When Charlie's Angels was on television the first time, I didn't watch it. Our TV died when I was about five years old (in my memory, it was smack in the middle of an Easter Bunny special too), and my mother chose to not replace it. I think this was mostly good for me, because it turned me into a big time reader (which I still am today). The only issue I have with it was that I always, always lost at TV Tag (did you play that as a kid? You had to shout out the name of a television show when the person that was "it" tried to get you and then you froze and were "safe"), and now as an adult I cannot ignore a television screen when it's in my view (for instance, if I'm at a restaurant that has a TV where I can see it I won't hear anything being said at the table because I get totally drawn to the TV like a moth to a flame; I can't tune it out).
(There were a lot of parentheticals in that paragraph, weren't there?)
But I do remember the hype about Charlie's Angels. Because my mother commented on it. As a 1970s feminist, she was absolutely disgusted with the show and its premise: three "sexy" women detectives that answered to an unseen male who sent them routinely into dangerous territory. I can certainly see her point, but I think she missed out on the absolutely revolutionary nature of the show: it was the first time a television show featured smart, independent, ambitious young women fighting to utilize their talents in their careers (after all, they tried to all be cops but were stuck behind desks because it was the 70s, after all).
I've been thinking about that since Farrah's terribly sad death last week at the hands of a rather brutal cancer (seriously, I can't think of a worse way to go than anal cancer). What I remember most about Farrah Fawcett isn't her Charlie's Angels role (I think it was only a season or two, right?) but her 80s comeback when she starred in two very revolutionary roles in the movies of Extremities and The Burning Bed. I watched Extremities after I'd fought off my own would-be rapist in the winter of 1986, and was profoundly effected by the movie. Watching Farrah quiver and softly testify in the courtroom scenes in The Burning Bed was amazingly memorable too; to this day I can picture those scenes.
Since Charlie's Angels, there have only been a tiny handful of shows that have centered on women characters; there was the fantastic Cagney and Lacey (how much do you love Sharon Gless and her chain smoking character on Burn Notice?), of course. Kate and Allie. I'm sure you can all remember a few more. But they have been few and far between; while many shows now feature the one strong, smart, complicated woman (Mariska Hagartay in Law & Order SVU, for instance), until very recently the airwaves remained dominated by men.
I was struck while I was thinking about Charlie's Angels and the legacy of that show with just how many shows I am personally watching (and invested in) right now that have women stars. Not just women, either, but messy and complicated and emotionally fascinating women. I'm talking about shows (all of these are on the air right now) like The Closer with Kyra Sedgewick (I loved how she carried around her dead cat's ashes this week while solving a huge crime and facing down not only her boss but her husband and the whole FBI). Then there is the unbelievably awesome Saving Grace starring Holly Hunter. Not only are those two shows STARRING women but they are also executive produced by the stars. And there is the new Hawthorne, starring Jada Pinkett Smith (the weakest show on this list by far, but I have hope, and it fills the hole left by ER just a bit). Kudos to TNT for featuring these shows.
There's also In Plain Sight, which I fucking love because it not only features the amazing main star as a federal marshall but two other remarkable actresses in lead roles as her sister and her mother. Then there is the new show starring Edie Falco called Nurse Jackie, and of course there is Weeds (which I'm not loving so far this season, but I stand by the show).
I think each of these shows owe a debt to Farrah Fawcett and the rest of the cast of Charlie's Angels, even if the television networks were (are) all a bunch of sexist idiots by taking this long to get to this point. You'll also note that all of these shows are on cable, and NOT the big three (or four) networks; we still have a long way to go.
But I'm grateful for the strength showed by a blond praised only for her "California" beauty and mostly ignored for her immense talent. It's making my summer far more entertaining--and empowering. Rest in peace, Farrah. And thank you.
