Why we love shows about those who fight for ordinary people in trouble

Recently, alone on a long car journey, I found myself mentally replaying the theme to "The Equalizer" - by which I mean, of course, the incredible Stewart Copeland-composed theme to the Edward Woodward-led 1980s TV series, not the barely related Denzel Washington movies or the Queen Latifah series.

And seriously, if you've never heard this, you need to check out the series intro - it remains one of the best in TV history.

"Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer.” This was the ad that super cool, silver-haired British ex-spy Robert McCall (played by Edward Woodward) placed in newspapers, encouraging anyone desperate for help in New York City to leave a message on his answering machine. Because yes, this was still the 1980s: era of answering machines and [in retrospect] conveniently plot-serving time delays. Those who followed the show would learn that McCall was atoning for decades of serving the bigger picture and ignoring the 'collateral damage' wreaked upon the innocent.

BTW - did anyone else fixate on how difficult it apparently was for that guy in the intro to get out of a phone box?? His gyrations worked great with the intro music, but I'd love to ask the actor: what the heck was going on there!?

But The Equalizer wasn't the first or the last TV show to feature someone with power sticking up for those without any.

"The A-Team" (1983+)

The intro began as follows:

"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 A-Team was cheesy, overly-simplistic, and largely implausible. The latter was obvious, even to the most junior of its fanbase, for three main reasons. First, despite vast quantities of bullets being fired both at and by them over multiple seasons, and innumerable explosions and car wrecks, the only injuries over the entire show were (I think) to 'Howling Mad' Murdock on one occasion when the team found itself finally boxed in. (This was actually a wonderful episode designed to showcase the bond between Murdock and BA, despite their usually adversarial relationship thanks to BA's fear of flying and Murdock being, well, the team's pilot.) Second, because while Murdock was undoubtedly an excellent pilot, it simply did not make sense that the pursuing 'bad guys' would fly their helicopters into cliffs that frequently! And third, because - despite the number of occasions when Murdock 'snuck out' of his mental hospital to join the rest of the team on an adventure, the military somehow never thought to put the place under surveillance!!

Do I wish that female guest stars under the age of thirty hadn't been so easily charmed by the charismatic "Faceman" (Templeton Peck, played by Dirk Benedict) and [less plausibly] his commander Hannibal Smith (an aging George Peppard, long past his "Breakfast at Tiffany's" heartthrob days)? Sure, but I kind of chalk this up to it being the 80s. I definitely look back at the female reporter characters who appeared in many episodes - first Melinda Culea (playing Amy Allen) then Marla Heasley (playing Tawnia Baker) - and think that was a lost opportunity, particularly in light of the news that apparently they were both badly treated by the other leads who felt women shouldn't be included and this was a show "for guys". You only need to look at shows like "Leverage" or "Elementary" to see that female characters can be hugely impactful, whereas Amy and Tawnia had zero agency and mostly smiled and laughed at things the guys said or did; while they occasionally participated in a sting, they never helped plan or lead it and were always excluded from the main action in some way, as if they were the ride-along dates. I find this pretty disappointing for two big reasons: I was a huge fan of the show and never saw it as something that only boys could engage with, and a highlight of my life was meeting co-creator Stephen J. Cannell, who could not have been more encouraging and helpful regarding my own screenwriting aspirations.

HOWEVER... none of the above diminishes the sheer joy of watching as the bad guys du jour (from communist torturers to greedy oil company CEOs) who were threatening the little guy (from immigrant chefs working at hole-in-the-wall restaurants in downtown LA to impoverished redneck landowners in central California) are taught a lesson, usually at the end of an AK-47 and/or a mini-tank whipped up by the inner-city teens in BA's after-school club.

