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The A-Team TV Show General Information
The A-Team Themes and Characteristics
The A-Team and The Vietnam War
The A-Team's Popularity
Connections With Other TV Shows
About The A-Team Television Show
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a group of ex- United States Army Special Forces who work as soldiers of fortune while being on the run from the military for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by writers and producers Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell . The series was developed as a cross between Seven Samurai (and its western remake The Magnificent Seven) and The Dirty Dozen , with "Mr. T driving the car", at the behest of Brandon Tartikoff , NBC's Entertainment president.
Despite being thought of as mercenaries by the other characters in the show, the A-Team always acted on the side of the good guys and helped the oppressed. The show ran for five seasons on the NBC television network, from January 23 1983 to December 30 1986 (with one additional, previously unbroadcast episode shown on March 8 , 1987 ), with a total of 98 episodes.
It remains known in popular culture for its cartoon like use of over-the-top violence (in which people seldom got hurt), supposedly formulaic episodes, featuring the ability to form weaponry and vehicles out of old parts, and its distinctive theme tune. It has been parodied on numerous websites such as Newgrounds and also on television shows such as Robot Chicken , Family Guy and Spaced . The show also served as the springboard for the career of Mr. T , who portrayed the character of B. A. Baracus , around which the show was initially conceived. Some of the show's catchphrases such as "I love it when a plan comes together" and "I ain't gettin' on no plane!" have also made their way onto T-shirts and other merchandise.
Although not directly referenced in the series, the name of the show comes from "A-teams", the nickname for Operational Detachments Alpha (ODA). The US Army Special Forces uses the term ODA for their 12-man direct operations teams.
The A-Team revolves around the four members of a former commando outfit and group of mercenaries. Their leader is Col. John "Hannibal" Smith ( George Peppard ), whose plans tend to be unorthodox but effective. Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck ( Dirk Benedict ; played by Tim Dunigan in the pilot ) is a smooth-talking con-man who serves as the team's appropriator of vehicles and other useful items. The team's pilot is Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock, ( Dwight Schultz ), who has been declared insane and resides in a mental institution for the show's first four seasons. Finally, there is the team's strong man and mechanic, Bosco B.A. ( Bad Attitude ) Baracus (Mr. T).
For its first season and the first half of the second season, the team was assisted by reporter Amy Amanda "Triple A" Allen ( Melinda Culea ). She was ultimately replaced by fellow reporter Tawnia Baker ( Marla Heasley ) for the rest of the second season. The character of Tia ( Tia Carrere ), a Vietnam war orphan now living in the United States, was meant to join the Team in the fifth season, but she was replaced by Frankie Santana ( Eddie Velez ), who served as the team's special effects expert. Eddie Velez was added to the opening credits of the fifth season after that season's second episode.
During their adventures, the A-Team was constantly met by opposition from the military police. In the show's first season they were led by Colonel Lynch ( William Lucking ), but he was replaced for the second, third and earlier fourth season by Colonel Roderick Decker ( Lance LeGault ) and his aide Captain Crane ( Carl Franklin ). Lynch returned for one episode in the show's third season ("Showdown!") but was not seen afterwards again. Decker was also shortly replaced by a Colonel Briggs ( Charles Napier ) in the third season for one episode ("Fire!") due to Lance LeGault being unavailable for the episode, but returned shortly after. For the latter of the show's fourth season, the team was hunted by General Harlan "Bull" Fullbright ( Jack Ging ), who would later hire the A-Team to find Tia and died while doing so.
The fifth season introduced General Hunt Stockwell ( Robert Vaughn ) who, while serving as the team's primary antagonist, was also the team's boss and joined them on several missions. He was often assisted by Carla ( Judith Ledford , sometimes credited as Judy Ledford).
The A-Team Casting
Tia Carrere had guest starred in one episode at the end of season four and was intended to join the principal cast of the show in its fifth season, providing a continuing tie to the team's inception during the war. However, Carrere was under a prior contract to General Hospital at the time, and was unable to join the cast of The A-Team . Her character was abruptly dropped as a result.
Martial arts expert Kenny Barclay was originally considered for the role of B.A. Baracus but he turned it down in favor of starring in a pilot of never-aired sit-com Where the Wind Never Blows . He has lived to regret his decision, but eventually became good friends with Mr.T in real life as he owns land close to his estate in the Sandia Mountains , near Albuquerque , New Mexico . According to Mr.T's own account in Bring Back... The A-Team in 2006, the role was written for him from the beginning.
James Coburn , who co-starred in The Magnificent Seven , was considered for the role of Hannibal in The A-Team , while George Peppard (Hannibal) was the original consideration for the role of Vin (played by Steve McQueen instead) in The Magnificent Seven . Other cast member Robert Vaughn has appeared in every incarnation of The Magnificent Seven apart from the original Japanese work, which he often jokes he wishes he could have been in because then he'd "have the full set". He even appeared in the science fiction version Battle Beyond the Stars alongside George Peppard.
The A-Team Guest Stars
Notable guest stars included Boy George , Michael Ironside , Dean Stockwell , Yaphet Kotto , Dennis Haysbert , Hulk Hogan , Xander Berkeley , Andrew Robinson , Markie Post , Marc Alaimo , Lance Henriksen , Kurtwood Smith , Ed Lauter , Sam J. Jones , June Chadwick , Brion James , Tracy Reed , William Perry , Rick James , Robert Davi , Isaac Hayes , James Avery (actor) , Sid Haig , Pat Sajak , Red West , Dennis Franz , Claudia Christian , Richard Moll , Sonny Landham , Ernie Hudson , Della Reese , Barry Van Dyke and Ana Obregón .
