The A-Team

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."

I remember watching this when it first was aired in the UK, it was on a Friday night and I was about 12 years old.

After watching it I knew it was a show that I would watch every week, this was certainly different from any other action show I had seen before.

Here were 4 guys who were on the run from the government but helped people out with problems they had, they were different types of guys but put them together and they made The A Team.

Hannibal who always had a plan, they didn't always come out the way he planned but they worked.

Face was the guy who could get anything from anywhere and always scammed hotels, planes etc for the team.

B.A was the muscle and the mechanic in the team who could build and fix anything, Murdock was the insane pilot who was always broken out of the V A hospital when the team needed him.

There was also Amy and Tania who were reporters who separately attached themselves to the team for a while, although rumours were that George Peppard who played Hannibal was not happy with the female involvement in the show.

Also there was the MP Colonel's who tried to catch the A team , first there was Lynch and then Decker who was played by Lancs Le Gault and the character of Decker was the one who pursued the team the most.

People do pick holes in the show like why did the team never shoot anyone and they always got locked up in a garage or warehouse where they would be able to build something to make their escape.

But you can pick holes in any fictional show, this was action packed family entertainment.

What constitutes a really really good TV show? I think it has to have good characters, good stories,action, car chases, villains and it has to be totally crazy and unafraid to show the impossible.

The A-Team had it all. It is the type of show one can watch over and over again and still enjoy it. I have very fond memories of The A-Team from the 1980's. I get all nostalgic when watching it. Why is it that the TV writers and producers from the 1980's produced such good stuff? Why can nobody write a good show nowadays.

The storyline for the A-Team hardly ever changed. Some underdog such as a farmer or small business owner would be getting hassle from some rich guy who wanted to put them out of business. The underdog would call in the A-Team. The A-Team would thrash the bad guys. The bad guys would get hold of as much weaponry as they could. The A-Team would then get hold of even better weaponry. There would be a good scrap at the end and plenty of gunfire (although neither the good guys or bad guys could hit anyone). The A-Team would beat the baddies and leave them for the police. That was the story for most the episodes. There were deviations from the normal formula (particularly in the last season)at times. In one episode a mercenary called Kyle tries to put the A-Team out of commission. In another episode Howlin' Mad Murdock was wounded whilst the US Army were on the Team's trail.

The really good thing about the A-Team was that it was totally crazy and didn't take itself seriously. There were so many odd things about this series.

For example, the A-Team never seemed to have a permanent house. I guess they lived in that van but I never saw any suitcases or personal belongings in their van.

There were other crazy things. The Team used to bust Murdock out of a psychiatric hospital when they needed him. Perhaps the hospital chiefs should have put a 24 hour guard on his door. The other funny thing was the way the Team always used to put B.A. Baracus to sleep when they needed to fly. They never failed in doing that. In short, the Team could do anything. They could evade the US Army constantly and they could build anything from scrap. The only thing they couldn't do was shoot anyone-they always missed. It was all these crazy things that made the A-Team great.

The characters were brilliant. The late George Peppard was Hannibal who always had a plan and only enjoyed himself when there were bullets flying past him and things getting blown up. Mr T played the grumpy B.A. Baracus whose heart was in the wrong place. He was tough but scared of flying. Dirk Benedict played Faceman who was the ultimate conman. He could play any part and get anything for the team. Dwight Schultz played the mad howlin'Murdock who may have been mad but he could certainly be counted on. Throughout the series the Team were joined by the likes of the beautiful Amy Allen and the slick Frankie Santana. The last season deviated from the normal formula but it was still good.

All in all, it was a great show which brings back great memories whenever I watch it. It was just one of the many shows which made the 80's great. A big pat on the back must go to everyone involved in this wonderful show. I hope the big budget film is good but nothing could ever be better than this show.

I think "The A-Team" is still a great show from the 80's, it has a lot of humor and great acting. Stephen J. Cannell and Frank Lupo have a great imagination when they thought up this idea.

