The A-Team 

Four Vietnam vets, framed for a crime they didn't commit, help the innocent while on the run from the military.

Creators:

Stephen J. Cannell, Frank Lupo

Stars:

George Peppard, Mr. T, Dwight Schultz

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
George Peppard	...	John 'Hannibal' Smith 97 episodes, 1983-1987
Dwight Schultz	...	'Howling Mad' Murdock 97 episodes, 1983-1987
Mr. T	...	B.A. Baracus 97 episodes, 1983-1987
Dirk Benedict	...	Templeton 'Faceman' Peck 96 episodes, 1983-1987

Storyline

At the end of their stint in Vietnam, Col. John "Hannibal" Smith and his team were framed for robbing the Bank of Hanoi (which they had done, but under orders), and sent to a US military prison. They escaped and went on the run, pursued first by Col. Lynch and later by Col. Decker. While on the lam, they became heroes for hire, working as good-guy vigilantes around the US or the world. Hannibal was their leader and an expert at disguises. Face was the team's con artist and ladies man. BA (officially "Bad Attitude") was their mechanic, but also took care of mayhem and intimidation. The final member of the Team, "Howling Mad" Murdock, was an expert pilot, and a certified lunatic--they broke him out of a mental hospital whenever they needed him for a mission.

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Plot Keywords:

gmc vandura | good versus evil | mercenary | hero for hire | famous opening theme | 

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Taglines:

Heroes for hire.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 January 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

A-Team

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stephen J. Cannell Productions,Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Dirk Benedict, Robert Vaughn was added to the cast in the fifth season because he was a longtime friend of George Peppard's and it was believed that he could ease the tensions between Peppard and Mr. T.

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Goofs

In order to have become a Green Beret BA Baracus would have to have undergone Airborne Training and completed a number of parachute jumps. Yet according to his mother he was afraid of flying even from an early age. However, given BA's tenacity and toughness, that doesn't discount the possibility that he did many parachute jumps simply because he wanted to face that fear and overcome it. In addition, given that Murdock's flying is blamed as well for BA's fear of flying, it's likely that his phobia was exacerbated dealing with his experiences with Murdock's piloting on duty.

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Quotes

[opening narration]
Narrator: 10 years ago a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.

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Alternate Versions

The episodes broadcast in Germany on the commercial network RTL were heavily cut with regards to violence and 'imitable techniques' (such as improvising weapons and explosives). Also, the opening credits for all episodes were based on the version originally used for the 5th season, including the unpopular remix of the opening song. The first season episodes broadcast on the public network ARD, however, were completely uncut and featured the original opening credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Making Contact (1985)

User Reviews

Formula, but in a good way. (And read on for some myths to be exploded.)

Some '80s shows that were hits at the time really don't hold up well today, but some very definitely do. "Moonlighting" was one of them, and so was this creation of Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell. (Lupo later came to a parting of the ways with Cannell and inflicted "Werewolf" and "Something Is Out There" on the world. Blub.)

Like most of the people commenting on "The A-Team," I used to watch it as a kid (well, a teenager really). It had likeable heroes, comedy, action, top music (unlike most TV producers, Cannell billed Mike Post and Pete Carpenter in the main titles with the stars) ... the lot. The plots weren't exactly loaded with endless twists, but that was part of the fun - who else looked forward to the week's DIY montage where the quartet built that week's weapons? (As Hannibal pointed out in one of the novelisations, it's amazing how the bad guys always locked them up with precisely what they needed to escape.)

And contrary to popular belief, our heroes did get hurt from time to time (the clip show episode "Curtain Call" used Murdock being shot as an excuse for his comrades to hold a remembrance of episodes past; in "The Battle Of Bel Air" the helicopter containing the A-Team crashed at the end of the climax, injuring everyone EXCEPT B.A. Baracus); occasionally episodes started with someone actually getting murdered (the man in the exploding car in "Skins," one of the battling convicts in "Pros & Cons"). The show didn't dwell on it, true, but it was there.

This remains Cannell's most successful show as an independent producer, and demonstrates how he's more adaptable than the more critically acceptable Steven Bochco (this is not to put down Bochco, but can you imagine the man with the would-be violinist for a dad coming up with shows as wildly different as "The Greatest American Hero," "Top of the Hill" and "Wiseguy"?). It was fun in the 1980s, and it's fun now. Which is a lot more than can be said for "The Professionals."