Charlie's Angels: Complete Fourth Season [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

There's no doubting that the loss of Kate Jackson is a kick in the face to Angels fans. She really was the glue that held the show together. However, Season 4 is not all bad.

Shelly Hack is quietly introduced in the double length premier which crosses over with "The Love Boat", but other than that its business as usual. Bizarrely the opening episode has full focus on Cheryl Ladd rather than the new Hack, and it is immediately apparrent that this season is all about the individual rather than the ensemble. Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith take turns in being the star, and only upon episode 9 does Hack get a chance to shine. It shows that actually, she can act, and her character works in this show. Then in episode 10 we fibally have an ensemble piece. Unfortunately - too little, too late.

However, there's still lots to enjoy here, and its definately a worthy addition to the Angel fans' dvd collections!

I have to say this DVD box was the best designed "Charlie's Angels" box since season1 with great pictures of all the cast.

Shelley Hack joins the show as Tiffany Welles,the highly intelligent,glamarous replacement for Kate Jackson's,Sabrina Duncan,the unoffical leader of the Angels.
Kate Jackson is sorely missed and its fair to say,the show was never quite the same after her departure,Kate brought a lot of humour to the role,she was always the Angel who'd dress as a clown or be in an OTT disguise,like being a clumsy woman in the first season,when she helped capture a blackmailer of vulnerable woman.

Shelley Hack was famous at the time for being the "Charlie" girl in a series of commercials,she doesn't really get a strong introduction story,"Love Boat Angels",featuring a brief appearance by "The Love Boat" cast, it isn't a strong season opener,indeed some of the cliffhangers in the story don't show the Angels in danger but the guest crook played by Bert Convy.

Bewiched star Dick Sargant makes his third and final appearance on the show and Bo Hopkins,who played a villian in the pilot,plays another villian this season.

Farrah Fawcett makes her final three appearances on the show,the first "Fallen Angel",easily the best of all her appearances,when it looks like Jill has fallen in with a bad lot,future James Bond,Timothy Dalton,we see real conflict among the Angels and poor old Kris(Cheryl Ladd) goes through hell.
"The Prince and The Angel" is a more typical romance story for Jill and Farrah's final appearance is in "An Angel's Trail",when Jill is kidnapped by a desperate gang,she is briefly reunited with Kris but Farrah's final scene is with Bosley(David Doyle)and no other Angels.

Kelly(Jaclyn Smith)now the only orginal Angel in the regular cast,goes through a particularly grulling time in "Avening Angel",when she is injected by heroin by a man bent on revenge,child beating is also tackled in "Angel's Child".

Its not until episode 11 "Angel On Campus" we see new Angel,Tiffany,get a major storyline to herself,Shelley Hack rises to the occassion without any problem,it would have been nice to see a bit more of Tiffany's family life or a relative appear,Miss Hack at times,wears very unflattering glasses that,thankfully disappear as the season goes on.

Oddly,Caesar Romero is not mentioned on the DVD box as the guest star on "Dancin'Angels",nor is Freddie Kruger star Robert Enguld or Howard Duff in "Harrigan's Angels",a nice touch in that story is Kris helping the drunk detective Harrigan(Howard Duff)as he,reminds her of her father.

We also see an attempt to do a male version of "Charlie's Angels" in "Toni's Boys",Hollywood legend Barbara Stanwyck,plays Antonia,Toni,an old friend of Charlie's,who has three male detectives,who look after the Angels after an attempt is made on the Angels'lives,sadly in order to make Toni's boys look smart,the Angels are made to look rather stupid,so not too great an episode,I can see why a series of "Toni's Boys" never happened.

Dallas star Steve Kanaly(Ray Krebbs)appears in "Avening Angel" and fellow Dallas star Patrick Duffy (Bobby)appears in the two part season closer "One Love..Two Angels",a storyline that threatens to break up Kris and Kelly's friendship...

I really enjoyed this sophisticated season of "Charlie's Angels",sadly the ratings were starting to slide and Shelley Hack's contracted wasn't renewed,though she was offered some guest star appearances,that she turned down, that,perhaps explains why at the start of the fifth and final season of "Charlie's Angels" were just told "Tiffany's decided to stay back east for a while".

When season five started with the lovely Tanya Roberts as new Angel,Julie Rogers,jogging in a bikini in the opening credits,you could see the producers were trying anything to get the ratings up,it didn't work,hope we see season5 sometime though.

Having adored Series 1-3 of Charlie's Angels I must say that Shelley Hack (Angel Tiffany Welles from Boston) really was the ideal replacement for Kate Jackson (Sabrina Duncan). Angel Tiffany has poise, beauty, class and she is also down-to-earth and very likable - what every Angel should be. You get the feeling these three ladies really liked each other while making the series.

While the original trio of Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett-Majors and Jaclyn Smith are often etched in most people's memory Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd and Shelly Hack did a fine job and this series and it really is worth buying. Some big names appear and the glamour, pace and excitement is well up to standard.

It is such a shame that Ms Hack didn't stay on for the final series of the show- enjoy Series 4 and the wonderful Angel Tiffany Welles.