My Cart - Continuing our look at great TV shows through the decades, we turn to a true icon of the 1980’s – The A Team!
First broadcast by American channel NBC in 1983, and running until 1987, the show’s concept is explained perfectly by its introductory narration:
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.
The main characters were John “Hannibal” Smith (played by George Peppard), Templeton Peck – more often called “Face” or “Faceman” (Dirk Benedict), “Howling Mad” Murdock, ( Dwight Schultz), and perhaps most memorably, “B.A.” Baracus (played by the inimitable Mr. T).
The show’s lasting appeal is due largely to the fact that The A-Team consistently acted on the side of the good guys. Although they were said to be soldiers of fortune, they always helped those who were oppressed and won through over-the-top cartoonish violence and convoluted schemes that remained family-friendly – their enemies were seldom seen to be seriously hurt. In addition, the show’s formula introduced the now stereotypical scene where the team built surprisingly advanced weaponry or vehicles out of old parts in order to pull off their plan.
Although viewing figures dropped drastically in the fourth season, and the fifth season was cut short to only 13 episodes when it was cancelled, it retained cult popularity and in 2003 was voted the “oldie” TV show that viewers would most like to see re-screened.
As a result of this ongoing popularity, The A-Team returned to our screens in a somewhat bigger way in 2010, with a feature film starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley and Quinton Jackson. However, many critics felt it couldn’t match up to the status of the original, and it received mixed reviews.
If you’re nostalgic for the 1980s then a box set of The A-Team is a great way to take you back – and if you want to view it in style, rather than attempting to build yourself a new television from old parts in your garage you can find a great range of cheap LCD TVs here at Electronic World. Contact us online or call our team on 0121 327 3273 for more information on our selection of cheap TVs.
In the words of Hannibal himself, “I love it when a plan comes together!”