I think the show especially resonated for me as a kid, because I felt that I had a grievance against an untouchable 'bad guy.' Living in a small village in southern England, for years my noise-sensitive mother's life was made utterly miserable by local farmers who set bird-scarers (gas cannons) to fire a violently-loud double-boom, in the field next to our house, every 12 minutes between early morning and late evening. I used to fantasize about being able to hire an A-Team like squad, who would not only disable the cannon but also threaten or blackmail the farmer into keeping it off (or, you know, come up with another method of scaring birds away that didn't mentally torture their neighbours).

"Stingray" (1985-1987)

For me, there were three great things about this 'lone problem-solver' show, which (like the A-Team) was also created by Stephen J. Cannell:

First, the awesome theme tune by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter. It's incredible. The first half repeats the same background beats, but in three stanzas: the first sets up one theme, the second another, and the third combines both brilliantly. And THEN it morphs into their trademark horns with another great melody. The intro also supports my longstanding hypothesis that composers arrange their theme tunes such that the best bit occurs right when their names appear on-screen!

Second, it's super cool. Sure, it doesn't make sense at times, but from the car (a classic black 1965 Corvette Sting Ray) to the lead (Nick Mancuso, playing the part with wit and smoldering sex appeal) it's just great. Plus, it was the ONLY TV show I'm aware of that showed shots from the filming of each episode under the end credits each week... truly revolutionary, and a very cool way to better acknowledge the crew who made the entire thing possible.

The third reason is very personal, but I loved the fact that part of season 1 was filmed right where I used to work at Caltech in Pasadena, CA. Never has a geology library looked so interesting and exciting!

But getting down to the nuts and bolts of the show: the core premise was that 'Ray' (not his real name - well, d'uh) would help the little guy with their problem in return for not money but rather a favor, to be repaid at some point in the future. This resulted in Ray being able to solicit all kinds of wild and wacky favors in each episode, whilst racking up new favors from the helpee of the week.

"Vengeance Unlimited" (1998-1999)

This show basically copied the premise of "Stingray" but with one change: the helpee-of-the-week could opt to owe their helper one favor OR pay one million dollars.

The show was co-created by John McNamara (the other was David Simkins), who often seemed to show up as creator or producer on enjoyable TV shows that were canceled too early. And sadly, VU was one such show, not making it past a first season. ["The Magicians" was a big success for McNamara, though.]

Even so, it's a very cool show and a highly entertaining watch - if you can find it. The main character, Mr. Chapel (played by Michael Madsen), has a traumatic backstory that one feels would have been expanded upon in future episodes, while his 'sidekick' KC (played by Kathleen York) is a former helpee who's decided to go all-in on working with him. Madsen is made for this part, as is York, and their chemistry (purely as friends, as least in the episodes broadcast) is a major draw in each episode.

This was a satisfying show in which the little guy got to triumph, with an assist from the big bad Chapel, and it's frustrating that it didn't last a lot longer.

"Leverage" (2008+)

The ultimate "Robin Hood" TV series. As the intro goes: "The rich and powerful, they take what they want. We steal it back for you. Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys. We provide... 'leverage'."

Which actually doesn't make much sense in the show itself, because they usually get revenge/redress and 'leverage' (blackmail etc.) rarely, if ever, comes into it. But title aside, the show is pretty great, and the most fun comes from the quirky characters and their interactions (with the bad guys and each other).

I've written in another blog post about how Leverage is basically a modern day "Garrison's Gorillas" (which has the exact same characters, except they're fighting Nazis in WWII Europe vs bad guys in modern America). [Both shows involve a squeaky-clean leader wrangling a set of thieves, hard-men, and con-artists who are now using their criminal talents to do the right thing.]

But the premise of hustling bad guys also owes a lot to a series that barely predates it: the unusually classy BBC show "Hustle." The biggest difference is that in Hustle they're mostly about making money for themselves (albeit at the expense of the rich and horrible) rather than being focused on helping the little guy per se. True, many episodes involve the gang coming to the rescue of someone being persecuted... but that person is more likely to be a down-and-out-criminal rather than the pure and innocent helpee of The A-Team and Leverage.

