Declassified Fan archive / NBC 1983–1987

The A-Team ArchiveThe A-Team Archive

Four specialists. 98 missions. And a plan for every seemingly impossible problem.

98
Episodes
05
Seasons
83–87
Original US run
PERSONNEL FILES // A-TEAM
Hannibal against a military-style backdropHSHANNIBAL
Face against a military-style backdropFPFACE
B.A. against a military-style backdropBAB.A.
Murdock against a military-style backdropHMMURDOCK
CLASSIFIED
A-TEAM

Mission file 00 / The premise

Wanted by the military.
Found by people in need.

In 1972, a United States Special Forces unit is convicted of a crime it did not commit. After escaping from a military prison, the men disappear into the Los Angeles underground and begin helping people who have nowhere else to turn.

Created by Stephen J. Cannell and Frank Lupo, the action series combines mission planning, disguises, improvised engineering and knowingly exaggerated 1980s action. Almost every mission reaches the moment when a surprising solution is built from whatever is at hand.

Archive standardEpisodes follow the original US broadcast order. Multi-part stories are counted as individual episodes.

Personnel files / Core team

Four men.
Four specialties.

Strategy, persuasion, engineering and aviation come together in four unmistakable core characters.

George Peppard, Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz and Mr. T as the A-Team
Original ensemble portrait · Core cast

Cast / Studio portrait

Four characters.
One unmistakable team.

Every mission depends on the four working in sync: Hannibal devises the plan, Face obtains what the team needs, Murdock flies anything with wings and B.A. builds—or breaks—the rest.

  • George PeppardHANNIBAL
  • Dirk BenedictFACE
  • Dwight SchultzMURDOCK
  • Mr. TB.A.
Hannibal against a military-style backdropH.S
01 / STRATEGY

Lt. Col. John Smith

HANNIBAL

George Peppard

The leader: a master of disguise, an unconventional tactician and almost always two steps ahead.

Face against a military-style backdropFP
02 / ACQUISITION

Lt. Templeton Peck

FACE

Dirk Benedict

The charmer, con artist and fixer. He secures vehicles, equipment and access that should be impossible to obtain.

B.A. against a military-style backdropBA
03 / ENGINEERING

Sgt. Bosco Baracus

B.A.

Mr. T

The team's mechanic and powerhouse. He turns scrap into working machinery—as long as nobody mentions flying.

Murdock against a military-style backdropHM
04 / AVIATION

Capt. H. M. Murdock

MURDOCK

Dwight Schultz

A brilliant pilot with shifting personas and a logic all his own. The team regularly breaks him out of the veterans' hospital for missions.

Personnel files / Allies and pursuers

Reinforcements & pursuers

CharacterActorRole
Amy Amanda AllenMelinda CuleaReporter · Seasons 1–2
Tawnia BakerMarla HeasleyReporter · Seasons 2–3
Frankie SantanaEddie VelezSpecial-effects expert · Season 5
Gen. Hunt StockwellRobert VaughnHandler · Season 5
Col. Roderick DeckerLance LeGaultPersistent pursuer
Gen. Harlan ‘Bull’ FulbrightJack GingPursuer · Season 4
Captain CraneCarl FranklinDecker's right-hand man
Colonel LynchWilliam LuckingFirst military pursuer

Special missions

Guest stars in the archive

Music, wrestling and memorable character actors: the series repeatedly featured prominent guests. Episode numbers follow this archive, where each part of a multi-part story is counted separately.

Hulk Hogan
02

Hulk Hogan

as himself

Episodes

Archive: Season 4 · Episode 07“Body Slam”US broadcast: S4E06 · “Body Slam”

Archive: Season 4 · Episode 21“The Trouble with Harry”US broadcast: S4E20 · “The Trouble with Harry”

Photo: U.S. Navy · Public Domain ↗
Rick James
03

Rick James

as himself

Episode

Archive: Season 4 · Episode 06“The Heart of Rock ’n’ Roll”US broadcast: S4E05 · “The Heart of Rock ’n’ Roll”

Photo: Wikimedia Commons ↗
Michael Ironside
07

Michael Ironside

Miler Crane

Episode

Archive: Season 2 · Episode 07“The Taxicab Wars”US broadcast: S2E06 · “The Taxicab Wars”

Photo: Possan · CC BY 2.0 ↗

Home video / Verified release status

Documented titles—not literal translations

The German cassette names are not translated here. Each language market was checked separately, and an edition is described as a VHS release only where the evidence supports it.

Judgment Day

English-language status: No separately titled English-language VHS edition corresponding to the German cassette could be verified in the catalogues consulted. “Judgment Day” is the original NBC title of the two-hour television movie, not a translation of the German video title.

