I Pity The Foo
NBC · 1983–1987

The A-Team.

Five seasons. Ninety-eight episodes. One mohawk that built a primetime empire — and one black GMC Vandura that became as famous as any of the cast.

Network
NBC
Creators
Cannell & Lupo
Run
1983 → 1987
Seasons
5
Episodes
98
Theme by
Mike Post
The character

Bosco “B.A.” Baracus.

B.A. Baracus Stylised illustration of Mr T as B.A. Baracus.
Mr T

Sergeant First Class · Mechanic · Strong-arm

Bosco Albert “Bad Attitude” Baracus

The team’s mechanic and muscle. B.A. is a Vietnam-vet (later Iraq-vet in revisions) who can fix or build any vehicle, hates flying so violently that the only way to get him on a plane is to slip him sleeping pills, and softens visibly around children — he runs a youth centre between missions.

The character was largely written for Mr T after Stallone cast him in Rocky III. Cannell built the gold chains, mohawk and street-meets-army look directly into the role.

Rank
Sergeant First Class, US Army
Specialty
Mechanic, demolitions, hand-to-hand
Catchphrase
“I pity the fool.”
Phobia
Flying — written into nearly every sleep-induced flight
Side hustle
Coaching youth at the local community centre
Vehicle
1983 GMC Vandura — black with red striping and a roof spoiler
The team

Four soldiers of fortune.

Cannell’s premise: an elite Special Forces unit, framed for a crime they didn’t commit, on the run from military police, hires themselves out to people the law can’t help.

The leader

John “Hannibal” Smith

Played by George Peppard. Cigar-chewing tactician with a thousand disguises. “I love it when a plan comes together.”

Colonel · Strategist
The face

Templeton “Face” Peck

Played by Dirk Benedict. Smooth-talker, scrounger, and the guy who can talk a Major into handing over a tank. Rotates wardrobes per mission.

Lieutenant · Con-man
The pilot

H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock

Played by Dwight Schultz. Possibly the best pilot in the world; definitely the most theatrical. Lives at the VA psychiatric ward between missions.

Captain · Aviator
The muscle

B.A. Baracus

Played by Mr T. Mechanic, demolitions expert, won’t fly without sleeping pills. Builds cobbled-together death machines from a junkyard once an episode.

Sergeant · Mechanic
Stylised illustration of the A-Team van — a black GMC Vandura with a red side stripe and roof spoiler.
The van · 1983 GMC Vandura
The fifth member

One black 1983 GMC Vandura.

No spec sheet has ever mattered more to a TV show. The Vandura is the team’s mobile base, escape vehicle, mobile workshop and on-set rallying point.

Multiple identical vans were used through the run — most for stunts, two for hero shots. The exterior is matt black with a single red side stripe and a fibreglass roof spoiler. The interior, contrary to the “tactical” paint job, was usually a regular passenger conversion with shag carpet.

Make / model
1983 GMC Vandura G-15
Engine
5.7L V8
Livery
Matt black with red side stripe and grey lower bumper
Roof
Black fibreglass spoiler with red trim
Sound
Mike Post’s theme inevitably plays as it pulls up
Key episodes

Picks across the five seasons.

Selected highlights — the pilot, the standout B.A. episodes, and the much-debated finale.

  1. S01E01 Mexican Slayride (Pilot) 23 January 1983
  2. S01E08 Black Day at Bad Rock 15 March 1983
  3. S02E04 When You Comin' Back, Range Rider? 18 October 1983
  4. S02E14 The Taxicab Wars 31 January 1984
  5. S03E10 The Bend in the River 17 December 1985
  6. S04E14 Mind Games 20 January 1986
  7. S05E13 Without Reservations (Finale) 8 March 1987
Trivia & legacy

Notes from the set, and from history.

Set life

B.A. didn’t fly

Mr T’s character refused to board planes — written in to give B.A. a vulnerability and to give writers a reliable comedic beat once per episode.

Music

Mike Post’s theme

A horn-led, military march that became as instantly recognisable as the show. Released as a single in the UK and Australia in 1984.

Fandom

The action figure line

Galoob produced a 6.5-inch line of A-Team action figures in 1983, including B.A. with a fold-flat hat. Originals are sought-after.

Cancellation

Season 5 retool

Ratings slipped opposite The Cosby Show. Season 5 added Robert Vaughn as a handler and tried a darker tone before NBC pulled the plug.

Reboot

2010 feature film

Joe Carnahan-directed feature with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as B.A. Baracus. Mr T publicly criticised the new film’s tone.

Catchphrase

“I love it when a plan comes together”

Hannibal’s line — but echoed in pop culture forever. Often misattributed to B.A.

← Back to career overview