Jaclyn Smith Says Elizabeth Banks' 'Charlie's Angels' Remake 'Didn't Work'

The latest major screen version of Charlie's Angels just didn't work out for Jaclyn Smith.

In a new Variety interview, Smith discussed her views on Elizabeth Banks' 2019 movie and complimented Banks on her filmmaking abilities, but also described why she wasn't surprised the reboot didn't connect with audiences.

"She tried to really do a departure, and it didn't work because what I find is if people love something, they don't want it to change that much," Smith said.

Smith expressed her reasoning with the fact that audiences want a consistent traditional format instead of something "reimagined." She had several reasons why she felt the reboot deviated from the property's roots and just wasn't as good.

In the reboot, there are various portrayals of the Bosley character, and the Angels were women that couldn't get along. This was vastly different from the original idea of the show.

"Our whole essence was, we were a sisterhood, a fellowship. We had each other," Smith said. She further detailed the original show's philosophy as focusing on loyalty, rather than romantic relationships, and using their physical attractiveness and s-- appeal as tools for their missions, all while promoting an empowering message for women.

While Smith critiqued the 2019 remake of Charlie's Angels, she distinguished this critique from her opinions on Banks' talents when it comes to making movies. She complimented Banks, saying she's a great and talented filmmaker, and attributed the failure of the reboot to a conceptual error instead.

Smith had nothing but praise for the two previous film adaptations. She enjoyed both the 2000 and 2003 movies featuring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu. Smith praised Barrymore, saying she continued with the successful formula while developing it. According to Smith, both films developed the content into new directions incorporating additional elements (such as diving, etc.) while continuing with comedic elements just like the original.

Smith made these statements when Charlie's Angels was recognized at the Emmys with a 50th-anniversary reunion of Smith, Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd. During this reunion, Smith remembered how Charlie's Angels was perceived after it began airing from 1976-1981. At that time, it received only four Emmy nominations without any wins.

She attributed this to a prejudice against the way Charlie's Angels presented itself. Smith said that critics saw the Angels as shallow beauties and failed to see the strong bond between the three female leads.

Although recognizing that Charlie's Angels used its attractive female leads as an important part of this style, Smith contended it was more than that, with plenty of substance behind the style.

Smith has been reflecting on the role that brought her into millions of households across America and led to creating a defining time in American television history, all since beginning her national book tour for her autobiography titled I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie.

At 80, Smith remains extremely recognizable for her connection to Charlie's Angels and the sisterhood created within it. She played Kelly Garrett for all five seasons and appeared briefly as the character in Banks' 2019 film that she now says fell short.

Charlie's Angels originally aired on ABC.