The dual role: George Peppard plays both Hannibal Smith and the gangster Augie, whose identity Hannibal assumes. It is Peppard's only dual role in the series.

Dishpan Man / Trial by Fire / Firing Line

English-language status: No English-language VHS compilation equivalent to the German “Feuerprüfung” cassette could be verified. These are the three original episode titles, not an invented cassette title.

Mission logs / Original US broadcast order

All 98 missions

Open every mission file for its synopsis, official NBC title and original US premiere date.

98 EntriesComplete archive
No.CodeEpisode titleUS premiere
01S1 / E01Mexican Slayride (1)Special episode · Two-part story · approx. 90 min total · approx. 45 min longer
Mission report

Reporter Amy Allen hires the A-Team to find a colleague who vanished in Mexico; she is soon captured by General Valdez as well.

02S1 / E02Mexican Slayride (2)Special episode · Two-part story · approx. 90 min total · approx. 45 min longer
Mission report

Hannibal and his men organize the liberation of the prisoners and take on Valdez's heavily armed troops.

03S1 / E03Children of Jamestown
Mission report

A wealthy businessman hires the team to free his daughter from the isolated Jamestown cult.

04S1 / E04Pros and Cons
Mission report

When B.A.'s friend is imprisoned by a corrupt warden, the team has itself locked up to stage a breakout from within.

05S1 / E05A Small and Deadly War
Mission report

A police inspector asks the team to stop a corrupt special unit that hires itself out for contract killings.

06S1 / E06Black Day at Bad Rock
Mission report

After B.A. is seriously wounded, the team hides out in Bad Rock and becomes caught up in a conflict with a biker gang.

07S1 / E07The Rabbit Who Ate Las Vegas
Mission report

Two college students ask the team to rescue their professor from the Mafia after his successful gambling system makes him a target.

08S1 / E08The Out-of-Towners
Mission report

In Manhattan, the A-Team and harassed shop owners defend themselves against a gang that systematically extorts protection money.

09S1 / E09Holiday in the Hills
Mission report

After a crash landing in South Carolina, the team encounters men who want to eliminate a government official.

10S1 / E10West Coast Turnaround
Mission report

A melon farmer is sabotaged while transporting his harvest - the A-Team ensures that the goods still reach the market.

11S1 / E11One More Time
Mission report

Colonel Lynch captures Hannibal, Face and B.A., but the military soon needs the very same men for a dangerous rescue mission overseas.

12S1 / E12Till Death Do Us Part
Mission report

An heiress is being forced to marry her late father's business partner, so the team stages a spectacular rescue.

13S1 / E13The Beast from the Belly of a Boeing
Mission report

Terrorists hijack a passenger plane and the A-Team has to bring the plane and the hostages back under control.

14S1 / E14A Nice Place to Visit
Mission report

At the funeral of a Vietnam comrade, the team discovers that his hometown is ruled by a violent family.

15S2 / E01Diamonds ’n Dust
Mission report

After the murder of a mine owner, the team helps his daughter defend a diamond mine in Africa against a powerful rival.

16S2 / E02Recipe for Heavy Bread
Mission report

Face is reunited with the cook who helped the team survive a Vietnam POW camp and now needs protection from former captors.

17S2 / E03The Only Church in Town
Mission report

A mysterious cry for help leads Face and the team to his former great love and to an embattled church in Central America.

18S2 / E04Bad Time on the Border
Mission report

B.A. promises a young Mexican refugee that he will rescue her sick mother from a gang of human traffickers.

19S2 / E05When You Comin’ Back, Range Rider? (1)Special episode · Two-part story · approx. 90 min total · approx. 45 min longer
Mission report

A young indigenous man asks for protection for a herd of wild mustangs that are to be sold to Mexico despite their protected status.

20S2 / E06When You Comin’ Back, Range Rider? (2)Special episode · Two-part story · approx. 90 min total · approx. 45 min longer
Mission report

The team pursues the horse thieves across the border and tries to bring the mustang herd and its defenders home safely.

21S2 / E07The Taxicab Wars
Mission report

A small taxi company is forced out of business by a brutal competitor - until the A-Team intervenes in the street war.

22S2 / E08Labor Pains
Mission report

Farm workers are exploited like prisoners; Hannibal organizes their resistance against the local landowner.

23S2 / E09There’s Always a Catch
Mission report

A fishing family resists a blackmailer whose destructive fishing methods further threaten the coast.

24S2 / E10Water, Water Everywhere
Mission report

Three Vietnam veterans want to open a hotel in the desert, but a real estate speculator tries to force them away.

