Television TV

The A-Team

"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."

I really could have used the help of the A-Team on several occasions but I could never find them, despite their highly distinctive black GMC Vandura van.

The A-Team is one of the most memorable and popular television shows of the 1980s telling the story of four Vietnam veterans who escape from a high security prison after being wrongly accused of robbing a bank during the conflict. The team was led by John "Hannibal" Smith, played by George Peppard and included Templeton “Face” Peck, the lady's man, “Howling Mad” Murdoch, the somewhat insane team pilot and strong man B. A. Baracus played by Mr. T.

Every episode included gun fights, explosions and lots of exciting and violent action but somehow, despite all the action, people rarely got hurt, even the bad guys! The A-Team would often get captured by the bad guys and end up fashioning an unlikely weapon from whatever materials happened to be carelessly left within reach and would then use their surprisingly effective creation to help them make their escape. Face would also inevitably become attracted to whoever the female lead was in that episode.

The A-Team TV series became so popular that by the fourth season surprising guest stars including Boy George and Hulk Hogan appeared as themselves and many of the catchphrases used by the A-Team made their way into common language such as “I love it when a plan comes together!” and “I ain’t gettin’ on no plane!”

The A-Team was first broadcast on the 23rd January 1983 on NBC.


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Do You Remember The A-Team?

Do You Remember The A-Team?

  • nigellaradion1
    on
    Great show! Absolute Loved it!
  • Anonymous user
    on
    "I AINT GETTIN ON NO PLANE FOOL!!!" .. MR T
  • Anonymous user
    on
    this was a great show for its time. i still watch a few from time to time now, i really do believe the kids in the 80's had the best pick of tv programmes. "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."
  • Anonymous user
    on
    i always remember the a team, brilliant show in the 80s it is still shown on uk gold
  • Anonymous user
    on
    I loved this when i was a kid. i used to watch it on saturday tea times with my brother, used to love the fight scenes where BA would chin the baddie and throw him. also remember the car chases with the close ups of the van's wheels going round corners!
  • Anonymous user
    on
    The A Team was one of a number of great early 80's US shows, such as CHiPS and Knight Rider, which all the kids round the doors used to watch instead of going out to play. Mothers would come to the door and shout to their kids that the A Team was about to start, and in they'd run. The best episode was the one where the A Team made a home made (as usual) cannon/bazooka, which fired cabbages at the bad guys. When these cabbages hit the bad guys, they went down as if they'd been felled by an AK47. Great stuff!! Everything's far too serious these days. That show was just so tongue in cheek, it's a classic.
  • Anonymous user
    on
    Never caught the initial run as it was not telecast in India but now in 2005 we have the entire series re-run on STAR World on weekdays (except Wed) at 1300hrs. Don't have anything better to do these days so end up watching it and trust me I have got hooked to it. The simple fact is that inspite of all the gunfire, no one dies and there is not a single drop of blood anywhere. How unimaginable in today's TV shows!! Whereas B.A Baracus is the star of the show its H.M."Howling Mad" Murdock who gets my vote for his outrageous antics. Excellent acting by Mr.Dwight Schultz. Templeton "Faceman" Peck is a tad over-the-top. C'mon even I am scorpio like he was but I don't seem to get the women as regularly as he does :) All in all a good show and truly reflective of the 80s. "Simply love it when a plan comes together" R.I.P. Hannibal aka John Smith
  • Anonymous user
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    I always wondered who was the bloke with the chain-smoker voice who did the talky bit before the opening credits ? The A-team, although hilarious kind of annoyed me with its never-ending string of unkillable baddies ( i remember the one where the helicopter crashed into the cliff and they just stepped out of the wreckage and dusted themselves down ), the inevitable lock-them-in-the-tool-shed-full-of-potential-non-lethal-weapons moments. Does "That ol'truck aint moved in 50 years !!!" sound familiar ? MR.T for sure was the main reason for watching this. ( I confess, it was really Amy :x ) The rest of the A team must have surely been very brave if they had no qualms about drugging this big black fella's milk when ever they needed to get him on a plane. The A Team was among the last of the just-do-it generation of TV shows. It was truly ridiculous but it got away with it because of WHEN it was. So what if nobody ever died ? Who cared that a mental patient could so readily escape when he was needed ? Who gave a monkeys that a pimped-up GMC could stay so well hidden in Los Angeles ? They were the A Team, dammit and just the way it was. --- Ren ---
  • Anonymous user
    on
    If you don't remember the A-team, then you DON'T remember the 80's!