The first season of the action-adventure television series The A-Team premiered in the United States on NBC on January 23, 1983, and concluded on May 10, 1983, consisting of 14 episodes.
No.overall 1
No. inseason 1
Title Mexican Slayride
Directed by Rod Holcomb
Written by Frank Lupo & Stephen J. Cannell
Original air date January 23, 1983
A desperate, but ambitious newspaper reporter, Amy Allen, wants to prove the existence of the A-Team, four ex GIs that help people in need. When she finds them she hires them, because her co-worker Al Massey is missing in Mexico.
No.overall 2
No. inseason 2
Title Mexican Slayride
Directed by Rod Holcomb
Written by Frank Lupo & Stephen J. Cannell
Original air date January 23, 1983
The A-Team travels to Mexico, where they are searching for Al Massey, but their client wants to come with. With the military police on their tracks the A-Team has to take actions quickly. , They are soon are soon captured by a band of guerrilla soldiers whose leader, Colonel Flores, is working with Valdez. In the final battle they are assisted by the villagers and with their help, the A-Team is able to overthrow both the bandits and guerrillas, save the reporter and make their way home. Once home, Amy Allen blackmails her way onto the team.
No.overall 3
No. inseason 3
Title Children of Jamestown
Directed by Christian I. Nyby II
Written by Stephen J. Cannell
Original air date January 30, 1983
A desperate father calls for the A-Team to rescue his daughter. The A-Team is hired to rescue a wealthy man's daughter from a religious cult, led by the insane Reverend James. The rescue is successful, but the team is caught by the cult. Murdock has to return to rescue the rest of the team. After escaping, the A-team hide out at a nearby farm. The military police come to arrest the A-Team and instead arrest the religious cult. Humorously, the only reason Hannibal seems to have for wanting to get back at Reverend James was because he stole his boots (which Hannibal recovers in the final scene of the episode).
Special Guest Star: John Saxon as Rev. Martin James
No.overall 4
No. inseason 4
Title Pros and Cons
Directed by Ron Satlof
Written by Stephen J. Cannell
Original air date February 8, 1983
B.A.'s friend Jase is sent to a prison, where he must fight in death matches for the amusement of the warden and several high-profile gamblers. Jase is able to escape but is captured again in front of B.A., who enlists the other members of the A-Team to help out his friend. In the end, they use the camera for the fights to get the warden and everyone else involved on film; the warden is fired and Jase is revealed to have already served his time, since the warden trumped up fake crimes to keep him around. At the beginning and end of the episode, Hannibal (disguised as his own agent) is trying to get another job for himself; when the news about the A-Team's efforts hit the TVs, he humorously almost reveals he was involved.
Special Guest Star: Meeno Peluce as Joey Tataro
No.overall 5
No. inseason 5
Title A Small and Deadly War
Directed by Ron Satlof
Written by Frank Lupo
Original air date February 15, 1983
A renegade S.W.A.T. unit can be hired to kill people. When another police officer learns about that, he hires the A-Team to uncover these techniques and protect his family. The A-Team has to fight hard against this well trained unit.
As pointed out by B.A., "It's like the A-Team is going up against themselves"; they bug the SWAT team's uniforms to collect intel, saving a target and aggravating their leader. In the end, the A-Team succeeds in the capture of three members of the SWAT team, while convincing another to snitch on them. Meeting up with Maloney, the A-Team returns the pay he had given.
Jack Ging as Capt. Stark
Dean Stockwell as Officer Collins
Norman Alden as Inspector Ed Maloney
Al White as Officer Steven Meadows
Fil Formiloca as Shaeffer
Carol Baxter as Nurse
Ismael Carlo as Delgado
Lew Palter as Desk Sergeant
Connie Downing as Bonnie Webb
Dave Morick as Mickey
Rhonda Shear as Waitress
No.overall 6
No. inseason 6
Title Black Day at Bad Rock
Directed by Christian I. Nyby II
Written by Patrick Hasburgh
Original air date February 22, 1983
B.A. Baracus has - under unknown circumstances - received a .50 calibre gunshot wound in the leg, forcing Hannibal and Face to take him to a small town doctor for help. Due to B.A.'s appearance and rudeness, the doctor assumes that he is a part of a group of bikers that has threatened to return to Bad Rock for their captured leader; she calls the sheriff, who arrests Hannibal and Face. In the meantime, Amy is forced to bring Murdock to Bad Rock to give B.A. blood. Hannibal and Face's prints are taken, alerting Lynch to their location; however, they manage to escape and imprison the sheriff. They convince the doctor to give B.A. a blood transfusion, which has a small effect on his personality. Not wanting to feel responsible for leaving Bad Rock defenseless, the A-Team allies with the sheriff to set up traps to defeat the bikers. The A-Team takes off right as Lynch arrives in pursuit.
Guest Stars:
Sid Haig as Sonny Jenco
Tricia O'Neil as Dr. Maggie Sullivan
Ed Lauter as Sheriff Jack
John Dennis Johnston as Barbarian biker
No.overall 7
No. inseason 7
Title The Rabbit Who Ate Las Vegas
Directed by Bruce Kessler
Written by Frank Lupo
Original air date March 1, 1983
The A-Team are called to Las Vegas by two college girls to search for their missing professor Bruce Warfel who developed the perfect gambling system. The team rescue him from Gianni Christian, a high-ranking mobster, whose thugs couldn't understand the professor's explanations as to how his method works (though Murdock understands easily). However, their "ride into the sunset" moment is cut short when Gianni is thrown to his death and the team becomes the prime suspects because of their scam/rescue. With a bounty out and Hannibal's face captured on camera, the A Team quickly figure out that Gianni's #2 guy killed him; they arrange for his arrest while escaping before Lynch arrives.