25S2 / E11Steel
Mission report

An honest demolition contractor encounters sabotage and a long-hidden crime when he takes on a high-rise job.

26S2 / E12The White Ballot
Mission report

The team supports an opposing candidate against a corrupt sheriff and turns the election campaign into an undercover investigation.

27S2 / E13The Maltese Cow
Mission report

A restaurant owner and his daughter are threatened by an extortion ring, so the A-Team takes on the racketeers.

28S2 / E14In Plane Sight
Mission report

A pilot is in custody in Venezuela for smuggling cocaine, even though the drugs were brought on board without his knowledge.

29S2 / E15The Battle of Bel-Air
Mission report

Reporter Tawnia discovers a plan to arrest the team and warns Hannibal - making herself part of the mission.

30S2 / E16Say It with Bullets
Mission report

A soldier asks the team to investigate her brother's death and expose an illegal arms operation at a military base.

31S2 / E17Pure-Dee Poison
Mission report

A priest takes on a racketeer who sells dangerously contaminated moonshine—even to teenagers.

32S2 / E18It’s a Desert Out There
Mission report

The Scorpions rob patrons of a desert casino in armored go-karts, so the team prepares an improvised trap.

33S2 / E19Chopping Spree
Mission report

After B.A.'s van is stolen, the trail leads to a crooked car dealer and a professional vehicle-theft ring.

34S2 / E20Harder Than It Looks
Mission report

A hostage develops feelings for her captor, complicating a rescue operation that doesn't go according to plan anyway.

35S2 / E21Deadly Maneuvers
Mission report

A crime syndicate hires four elite mercenaries as a criminal mirror image of the A-Team, forcing Hannibal into a battle of equals.

36S2 / E22Semi-Friendly Persuasion
Mission report

A pacifist religious community is to be driven out of its settlement; the team must help without violating their principles.

37S2 / E23Curtain Call
Mission report

As Colonel Decker approaches, Murdock is seriously injured during an operation and the team must decide between escape and rescue.

38S3 / E01Bullets and Bikinis
Mission report

Gangsters try to force two young women to sell their beach hotel, so the A-Team turns the resort into a defensive position.

39S3 / E02The Bend in the River (1)Special episode · Two-part story · approx. 90 min total · approx. 45 min longer
Mission report

Tawnia asks for help finding her fiancé, who has encountered a feared river pirate in the Peruvian Amazon.

40S3 / E03The Bend in the River (2)Special episode · Two-part story · approx. 90 min total · approx. 45 min longer
Mission report

The expedition pushes deeper into the jungle and uncovers the criminal operation behind the attacks along the river.

41S3 / E04Fire
Mission report

The owner of a small private fire company fights for a city contract while a larger rival resorts to sabotage.

42S3 / E05Timber!
Mission report

Disguised as lumberjacks, Hannibal and his men protect a family business from a corrupt union official.

43S3 / E06Double Heat
Mission report

A former Mafia accountant's daughter is kidnapped, and two rival crime groups make her rescue especially dangerous.

44S3 / E07Trouble on Wheels
Mission report

Workers at a car factory are intimidated because they want to uncover systematic theft - the team infiltrates the company.

45S3 / E08The Island
Mission report

B.A. rushes to the aid of a former paramedic whose remote island is being used as a criminal base by armed gangsters.

46S3 / E09Showdown!
Mission report

Three impostors pose as the A-Team at a Wild West show; the real team must expose them and restore its reputation.

47S3 / E10Sheriffs of Rivertown
Mission report

In the Republic of San Marcos, the team serves as local sheriffs and protects workers on a power-plant project from violent saboteurs.

48S3 / E11The Bells of St. Mary’s
Mission report

A female singing group is threatened by its record-company boss, so Hannibal poses as a producer to expose the scheme.

49S3 / E12Hot Styles
Mission report

Face wants to save a kidnapped model and comes across a ring that blackmails, copies and falsifies fashion designs for profit.

50S3 / E13Breakout!
Mission report

Bank robbers steal B.A.'s van and send B.A. and Murdock to a prison work camp; Hannibal prepares a breakout.

51S3 / E14Cup A’ Joe
Mission report

A restaurateur tries to force a family diner to sell because a new freeway exit will make the site valuable; the team takes over the diner and fights back.

52S3 / E15The Big Squeeze
Mission report

A violent loan shark terrorizes an Italian restaurant family, so Hannibal opens a sham restaurant and deliberately becomes the racketeer's next debtor.

