-inspiring as "Venus Rising from the Sea," with her fluffy Greta Garbo disco hair and all! Since this episode was recently awarded and acknowledged for excellence at the first annual TVLand Awards in March 2003 (YES!!!), I have great hope and confidence that, one day soon, we shall see LOVE BOAT ANGELS released as part of the Season Four DVD release, UNEDITED! In the September 1979 ABC airing, over an hour's worth of airtime was from footage shot in and around ST. THOMAS in the U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. All that time, energy and money spent on the camera crew sent to The Caribbean, to shoot in the tropical heat of June 1979, is virtually wasted when the episode is split into 2 parts, and edited for syndication (the biggest crime of the whole series!). Too many of the Virgin Islands/Caribbean Sea exterior shots are cut, and too many studio shots are kept in the final syndicated edit. The same applies for the movies from various seasons, filmed in Vail, Honolulu/Hawaii, and Las Vegas. Let's just hope Columbia/Tri-Star has the forsight and fortitude to restore these treasures to their full glory! PLEASE!