The A-Team
A Lease with an Option to Die
TV Flash files “A Lease with an Option to Die” as hour 66 of 98 in the TV Flash guide — The A-Team (1983–1987) on NBC, season 4, episode 4, aired 1985-10-22, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S04E04: listed hour 66 of 98 in the The A-Team guide, hour 4 of 23 in season 4. It aired 1985-10-22 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Where is the Monster When You Need Him?” (S04E03). Next is “The Road to Hope” (S04E05).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
The tenants of a Chicago apartment building are fed up with the harassments by a gang of goons who moved in and seem determined to drive them away, lead by the building superintendent Alvarez. One of them has broken the arm of B.A.'s mom, and she calls her son, whom she believes to lead the outfit, and the giant still jumps for her, even insisting they fly. Murdock's new thing is a yo-yo, to play the retarded son of the new tenants committee president, Hannibal playing an old woman in a wheelchair. The team make it harder for the goons and finds out the respectable firm Harrington Management is behind them as it stands among properties they already bought for a development project. Now both parties hit hard...
Viewer FAQ
Where does A Lease with an Option to Die sit in the The A-Team guide?
S04E04 is listed hour 66 of 98 — hour 4 of 23 in season 4, season 4 episode 4.
When did The A-Team S04E04 air?
A Lease with an Option to Die aired 1985-10-22 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Is the violence actually violent?
Mostly cartoon. Scrap-built vehicles, explosions, and bad guys who go down without much blood — action as toy commercial, which is the Cannell joke and the appeal.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Peak 1980s action cheese with immortal casting — Mr. T alone is a cultural weather event. Peppard's Hannibal, Benedict's Faceman, Schultz's Murdock: wrongfully accused commandos, scrap-built tanks, bloodless mayhem. I love it when a plan comes together. Formulaic in the best popcorn way; pity the fool who missed the theme.
I love it when a plan comes together — still managerial cosplay language, still a group-chat greeting. (I said spoiler-free. The plan is the formula; the formula is the point.) NBC's The A-Team (1983–1987) sent a crack commando unit into Friday-night cheese: George Peppard's Hannibal, Mr. T's B.A. Baracus, Dirk Benedict's Faceman, Dwight Schultz's Howling Mad Murdock. Wrongfully accused, on the run, building tanks out of scrap, never quite killing the bad guys on camera. Lana can keep the gown. This carpet is…
Filed against
- George Peppard as John "Hannibal" Smith
George Peppard's John "Hannibal" Smith made The A-Team's plan come together — 1980s action cheese with immortal casting, wrongfully accused commandos, scrap-built tanks, bloodless mayhem. Mr. T as a weather event; Peppard as the cigar…
- Mr. T as B.A. Baracus
Mr. T’s B.A. Baracus made The A-Team a cultural weather event in gold chains — peak 1980s action cheese, Peppard’s Hannibal, Benedict’s Faceman, Schultz’s Murdock, wrongfully accused commandos, scrap-built tanks, bloodless mayhem. I love…
- Dirk Benedict as Templeton "Faceman" Peck
Dirk Benedict’s Lt. Starbuck put a gambler’s grin on Battlestar Galactica, then The A-Team recast the charm as Faceman — 1980s action cheese with a con man’s polish. Two decades of handsome problem-solving, cigars optional. TV Flash files…
- Dwight Schultz as H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock
Dwight Schultz made H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock the wild card on The A-Team — scrap-built tanks, bloodless mayhem, and 1980s action cheese with immortal casting. Hannibal loved it when a plan came together; Schultz made the plan sound…