THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO: PILOT EPISODE (MARCH 18, 1981)

Look what's happening to me

I can't believe it myself

Sudenly I'm on top of the world

It should have been somebody else

Bel;ieve it or not, I'm walkin' on air

I never thought I could feel so free

Flyin' away on a wing and a prayer

Who could it be?

Believe it or not, it's just me

Earnest and unassuming teacher Ralph Hinckley (William Katt), complete with terrible early 1980s hair, is given a alien costume that gives him great powers.  Unfortunately, he is not given the instruction manuel to the suit.  Joining him on his adventures are tough, dog-biscuit-eating, FBI agent Bill Mazwell (Robert Culp) and Ralph's girlfriend Pam Davison (Connie Selleca), along with high school problems students Tony Villacana (Michael Pare) and "Love Me Rhonda" Rhonda Blake (Faye Grant).  I thought The Greatest American Hero was one of the most entertaing television programs I had ever seen, and nothing in the ensuing forty-pluse years has made me change my mind.

Sadly, John Hinckley's assasination attempt on President Ronald Reagan led studio higher-ups to change Ralph Hinckley's name to Ralph Hanley for the last nine episodes of the first season through awkward overdubbing; the name was changed back to Hinckley for the second season.  

The show was created by Stephen J. Cannell, who had already created Chase, The Rockford Files, Baretta, City of Angels, Richie Brockleman, Private Eye, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Stone, and Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, and would go on to create The A-Team, Hardcastle and McCormack,

Hunter, Riptide, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street, Silk Stalkings, The Commish, and many others.  The NBC powers-that-be kept pushing for episodes that veered from Cannell's orignal concept; this seldeom affected the enjoyment of the show, but one can't wonder how much better the program would have been if Cannell could have avoided network meddling.

Anyway, it's a great show, and here is how it all started:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrFtvu2q_C0&t=75s