The A-Team was an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces who are working as soldiers of fortune while being on the run from the military for a "crime they didn't commit". Despite being thought of as mercenaries, the A-Team always acted on the side of the good guys, helping 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.
Main characters
- George Peppard as Col. John "Hannibal" Smith
- The leader of the A-Team, he is a brilliant tactician and a master of disguise. Hannibal is distinguished by his cigar smoking, disguises, and his catch phrase, "I love it when a plan comes together." Always "on the jazz" (a phrase coined by B.A., meaning that Hannibal thrives on adventure and life-threatening situations), he seems to genuinely enjoy every situation they get into. He also works as an actor, playing monsters in low-budget horror movies.
- Dirk Benedict as Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck
- Suave, smooth-talking, and hugely successful with women, he serves as the team's con man and scrounger, able to get his hands on just about anything they need. Effectively second in command behind Hannibal (although technically Murdock outranks him), he is the one who arranges for supplies, equipment, and sensitive information using numerous scams and hustles. Tim Dunigan played this role in the pilot episode.
- Mr. T as Sgt. Bosco Albert "B.A." Baracus
- A highly-skilled mechanic and the A-Team's regular Mr. Fix-It, his character is basically that of the public persona of Mr. T himself. He is a skilled fighter and is easily roused to anger, earning him the nickname "Bad Attitude". Despite his reputed attitude, he is a nice guy at heart. He has a special fondness for children and, being a teetotaller, he never drinks alcohol, preferring milk instead. He is most upset by Murdock, frequently referring to him as a "crazy fool." He suffers an intense fear of flying, especially when the plane in question is flown by Murdock. This difficulty is often overcome by other members of the team drugging him, or otherwise rendering him unconscious, so he can be transported without objection.
- Dwight Schultz as Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock
- The best chopper pilot of the Vietnam War, Murdock is either mentally unstable or exceptionally good at pretending to be so. Although he was their pilot on the Hanoi bank raid, he was technically not part of the A-Team and so not tried by the military. Though interned at a psychiatric hospital, he routinely escapes to accompany the A-Team on their missions. The symptoms of his "insanity" varies from episode to episode, but generally includes self-identification with fictional characters, hallucinations, belief in the "intelligence" of inanimate objects, among others. He frequently refers to his invisible dog, "Billy". Unlike B.A., the initials "H.M." were never explained in terms of Murdock's actual name, and the nickname "Howlin' Mad" is simply attributed to them. He was permanently discharged in the fifth season.
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