In season 5, episode 91 "The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair", David McCallum guest stars as a former comrade of Robert Vaughn's character General Stockwell. Vaughn and McCallum co-starred in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The season 3 episode "Bounty" features Wendy Fulton as Kelly Stevens, a veterinarian who rescues Murdock from bounty hunters. Fulton and Dwight Schultz had married a few years before the episode, and the episode plays on the theme of Kelly and Murdock falling in love.
Plot Synopsis
The "crime they didn't commit"
During the Vietnam War, the A-Team's commanding officer, Colonel Morrison, gave them orders to rob the Bank of Hanoi to help bring the war to an end. They succeeded in their mission, but on returning to their base four days after the end of the war, they found their C.O. murdered by the Viet Cong and his headquarters burned to the ground. Therefore no proof existed that the A-Team were acting under orders, and they were sent to prison by a military court. They were sent to Fort Bragg, from which they escaped before they could actually stand trial.
The first four seasons
The show's early seasons did not have overarching plots, although occasionally there would be two-part episodes. The episodes are linked to a specific season by their primary antagonist, a recurring assistant character and its particular use of guest stars (the first season was relatively low on guest stars while the show's fourth season often featured well-known stars such as Boy George and Hulk Hogan ). As such, only a few significant developments are made during this time, which include the blood transfer between Murdock and B.A. in the first season episode "Bad Day at Black Rock", the replacement of recurring character Amy Allen with Tawnia Baker and the replacements of recurring antagonists. The final episode of the fourth season does present two unique occurrences; the antagonist (Gen. Fullbright in this case) works with the Team and also features the second on-screen death (also Gen. Fullbright). This episode, together with the first three of the fifth season deal extensively with the team's Vietnam history.
The fifth season
As the television ratings of The A-Team fell dramatically during the fourth season the format was changed for the show's final season in 1986 - 1987 in a bid to win back viewers. After years on the run from the authorities, the A-Team are finally apprehended by the military. General Hunt Stockwell propositions them to work for him, whereupon he will arrange for their pardons upon successful completion of several suicide missions. In order to do so, however, the A-Team must first escape from their captivity. With the help of new character, Frankie "Dishpan Man" Santana, the team is able to fake their deaths before the firing squad.
The new status quo of the A-Team no longer working for themselves remained for the duration of the fifth season, and both Frankie Santana and Hunt Stockwell were added to the credits. The missions the team had to perform in season five were somewhat reminiscent of Mission: Impossible , and are based more around political espionage than besting local thugs, also usually take place in foreign countries. In addition, the show's opening theme was changed, removing the introduction line, and featuring a revamped version of the theme song. However, these changes proved unsuccessful with viewers and ratings continued to decline. Only 13 episodes aired in the fifth season.
In what was supposed to be the final episode, "The Grey Team" (although a skipped episode was first broadcast during reruns), Hannibal , after being misled by Stockwell one time too many, tells him that the team will not work for him any more. At the end, the team discusses what they were going to do if they got their pardon, and it is implied that they would continue doing what they were doing as the A-Team.
Themes and Characteristics
Opening sequence
Each episode of the first four seasons began with this voiceover introduction:
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"Ten years ago / In 1972, 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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By the time the series began airing in January 1983, it was already out of date, as The A-Team escaped from prison in 1972 (the series began production in Autumn 1982, and the first three stories carry a 1982 copyright). For the second to fourth season the dialogue was updated to "In 1972...", confirming the correct date. Due to the first season opening dialogue, some early coverage for the series mistakenly cite the team as escaping from prison in 1973.
The intro was narrated by John Ashley, who was also one of the show's producers. The intro was dropped for the final season, in which the A-Team's circumstances changed to instead be working for General Stockwell. In the first four seasons, George Peppard and Mr. T are credited in the opening sequence with their respective characters ("Starring George Peppard as John ' Hannibal ' Smith" and "And Mr. T as B.A. Baracus"). For the show's fifth season, however, this was changed to apply to all cast members (including new arrivals Eddie Velez and Robert Vaughn) except Dirk Benedict. The reasoning behind this change, and the exclusion of Benedict, is unknown.
The opening credits for the second season episode "The White Ballot" have the second season opening credits visually, but due to an error have the first season audio (identified by the "Ten years ago..." opening dialogue, and the sound of the bi-plane from the Pilot over the shot of the helicopter chase from "Till Death Do Us Part").
In the later second, third and fourth season opening credits, in a clip taken from the second season episode "Steel", Face (Dirk Benedict) reacts to an actor dressed in a metallic Cylon centurion costume. Benedict had starred years earlier in the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica . His character, Starbuck, fought against Cylons.
Dirk Benedict pictured with a Cylon
In the fifth season opening credits, there is a brief shot of what may appear to be Airwolf , but was actually an unmodified black Bell 222 . The footage is taken from the feature-length fourth season opener "Judgement Day". It is followed by a shot of Murdock piloting what is actually a different helicopter, from a fantasy sequence taken from the fifth season episode "Trial By Fire".
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