"The Four Just Men"

Inspired by a 1905 thriller novel by Edgar Wallace, this 1950s TV series may have been the first to features highly skilled people with the drive to fight for those in trouble. I confess to not having seen more than clips of the show myself, but I suspect it was considerably less 'dark' than the book itself.

According to Wikipedia, the four men in the TV version first meet as Allied soldiers in Italy during WWII, then are later gathered by their former CO, who has left his money to be used by them to fight for justice against tyranny. Interestingly, they operate from four different countries (US, Paris, UK, and Italy, working as respectively a lawyer, American reporter, Member of Parliament, and hotelier) and appear in most episodes alone (perhaps with a brief cameo by another, usually on the telephone), but apparently each has an assistant to help with the 'derring-do.'

Adjacent concepts

I haven't mentioned three very similar, yet I would argue distinct, concepts:

#1: Fighting for a cause

The first is the (often) disguised hero or heroine who battles one or more 'big' bad guys, rather than offering their help to right just any injustice. These range from The Scarlet Pimpernel (who poses as a foolish, foppish aristocrat but dons disguises to rescue innocents sent to Madame le Guillotine during the French Revolution) to the many characters he likely inspired, such as Zorro (the same idea, but fighting corrupt officials in early California). There are many earlier examples of heroes battling a single big enemy (sadly, my reading of ancient texts is not up to being familiar with the earliest), including Robin Hood, although in those cases the dual identity is generally not a major plot device. While I love Robin Hood, especially the live action Disney version (which few nowadays have seen), I'm a sucker for a great revelation scene, and that's where the "hero with a secret identity" comes into its element. I think that truly appeals to anyone who has ever felt bullied or look down upon as 'lesser': the concept that secretly someone has an ability they can use to help the world, and these people who look down on them would feel small and stupid if only they knew it!!

These don't fall into my main list, however, because they are focused on fighting for one specific cause against one enemy / set of enemies.

#2: The superhero.

The second concept is that of the superhero, who one could argue helps multiple people in trouble. The most famous example is probably Superman: a mega-powerful alien who (again, much like the Scarlet Pimpernel) disguises himself as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent to hide his identify in his everyday life. Although Superman's biggest nemeses are generally the 'big bads' - the (scarily numerous) criminals who both know of his vulnerability (Kryptonite) and have the ability to use it - he also regularly saves the little guy from criminals and natural disasters alike. And as a reporter, Superman also brings an investigative element to his fights for justice, especially in TV series. Batman and other superheroes similarly don't rely only on only the physical.

So why don't superheroes fall into my main list, since they do try to help in a whole range of cases and could often be argued to be fighting for justice for the 'little people'? For me, the distinction is that there is generally no way for the average person in trouble to reach out to these heroes for help. Unless that person is Lois Lane, or is screaming very loudly as they - for example - plummet from a 30th floor window.

#3: The detective.

The third related concept - and it's a HUGE area - is the professional or amateur detective. The professionals include both those paid by the state (police/FBI/etc., from Dragnet to Law and Order, or even the Impossible Missions Force!) and those paid directly by a client (from Sherlock Holmes to Monk), while the amateurs range from Lord Peter Wimsey to Jessica Fletcher. However, the distinct difference here - in my opinion - is the nature of the help provided. In most cases, the detective is working to identify a killer after a murder (or other heinous crime) has occurred. They may be working to prove someone's innocence (either their client or simply someone they don't believe did it), but they aren't typically working to "bring down" the bad guy, or to seek justice for unfairness, or specifically to help the 'little guy' with nowhere else to go.

And really, I think that's the crux of what makes the shows in my main list so satisfying: the idea that, if you're facing an unfair situation, there are people who will help you fight your corner and find justice and retribution. Of course there are detective shows - or at least, episodes of them - that fall into that category, too. But I think there's a real satisfaction to finding help or retribution for the little guy being the PRIMARY driver of the story arc each week.

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