Season One. Jan. 1984 - Apr. 1984. 12 Episodes. CBS 
Pictured from left to right: Ernest Borgnine (Dominic Santini), Jan-Michael Vincent (Stringfellow Hawke), and Alex Cord (Michael Archangel).
Season One. Spring 1984. 12 Episodes. CBS. This is where it all began. The best season of them all, this season featured the best writing, acting, and action of them all. Not to mention Jan-Michael Vincent was on top of his game ... not one episode 'drunk' looking. In the "Pilot" episode Dr. Moffett (guest star David Hemmings) developes a high-tech super jet-helicopter, named Airwolf. Capable of speeds of up to Mach 2, and blasting away with such weapons as 30cal. Chain Guns, 40mm Cannons, Hellfire missles, and other heat-seeking missles. Not to mention radar options. The secret government agency known as the Firm who helped Moffett develope Airwolf, after The Bay of Pigs, recruited hotshot back-up pilot Stringfellow Hawke, and his buddy/mentor/employer Dominic Santini to steal the helicopter back from Moffett, which was hidden at Khadaffi's summer palace in Libya to be sold to the Russians. String and Dom got Airwolf back, but not without the death of Archangel's top-assistant (and String's love) Gabrielle, whom Moffett tortured & killed in the sand-dunes of Libya. After String and Dom returned from Libya, the deal was the Firm find and return String's MIA brother Saint John (pronounced Sinjin) to him from Vietnam. The Firm couldn't do this immediately, so String kept Airwolf and hid it from them, but did agree to use the chopper on missions he felt were worthwhile for the Firm. Season Two. Sep. 1984 - Apr. 1985. 22 Episodes. CBS 
Pictured left to right: Alex Cord (Michael Archangel), Jean Bruce Scott (Caitlin O'Shannessy), and Ernest Borgnine (Dominic Santini). Bottom: Jan-Michael Vincent (Stringfellow Hawke)
Season Two. 1984-1985. 22 Episodes. CBS. At the beginning of the 2nd Season (1984-1985), CBS & the producers of "Airwolf" decided there needed to be two major changes to the show's format, to try and improve upon the success of the 1st Season (1984). These two changes were, needing a perminate female cast member, and to domesticate the show. Domesticate meaning bring the show within America. In the 1st Season (1984) the show dealt with alot of foreign intrigue and international incidents. The show needed to be more at home, and by that - using Airwolf in the states to fight criminals. The female cast member to be added was Jean Bruce Scott. She was added to play Caitlin O'Shannessy, a spunky tomboy-like character who could fight the bad guys, yet be sexy in her own little way. Plus she was originally wrote as a possible love interest for Jan-Michael Vincent's character Stringfellow Hawke. Unfortunately much evidence and interviews prove they didn't like each other well, so that would never come to fruition. In "HX1", String got very close to finding his brother St. John again, but the only man that knew where St. John was, String was forced to kill to save he and Dom's lives themselves. Season Three. Sep. 1985 - Mar. 1986. 22 Episodes. CBS 
Pictured from left to right: Ernest Borgnine (Dominic Santini), Jean Bruce Scott (Caitlin O'Shannessy), and Jan-Michael Vincent (Stringfellow Hawke). Bottom: Alex Cord (Michael Archangel).
Season Three. 1985-1986. 22 Episodes. CBS. We'll this season was a strange ride. In alot of ways it lost direction, and in other ways it took on new ones ... good ones. In the season premiere, "The Horn of Plenty" (a very dark episode), String's mind was altered by the evil John Bradford Horn (guest star Richard Lynch) and his daughter (guest star Catherine Hickland). String then attempted to kill Dominic (near fatally shooting him at close range), but String was changed back quickly, and everything was alright. This type of episode set a very dark and different mood to the series. John Bradford Horn (now played by John R. Vernon) would return for a final time during the mid-season in the episode, "Discovery". In the second episode of the season, "Airwolf II" (the best of the series by far), the mood was lightened up a bit and everything went back to what we were used to seeing. A big change in the show happened to the mid-season episode, "Half-Pint". In this episode, String learns St. John has had an Amerasian son, named Le Van (nickname-'HalfPint') (guest star Roland Harrah III). String had to get Le and his Aunt Minh away from a nasty man named Darren McBride who was treating them badly. String did and decided to keep an eye on Le while his Aunt Minh was taking care of him. Unfortunately, all signs of the boy's discovery pointed to St. John being dead after all. We would learn in the season to come, St. John wasn't dead after all. In the season finale (and final episode of the series to many), "Birds of Paradise", String ended up deciding TO BE Le's "daddy", because of the murder of Le's Aunt Minh by a Beverly Hills nightclub owner, named Nick Kincaid (guest star Eric Braeden), who was running drugs and a illegal prostitution ring. Season Four. Jan. 1987 - Aug. 1987. 24 Episodes. now on USA. 
Pictured from left to right: Anthony Sherwood (Jason Locke), Michele Scarabelli (Jo Santini), and Geraint Wyn Davies (Maj. Mike Rivers). Bottom: Barry Van Dyke (Saint John Hawke).
Season Four. Spring 1987. 24 Episodes. now on USA. This season is not even recognized by most "Airwolf" fans. Mostly being the removal of the original cast. We here at my site support Season 4 (1987), being it is actually good, no matter what other fans tell you. In the summer of 1986, the original CBS network version of "Airwolf" was canceled by CBS, due to the fact Universal TV no longer wanted to produce to show due to it's now ridiculously high-production costs. It was costing nearly $1.2-million dollars to produce a one-hour episode of "Airwolf" during the 3rd Season (1985-1986). So it was decided a 4th Season was needed to sell the show, better, in 2nd-Run Syndication. To save on production costs, the show's filming was moved from California, U.S.A. to British Columbia, Canada. The cast was completely changed and the filming, filmed on a 'shoestring' budget. In the season premiere, "Blackjack", Dom was killed and String badly injured from a helicopter explosion. Archangel was transfered to the "far east", and Caitlin just was never explained. Niether was St. John's son Le Van from Season 3 (1985-1986). The Firm (now called The Company) found the whereabouts of St. John Hawke (thanks to String's evidence), and mounted a rescue plan with Archangel's replacement Jason Locke, Dom's niece Jo, and a new agent for the Airwolf crew, named Mike Rivers. The only thing now was for the Company to find Airwolf and it's hiding place for the rescue mission, being String was near coma. Jo found the helicopter, and St. John was rescued. When St. John returned to the U.S.A. from Vietnam, he took over for the badly injured String, as the head of the Airwolf crew. Being the Company now knew where the Airwolf hiding place was, they turned the Lair (Airwolf's hiding place nickname), into a command-center HQ. Complete with computers and tools to control and take care of the Lady. It was always puzzling, ... what happened to String. It was written so, if you wanted to believe he died, you could. It was also written so, if you wanted to believe he lived, you could. I always liked to believe, he made piece with his returned older brother St. John, and went off to live like a hermit, and disappear to take care of his newphew Le Van. But that is an opinion. |
