80’s TV was a wondrous time filled with so many Saturday afternoon action/adventure shows that I’m going all nostalgic just thinking about it. For me, it also meant spending time with my Dad who loved them. My sister blames him for my obsession with Airwolf and she’d be right. It was Dad who dragged me to the TV with the words: “It’s like the one with the car but with a helicopter; you’ll like it.”

I LOVED it, and I can say hand on heart, Airwolf is truly the first TV show with which I fell in love.

Created by Donald Bellisario and with many of his trademark elements that characterize his shows such as Magnum P.I. and JAG (military and Vietnam connection, tragic hero), it is actually a much darker beast than its car counterpart, Knight Rider -- and is loved for being so. Something that it would seem the network at the time never understood because after the brilliant first season, where the stories were focused mostly on political and spy intrigue with a dark undertone, each subsequent season tried to change the show in some way. And let’s not speak of Season 4, which changed everything -- including cast, crew and production location. These days we’d call it a spin-off or reboot, and while Season 4 may have its fans, I’m not one of them.

By comparison, I’m captivated by the pilot episode to this day, mostly because it puts two things front and centre: the hero, Stringfellow Hawke, (played by Jan Michael Vincent), who I’ll get to in just a minute, and the helicopter, Airwolf. Just with the opening shots of Airwolf in the desert with the sun glinting off her rotors, the lizard holding onto the wheel, the sleek lines and shiny hull, are enough to get my heart racing. I love the beat of the iconic music underscore (created by Sylvester Levay) during the battle scenes where Airwolf is cleverly shown at her best, at her most dangerous. I think it’s fair to say that I fell in love with the helicopter first.

But I did fall in love with tragic hero, Stringfellow Hawke, second. The set-up of the main storyline is all Hawke’s story and his search for his missing brother. For those that might need the reminder, Airwolf is stolen by her creators, the FIRM, and recovered by Hawke who is somewhat forced into it by FIRM Deputy Director Michael Coldsmith-Briggs III aka Archangel (played by Alex Cord). Hawke refuses to return Airwolf until the FIRM finds his only living relative, his MIA brother. Until then, he agrees to fly Airwolf on missions of national security for Michael, keeps Airwolf hidden in a cave and is helped by his mentor, Dominic Santini (Ernest Borgnine). The pilot episode included the torture, rape and death (did I mention the dark and gritty nature?) of Hawke’s romantic interest to underscore the tragic nature of his existence.

Vincent, in Season 1 especially, was just superb, playing Hawke with a vulnerable subtlety and dangerous edge that was, frankly, hot. His performances later were to suffer thanks to his well-documented addictions, and rumors abounded about tension with his cast mates, but for me, that tension never translated on-screen. The chemistry between the main cast of Vincent, Borgnine, Cord, and Jean Scott Bruce (who played Caitlin O’Shaunessy from Season 2 onwards) was excellent. There is real warmth in the scenes between Hawke and Dominic; a real sense of friendship between Hawke and Michael; a frisson of something between Hawke and Caitlin.

The addition of Caitlin provokes something of a debate in fandom. Many feel she wasn’t needed; many feel disappointed at the sidelining and eventual disappearance of Marella (played by Deborah Pratt who never received regular billing); many feel that the hint of romance (which was never a regular element) wasn’t required. Personally, I love the character as she was introduced, but I’m the first to admit she wasn’t consistently written, and at times I feel for Bruce in the inanity of the lines she was given. Her addition though was one of the changes in Season 2 that seemed designed to alter the nature of the series to a more kid friendly show.

The writing did suffer through Season 2 and Season 3, although there were still gems such as “Fallen Angel” [2.07] and “Horn of Plenty” [3.01]. Indeed by the end of Season 3, turkeys such as “Little Wolf” [3.16] and “Tracks” [3.21] kind of raise the question of whether the production team knew of the imminent cancellation and/or had simply stopped caring. The decreasing quality can also be seen in the special effects. Many of the shots of Airwolf in battle in Season 2 and 3 are stock footage with issues of continuity and editing. Yet Airwolf gained a place in the record books thanks to the B-52 bombing run in “To Snare A Wolf” (01.12), the heart-stopping finale to Season 1. There is a sense of regret that Airwolf never had access to today’s CGI, which potentially could have cut the costs of using actual helicopters and increased production quality.

Part of me would love to see Airwolf remade but another part of me hopes it never happens because I just love the original too much, even with its many flaws and issues. In my mind, no show has yet ever produced a first season that is comparably as brilliant or as captivating. But then, perhaps nothing ever surpasses your first love.

  -- Rachel Day