List of Airwolf episodes
Encyclopedia
Airwolf
, an action-espionage
television series created by Donald P. Bellisario, premiered on January 22, 1984 on CBS
in the United States and ended on August 8, 1987. The show spans four seasons of 79 episodes. The original pilot
is two hours long, while the episodes that followed are approximately 45 minutes long. An enhanced version of the first episode was released as a motion picture in several countries as well as on home video. The show aired for three seasons on CBS; it was later picked up by USA Network
for a final season, made on a much smaller budget.
Three seasons of Airwolf were released on DVD
in United States
between 2005 and 2007, respectively. The original series was canceled due to declining ratings
; the resurrected fourth season was not renewed due to poor viewing figures as well as being generally poorly received.
Airwolf follows Stringfellow Hawke
, a pilot who has to retrieve the helicopter named Airwolf from the hands of its creator Dr. Moffet with the help from his friends, while going through a series of adventures. The original series starred Jan-Michael Vincent
as Hawke, Ernest Borgnine
as Dominic Santini
, Alex Cord
as Archangel and Jean Bruce Scott
as Caitlin O’Shannessy. The cast of season four consisted of Barry Van Dyke
as St. John Hawke, Michele Scarabelli
as Jo Santini, Geraint Wyn Davies
as Mike Rivers, and Anthony Sherwood
as Jason Locke.
on January 22, 1984 with a two-hour pilot episode, and concluded on April 14, 1984, with 11 episodes aired. It began with Stringfellow Hawke
hunting down Dr. Moffet and bringing Airwolf back into his protection, which Hawke would then use to go on flying missions of national importance for the F.I.R.M., the company that has the task of recovering Hawke's brother St. John.
to play the role of a feisty Caitlin O'Shannessy. The moves by CBS ultimately proved unsuccessful, however, and while production cost over-runs remained high, creator Donald P. Bellisario left both the studio and the series after Season 2.
Sylvester Levay
who composed and performed the music for season 1, composed 14 episodes of season 2. The remaining episodes were composed by Udi Harpaz (credited as UDI) (6), and Ian Freebairn-Smith (2).
remained low, the series was canceled by CBS.
wanted to make the show into a more family-friendly, action-oriented program. Bernard L. Kowalski abandoned the project a year after series creator Bellisario had decided to leave as well. USA Network
picked up distribution of the show, but with the remaining principal cast being too expensive to hire, an entirely new cast was created.
Season four aired from January to August 1987, and was produced on a comparatively shoe-string budget. Atlantis Production's contract did not provide the producers with the flying Bell 222 helicopter used for Airwolf, and recycled aerial footage and poorly-produced special effects failed to match the quality of the prior seasons. The full-sized mock-up of Airwolf from prior seasons was used for static shots.
In the first episode of this new version, "Blackjack", Hawke's missing brother St. John was suddenly (and surprisingly easily) discovered, creating contradictions to the character's already-varied history. He took over as pilot of Airwolf with its new crew. "The F.I.R.M." was now suddenly referred to as, "The Company," and gone were its famous white suits. Filming of the fourth season was completed in six months.
Airwolf
Airwolf is an American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. The program centers on a high-tech military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme....
, an action-espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
television series created by Donald P. Bellisario, premiered on January 22, 1984 on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in the United States and ended on August 8, 1987. The show spans four seasons of 79 episodes. The original pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
is two hours long, while the episodes that followed are approximately 45 minutes long. An enhanced version of the first episode was released as a motion picture in several countries as well as on home video. The show aired for three seasons on CBS; it was later picked up by USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
for a final season, made on a much smaller budget.
Three seasons of Airwolf were released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
between 2005 and 2007, respectively. The original series was canceled due to declining ratings
Audience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
; the resurrected fourth season was not renewed due to poor viewing figures as well as being generally poorly received.
Airwolf follows Stringfellow Hawke
Stringfellow Hawke
Stringfellow Hawke is a fictional character on the American action-adventure television series Airwolf . During the series' first three seasons, Hawke is its central character...
, a pilot who has to retrieve the helicopter named Airwolf from the hands of its creator Dr. Moffet with the help from his friends, while going through a series of adventures. The original series starred Jan-Michael Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent is an American actor best known for his role as helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on the 1980s U.S. television series Airwolf .-Early life:...
as Hawke, Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
as Dominic Santini
Dominic Santini
Dominic Santini is a fictional character on the U.S. television series Airwolf, which ran from 1984 to 1987. Veteran actor Ernest Borgnine portrayed the character during the series' first three seasons....
