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, Colonel 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 Colonel Francis Lynch and later by Colonel Roderick Decker and finally by General Harlan "Bull" Fullbright. While on the lam, they became heroes for hire, working as good-guy vigilantes around the United States or the world. Hannibal was their leader and an expert at disguises. Templeton "Face(man)" Peck was the team's con artist and ladies man. Bosco Albert "BA" (or "Bad Attitude") Baracus was their mechanic, but also took care of mayhem and intimidation. The final member of the Team, H.M "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 | 1980s | cult tv | good versus evil | mercenary | 

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Taglines:

Heroes for hire.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite his insanity and quirky personality, Murdock has an almost genius-level aptitude. He has a vast knowledge of many subjects and keeps up on current events. He's also fluent in Chinese (Mandarin), German, Japanese, Spanish, Vietnamese and basic Russian. He can communicate in Morse Code and has a photographic memory. In fact, dialogue in season 1 suggests that he may not even be as "mentally unstable" as some characters may think he is.

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Goofs

Throughout the series the team is shown being pursued around the country by a squad of Military Police (MPs). MPs have no jurisdiction or authority off a military installation, and certainly do not travel around the country chasing after suspects. The job of tracking down and arresting deserters is assigned to the FBI--not MPs.

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Quotes

B.A. Baracus: That's it. You're going into the water.

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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

Spoofed in The A-Team XXX: A Parody (2010)

User Reviews

If you've got a problem and no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire...The A Team ( cue music )

Weren't 80's shows the greatest? There are some great shows out there today but nothing like The Dukes of Hazard, The Incredible Hulk and The A-Team. What an absolutely fantastic idea to have four Vietnam Vets on the run from the law and along the way solving crimes and puzzles for people that can afford them. How many of us can remember the bickering of B.A and Murdock? Remember how funny it was to watch Hannibal and Murdock trick B.A into drinking his milk? All of this was done to knock him out so they could fly somewhere (B.A. was afraid of flying). Hannibal smoking his cigars and then spewing out cool lines like " I love it when a plan comes together. " Faceman could infiltrate any establishment, not through brute force but with his wit and ability to disguise himself. And Murdock was just plain crazy, or was he? Many people have alluded to the fact no one ever got hurt either. How many times did Hannibal shoot out someone's tires and the car would flip over 500 times and then the occupants would get out of the car just rubbing their neck and grimacing a bit? Classic stuff. I also think the A-Team was a distant cousin of MacGyver because they could build anything out of anything. They would be locked in a warehouse by the bad guys and that warehouse would just happen to have a blow-torch and a bunch of steel in it. Low and behold, they would build themselves a tank. Sure this is all incredibly silly but so entertaining.

Some 90's shows are great. Friends and Cheers and Frasier and I'm sure a bunch of others are awesome, but they can not match the sheer innocence and brilliance of shows like the A-Team. Maybe I am biased because I grew up in the 80's but I truly feel that way. The A-Team is one show that I wish would show up in syndication here in Toronto. It was fun, imaginative and damn entertaining. Just like most other entertainment that was born in the 80's.

A true staple of the 80's

10 out of 10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 January 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

The 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 Stereo (Season 5)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3