53S3 / E16Champ!
Mission report

A boxer is ordered to throw a decisive bout so gangsters can finance a drug deal; B.A. steps into the ring.

54S3 / E17Skins
Mission report

After the murder of a game warden, the team travels to Kenya and pursues an international gang of ivory smugglers.

55S3 / E18Road Games
Mission report

The manager of a foster home loses the property through gambling debts, and Face infiltrates his creditor's illegal casino on wheels.

56S3 / E19Moving Targets
Mission report

The A-Team is hired to test the security of a North African royal palace, but the exercise turns into a real attack.

57S3 / E20Knights of the Road
Mission report

A small towing company is violently harassed, and the team discovers a smuggling route across the Mexican border behind the turf war.

58S3 / E21Waste ’Em!
Mission report

A waste company tries to drive out a courier service whose property blocks access to an illegal toxic-waste dump.

59S3 / E22Bounty
Mission report

Bounty hunters kidnap Murdock to lure in the entire A-Team. A young veterinarian helps him escape and becomes a target herself.

60S3 / E23Beverly Hills Assault
Mission report

A missing painter leads the team to a gallery that exchanges perfect copies for valuable originals.

61S3 / E24Trouble Brewing
Mission report

A powerful brewer pressures two sisters to sell their small soft-drink company and resorts to sabotage when they refuse.

62S3 / E25Incident at Crystal Lake
Mission report

The team's planned vacation at Crystal Lake turns into a clash involving robbers, a park ranger and Colonel Decker's approaching military police.

63S4 / E01Judgment Day (1)Special episode · Two-part story · approx. 90 min total · approx. 45 min longer
Mission report

Kidnappers use a judge's daughter to blackmail him, and the trail leads the team from the United States to a Mafia family in Italy.

64S4 / E02Judgment Day (2)Special episode · Two-part story · approx. 90 min total · approx. 45 min longer
Mission report

Aboard a cruise ship, the team and the rescued hostage hide behind a series of disguises while the Mafia family closes in.

65S4 / E03Where Is the Monster When You Need Him?
Mission report

A film project takes the team to a Mexican village that is being terrorized by a former military ruler.

66S4 / E04A Lease with an Option to Die
Mission report

After B.A.'s mother is injured, the team protects the residents of a Chicago apartment building from violent eviction.

67S4 / E05The Road to Hope
Mission report

A trap set by Decker leads Hannibal to a network that sells the identities of missing homeless men to criminals.

68S4 / E06The Heart of Rock ’n’ Roll
Mission report

Rick James asks for help for musician C. J. Mack, who finds himself in danger again immediately after his release from prison.

69S4 / E07Body Slam
Mission report

Hulk Hogan helps the team save a youth center that a crime family wants because it believes stolen gold is buried underneath.

70S4 / E08Blood, Sweat and Cheers
Mission report

Hannibal's nephew, a race-car driver, is threatened by a rival backed by a Chicago gangster, so the team goes undercover at the track.

71S4 / E09Mind Games
Mission report

Face unexpectedly receives a pardon, but Hannibal sees it as a sophisticated trap to arrest the rest of the team.

72S4 / E10There Goes the Neighborhood
Mission report

The team hides a threatened rock singer in a suburban neighborhood and is caught between a neighborhood watch and a criminal gang.

73S4 / E11The Doctor Is Out
Mission report

Murdock's psychiatrist is kidnapped, and the search leads to an officer preparing a coup in South America.

74S4 / E12Uncle Buckle-Up
Mission report

Hannibal lands a role on a children's show and discovers that the program is being used for criminal purposes.

75S4 / E13Wheel of Fortune
Mission report

Murdock wins a trip to Hawaii on ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ but gangsters kidnap him because only he can fly a stolen Soviet attack helicopter.

76S4 / E14The A-Team Is Coming, the A-Team Is Coming
Mission report

After a staged defection by a Soviet ballerina, the A-Team joins forces with a former Russian enemy to stop the theft of a secret satellite system.

77S4 / E15Members Only
Mission report

Face joins an exclusive country club and uncovers counterfeiting, blackmail and a new military attempt to capture the team.

78S4 / E16Cowboy George
Mission report

Face accidentally books Boy George instead of country singer Cowboy George. During the concert, a gang plans to rob an armored cash shipment.

79S4 / E17Waiting for Insane Wayne
Mission report

The team is mistaken for four hired gunmen and ends up protecting a veteran and his son from a greedy rancher.

80S4 / E18The Duke of Whispering Pines
Mission report

B.A.'s former girlfriend asks the team to find her missing husband; the investigation leads to Hannibal's hometown and an old score.