, Alex Cord
Alex Cord
Alex Cord is an American actor who is perhaps best known for portraying the role of Archangel on the television series Airwolf.-Biography:...
as Archangel and Jean Bruce Scott
Jean Bruce Scott
Jean Bruce Scott is an American television actress, best known for her role as former Texas Highway Patrol helicopter pilot "Caitlin O'Shannessy" in the 1984-1986 CBS action thriller drama television series Airwolf, starring Jan-Michael Vincent, Ernest Borgnine, and Alex Cord...
as Caitlin O’Shannessy. The cast of season four consisted of Barry Van Dyke
Barry Van Dyke
Barry Van Dyke is an American actor and the second son of actor and entertainer, Dick Van Dyke, and nephew of Jerry Van Dyke. He has one older brother, Christian, and two younger sisters, Stacy and Carrie Beth...
as St. John Hawke, Michele Scarabelli
Michele Scarabelli
Michele Scarabelli is a Canadian actress. She is probably best known for her role as Tenctonese Newcomer Susan Francisco on the Fox Network science fiction series Alien Nation and the 5 television movies that followed....
as Jo Santini, Geraint Wyn Davies
Geraint Wyn Davies
Geraint Wyn Davies is a British-Canadian-American actor.He was born on 20 April 1957 in Britain, at Swansea. He was the son of a Congregationalist preacher...
as Mike Rivers, and Anthony Sherwood
Anthony Sherwood
Anthony Sherwood is an award-winning Canadian actor, producer and director.-Biography:Sherwood's mother was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and his father was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Anthony’s mother was a fifth generation Canadian whose ancestors escaped to Canada using the "underground railroad"...
as Jason Locke.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | DVD release | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere Season premiere In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:... |
Season finale Season finale A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program... |
Region 1 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
Region 2 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
||||
| 1 | 11 | January 22, 1984 | April 14, 1984 | May 24, 2005 | June 20, 2005 | ||
| 2 | 22 | September 22, 1984 | April 13, 1985 | December 26, 2006 | March 12, 2007 | ||
| 3 | 22 | September 28, 1985 | March 29, 1986 | May 22, 2007 | August 13, 2007 | ||
| 4 | 24 | January 23, 1987 | August 7, 1987 | February 1, 2011 | TBA | ||
Season 1: 1984
The series premiered after Super Bowl XVIIISuper Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
on January 22, 1984 with a two-hour pilot episode, and concluded on April 14, 1984, with 11 episodes aired. It began with Stringfellow Hawke
Stringfellow Hawke
Stringfellow Hawke is a fictional character on the American action-adventure television series Airwolf . During the series' first three seasons, Hawke is its central character...
hunting down Dr. Moffet and bringing Airwolf back into his protection, which Hawke would then use to go on flying missions of national importance for the F.I.R.M., the company that has the task of recovering Hawke's brother St. John.
| No. | Ep. | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|
Season 2: 1984-1985
The second season premiered on September 22, 1984, and ran for 22 episodes until April 13, 1985. In order to have the series move away from its quite dark and moody tales of international espionage into a more domestic and straight action-oriented affair, the show hired Jean Bruce ScottJean Bruce Scott
Jean Bruce Scott is an American television actress, best known for her role as former Texas Highway Patrol helicopter pilot "Caitlin O'Shannessy" in the 1984-1986 CBS action thriller drama television series Airwolf, starring Jan-Michael Vincent, Ernest Borgnine, and Alex Cord...
to play the role of a feisty Caitlin O'Shannessy. The moves by CBS ultimately proved unsuccessful, however, and while production cost over-runs remained high, creator Donald P. Bellisario left both the studio and the series after Season 2.
Sylvester Levay
Sylvester Levay
Sylvester Levay is a Hungarian composer. He was born 16 May 1945 in Subotica , in the North Bačka District of Vojvodina, Yugoslavia ; his name is pronounced in English similarly to "lave-ah-ee."...
who composed and performed the music for season 1, composed 14 episodes of season 2. The remaining episodes were composed by Udi Harpaz (credited as UDI) (6), and Ian Freebairn-Smith (2).
| No. | Ep. | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|
Season 3: 1985-1986
The third season premiered on September 28, 1985, and concluded on March 29, 1986, with 22 episodes aired. Following the departure of series creator Donald P. Bellisario, Bernard Kowalski stepped in as executive producer for a third season, but after ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
remained low, the series was canceled by CBS.
| No. | Ep. | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|
Season 4: 1987
For season four, CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
wanted to make the show into a more family-friendly, action-oriented program. Bernard L. Kowalski abandoned the project a year after series creator Bellisario had decided to leave as well. USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
picked up distribution of the show, but with the remaining principal cast being too expensive to hire, an entirely new cast was created.
Season four aired from January to August 1987, and was produced on a comparatively shoe-string budget. Atlantis Production's contract did not provide the producers with the flying Bell 222 helicopter used for Airwolf, and recycled aerial footage and poorly-produced special effects failed to match the quality of the prior seasons. The full-sized mock-up of Airwolf from prior seasons was used for static shots.
In the first episode of this new version, "Blackjack", Hawke's missing brother St. John was suddenly (and surprisingly easily) discovered, creating contradictions to the character's already-varied history. He took over as pilot of Airwolf with its new crew. "The F.I.R.M." was now suddenly referred to as, "The Company," and gone were its famous white suits. Filming of the fourth season was completed in six months.
| No. | Ep. | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|
External links
— television movie pilot (1984)-
- — seasons 1–3 (1984–86)
- — seasons 4 (1987)
- Airwolf.org at TV-Series.com – Many articles about the show, online since 1994.
- Airwolf: The Website — Homepage of The Wolf's Lair magazine, and online articles about the show.