Guest stars:
Richard Romanus as Jackie Martell
Terence McGovern as Prof. Bruce Warfel
Luke Andreas as Jilly
Kitty Mofatt as Darlene
Floyd Levine as Carmine
Charles Cioffi as Gianni Christian
Michelle Avonne as Sue Beth
Richard Reicheg as Mr. DeSapio
Tracy Scoggins as Elly Payne
Christopher Thomas as Hotel Desk Clerk
Michael Laurence as Newsreader
Alma Beltran as Maid
James Dybas as Doorman
Timothy Prager as Florist Messenger
No.overall 8
No. inseason 8
Title The Out-of-Towners
Directed by Chuck Bowman
Written by Frank Lupo
Original air date March 15, 1983
The A-Team is called to New York City by a community of small business owners, who are being abused by a wealthy businessman that's forcing them into a protection racket. The team forgoes payment out of concern for the businesses, deciding to force the brute into paying back all the money he's taken. Hannibal has trash dumped at the club the thugs reside at, calling them in for a final reckoning. At the same time, Face has to trap a rude, ignorant rider in his taxi cab before the fight; humorously, Face told him numerous times that he was off duty to get rid of him.
Guest stars:
Yaphet Kotto as East-Side Charlie
No.overall 9
No. inseason 9
Title Holiday in the Hills
Directed by Arnold Laven
Written by Babs Greyhosky
Original air date March 22, 1983
The A-Team is coming back to the USA after a job in Guatemala in a Beechcraft C18S airplane "borrowed" and piloted by Murdock (with B.A. conveniently sedated) when after an engine failure they are forced to an emergency landing in the backwoods of South Carolina. There, they come across a group of men trying to burn another man at the stake. Saving the man, they must then defend their position by the plane and hope to make their way home.
No.overall 10
No. inseason 10
Title West Coast Turnaround
Directed by Guy Magar
Written by
Story by: Babs Greyhosky
Teleplay by: Stephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh
Original air date April 5, 1983
The A-Team are called in to protect a small-time farmer in delivering his produce to the market. Blocking them is the land-hungry Chuck Easterman, who has control of most of the town. They have to fight the clock as the produce slowly starts to rot. In the ensuing battle, Amy loses her brand new car; Face is forced to give up a large percentage of the A-Team's share in the sell of the watermelons to cover it.
Special Guest Star: Stuart Whitman as Chuck Easterman.
No.overall 11
No. inseason 11
Title One More Time
Directed by Arnold Laven
Written by
Story by: Babs Greyhosky
Teleplay by: Frank Lupo and Patrick Hasburgh
Original air date April 12, 1983
The Military Police finally capture the A-Team but Lynch doesn't get much of a chance to gloat about it when a high ranking State Department official steps in and coerces the Team into a covert operation to rescue the team's former commanding officer, General Ludlum, who, along with his daughter, has been captured by a power hungry dictator in Borneo. B.A is especially reluctant to go, as the officer court-martialed him in Vietnam, for which B.A broke his nose. Unfortunately, the team is given incorrect information about the enemy compound and are captured; they are believed to be legitimate American agents, no matter how many times Hannibal tries to correct them.
Guest stars:
Edward Grover as Major Briggs
Alan Fudge as Mr. Perry
Nico Mindaros as Rashaam
Warren J. Kemmerling as General Ludlam
Amy Steel as Kathy Ludlam
Danny Wells as Film Director
Barbra Horan as Rhonda
Dean Santoro as Aide
William Lucking as Col. Lynch
Dennis Haysbert as Psych Staff Ward
Casey King as Assistant Director
Patrick Cameron as Guard
Rick Fitts as Burrows
Robb Madrid as Sergeant at Arms
Judd Omen as Guerrilla
No.overall 12
No. inseason 12
Title Till Death Do Us Part
Directed by Guy Magar
Written by Babs Greyhosky
Original air date April 19, 1983
The A-Team must rescue a reluctant bride from the hands of her would-be husband, a sociopath murderer and former business partner of her late father. With the team's arrival on the late side, Face becomes the target for Hannibal's newest plan: to wed the bride. The plan succeeds, and the A-Team retrieve a tape from a recording left by the bride's father that recorded the murder. In an ironic twist, the team escapes via helicopter, but only B.A. comes out a crash-landing unscathed due to being unconscious and therefore not tense during the landing.
No.overall 13
No. inseason 13
Title The Beast from the Belly of a Boeing
Directed by Ron Satlof
Written by Patrick Hasburgh
Original air date May 3, 1983
The A-Team are called in to rescue a hijacked Boeing 747. In doing so, B.A. must overcome his fear of flying in order to rescue Hannibal and Face (in disguise), who willingly give themselves up to the hijackers in exchange for the hostages. When Murdock is blinded after a gun goes off close to his face by one of the hijackers, Hannibal must fly a plane for the first time.
Note: When discussing how to land the plane, Murdock mentions the plot to Terror in the Sky, a 1971 TV-Movie remake of Zero Hour!. Near the end of the episode, the plane is seen crashing through a lobby-window at the airport, this scene was the same footage made for the film Airplane!, a 1980 comedy-remake of Zero Hour!.
Guest star:
Andrew J. Robinson as Jackson (leader of the hijackers)
No.overall 14
No. inseason 14
Title A Nice Place to Visit
Directed by Bernard McEveety
Written by Frank Lupo
Original air date May 10, 1983
The A-Team find themselves in a small town, paying respects to a fallen comrade from the Vietnam War. While there, they discover that the four Watkins brothers rule the town with intimidation, even so much as to warn the townspeople to stay away from the funeral. The A-Team then seek to avenge his murder and bring his killers to justice.
Special Guest Stars: Don Stroud as Deke Watkins
Joanna Kerns as Trish Brenner