The series is about former soldiers, who were Vietnam veterans,are on the run from the law. They are sought after by the U.S. Army for crimes they didn't commit. The A-Team are wanted for robbing the bank of Hanoi.

The A-Team is led by Col. John "Hannibal" Smith, played so awesome by the late George Peppard (Breakfast At Tiffany's, Battle Beyond The Stars, and Treasure Of The Yankee Zepher). Hannibal is a master of disguise, does stunts for movies on his free time. Hannibal is so fond of quoting whenever his plans go great, Hannibal quotes "I love it when a plan comes together."

Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus, played superbly by Mr. T (Rocky III and D.C. Cab). B.A.'s initials are known by the other members of the team as "Bad Attitude". B.A. has a fear of flying, that is why when the team need to fly somewhere, Hannibal always has to drug him to get him on the plane cause B.A. refuses to fly, no matter what situation they are in. B.A. may seem mean, but he really is a nice person, he gets along with kids really well.

Capt H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock is a member of the team who is not all there.Murdock resided at the V.A. Hospital for the first 4 seasons. Murdock is crazy, likes to talk about his invisible dog named "Billy", a dog that does not exist, he may be nuts but he is a great pilot. Murdock tends to get on B.A. Baracus's nerves from time to time. Murdock is played so well by actor Dwight Schultz (Star Trek:The Next Generation and The Temp).

Lt. Templeton Peck a.k.a. "Face"or "Faceman", played awesome by Dirk Benedict (Battlestar Galactica, Ruckus, and Alaska) is a great con man for the team, he gets the team things they need for anything, he even gets Murdock out of the V.A. Hospital when the team needs him. Face drives a real nice Corvette.

Amy Allen, played by the beautiful Melinda Culea, is a reporter who works with The A-Team from time to time, gets them information. The A-Team met her when Amy hired them to help find her friend being held in Mexico by Guerillas.

Tawnia Baker, played by Marla Heasley, is Amy Allen's replacement on the show for 1 year.

Frankie "Dishpan" Santana, played by Eddie Velez (Repo Man, Rooftops, and Traffic), joined the team in the final season of the show.

The A-Team help people in need, they don't always do it for money, they help people even if the people don't have to money to pay them. The A-Team is always being chased after by the U.S. Army., the Colonels that have tried to catch them are Col. Lynch, played by William Lucking (The River Wild, The Trigger Effect, and Erin Brockovich), Col. Roderick Decker, played by Lance LeGault (Iron Eagle, Mortal Combat:Annihilation), Col. Briggs, played by Charles Napier (Rambo:First Blood Part II, The Grifters, and Austin Powers:The Spy Who Shagged me),Gen. Fullbright, played by Jack Ging(Riptide). The A-Team always outwits them.

The A-Team have gotten away from them but later got captured and tried and sentenced to execution, but is saved by a government agency.Gen. Hunt Stockwell, played by Robert Vaughn (The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Superman III, and Black Moon Rising)is in charge of the agency.

I think "The A-Team" is a well done show, it may seem violent, but the focus is what it is all about, soldiers who help people out, they only shoot when they have to. No one has ever got killed except Gen. Fullbright by Vietnamese soldiers in one episode,and a Mob boss who gets killed, but not by the A-Team in the episode in the first season.

Special guest appearances on the A-Team are Hulk Hogan of WWF fame, Boy George of the 1980's pop group "Culture Club". The late Rick James,who is a R&B singer, well known for is hit single "Superfreak". I give this TV series 2 thumbs up and 10/10 stars.

Nothing defined the eighties so much as the television we watched. Dallas. The Young and the Restless. The Dukes of Hazzard. He-Man. The Greatest American Hero. Airwolf. Knight Rider.

In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they did not commit. They promptly escaped a maximum security stockade into the Los Angeles Underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they exist 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.

With a script any eight year old would love, the four members of the A-Team went off every week to somewhere in America to help someone who couldn't find help anywhere else. They battled impossible odds (with impossible storylines) and managed to stay one step ahead of the law. They were always predictable, heroic, and fun. God bless the eighties, and long live TV Land.