81S4 / E19Beneath the Surface
Mission report

At an orphanage reunion, Face finds a clue involving a childhood friend, a treasure map and a sunken Spanish ship.

82S4 / E20Mission of Peace
Mission report

A group of retirees hires the team to defend their Old West attraction, Mission de la Paz, from a developer trying to seize the land.

83S4 / E21The Trouble with Harry
Mission report

Loan sharks and the Mafia are hunting a former boxer, so B.A., Hannibal and Hulk Hogan protect him and his son.

84S4 / E22A Little Town with an Accent
Mission report

Behind the pressure on a small gas station is a supposedly dead mafia boss and a meeting of the underworld.

85S4 / E23The Sound of Thunder
Mission report

General Fulbright takes the team to Vietnam, where he reveals that his personal search matters more to him than the official mission.

86S5 / E01Dishpan Man (1)Special episode · Three-part story · approx. 135 min total · approx. 90 min longer
Mission report

General Stockwell has Hannibal abducted from a veterans' hospital and offers a mission that could finally prove the team's innocence.

87S5 / E02Trial by Fire (2)Special episode · Three-part story · approx. 135 min total · approx. 90 min longer
Mission report

After the betrayal, the men are brought before a military court and have to reconstruct the bank robbery and Murdock's role at the time.

88S5 / E03Firing Line (3)Special episode · Three-part story · approx. 135 min total · approx. 90 min longer
Mission report

With the death sentence imposed, Murdock and Frankie race to stop the execution while Stockwell offers the team a life-changing bargain.

89S5 / E04Quarterback Sneak
Mission report

A football exhibition provides cover for the team's attempt to extract a scientist and his wife from East Germany.

90S5 / E05The Theory of Revolution
Mission report

Stockwell sends the team to San Marcos, where American hostages, revolutionaries and foreign agents are fighting for power.

91S5 / E06The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair
Mission report

Stockwell's former CIA partner kidnaps him in a dispute over a stolen stealth bomber, leaving the team only 36 hours to act.

92S5 / E07Alive at Five
Mission report

Face wants to leave Stockwell's service, but first he has to save a reporter and prevent a planned murder of a union leader.

93S5 / E08Family Reunion
Mission report

Stockwell orders the team to reunite a terminally ill informant with his daughter on Thanksgiving; the man also claims that Face is his son.

94S5 / E09Point of No Return
Mission report

Hannibal disappears while on a solo mission in Hong Kong; the team searches for him on their own, against Stockwell's original orders.

95S5 / E10The Crystal Skull
Mission report

A crystal skull leads Murdock, Face and Frankie between two warring groups, who quickly declare Murdock king.

96S5 / E11The Spy Who Mugged Me
Mission report

In Monte Carlo, the team hunts the terrorist Jaguar, while Murdock plays his spy role a little too convincingly.

97S5 / E12The Grey Team
Mission report

A teenage girl runs away with a top-secret file; aided by a group of older veterans, the team tries to find her before enemy agents do.

98S5 / E13Without Reservations
Mission report

In the restaurant where Murdock works, Face and Frankie get caught up in a hostage situation - and Face is seriously injured.

Case notes / Verified

Details beyond
the mission reports

Production changes, casting details and television history—six verified notes from The A-Team Archive.

01

Face was played by someone else in the pilot

Tim Dunigan played Templeton Peck in the feature-length pilot “Mexican Slayride.” Dirk Benedict took over for the series; Dunigan was considered too young to convincingly play a Vietnam veteran.

02

A post-Super Bowl launch boost

The first regular episode aired immediately after Super Bowl XVII. “Children of Jamestown” earned a 26.4 Nielsen rating and a 39 percent audience share, making it one of the week's most-watched programs.

03

Season 5 changed the mission

The team was captured and began working under General Stockwell. The new setup refreshed the familiar pattern of fugitives helping people in trouble.

04

Tia Carrere was meant to stay

Tia Fulbright was intended to join the team. Carrere's existing ABC contract for “General Hospital,” however, prevented the character from becoming a series regular.

05

Three Emmy nominations

The three nominations concerned the feature-length pilot “Mexican Slayride,” the two-hour television movie “When You Comin’ Back, Range Rider?”, which also aired as a two-parter, and “Firing Line.” The two parts of “When You Comin’ Back, Range Rider?” are overall episodes 19 and 20 in this archive, or season 2, episodes 5 and 6.

10

George Peppard's only dual role

In the two-hour television movie “Judgment Day,” later split into two episodes, George Peppard plays both Hannibal Smith and the gangster Augie. Hannibal assumes Augie's identity for an undercover operation. It is Peppard's only dual role in the series.