The A-Team writer Stephen J. Cannell would only write what he liked watching
The A-Team writer followed no formula but his own. His writing method was quite simple: write what you watch.
Give Stephen J. Cannell an A for effort for his writing on the hit '80s series, The A-Team. Cannell is the writer and producer behind The A-Team, Riptide and Hardcastle and McCormick, among others. All three of these hit series topped Nielsen ratings in the '80s.
Although you may have never realized that Cannell was behind some of your favorite series, the success of the trio fits Cannell to a T. The A-Team would be one of his biggest successes of the '80s.
"I don't work on the premise of hits and non-hits," he said in a 1984 interview with The Press Journal. "Nothing ever clicks in my mind and says 'Hit!' I simply create shows that I would want to watch at home. I create to entertain and the only uplifting thing I do is make a viewer smile."
Cannell said that if he liked watching a show, he would hope the audience did too. Some writers would only write what they knew, others would write using a formula. Cannell only wrote what he liked.
"Everyone thinks I have a secret formula for hits, but I never know when I'm onto something hot," he said. "I haven't got a clue if a show will work. When I began A-Team, I realized it was going to either be a hit or a big mess, and that's because of how unusual its format was."
Despite all of his success, Cannell did have a few flops during his long writing career. Some of these included: Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, Richie Brockelman, Private Eye and The Duke.
But with more successes than flops, Cannell created or co-created nearly 40 television series, and scripted more than 450 episodes. He was also responsible for writing 18 hours of primetime TV programming in 1983.
"I'm like a fireman," he said. "I run from show to show, helping out whoever needs me."
According to the interview, Cannell would write 15-18 pages a day. He said it took him about four days to write a full script for The A-Team.
Even with all of Cannell's success across his series, and specfically with The A-Team, many critics would still target his writing. Cannell wasn't bothered by them. In fact, he defended The A-Team.
"I don't listen to them because they insist that The A-Team is violent," he said. "We are a fantasty show; a cartoon. The A-Team is not meant to be taken seriously. We once dropped watermelons and heads of lettuce on the heavies. Now I ask you?: Is that an act of violence?"

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Happy Days Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies ? On Happy Days episodes like Fonzie Joins The Band
Crusin 'and Richie Moves Out the background music has changed to
Instrumental music.
When RETRO TV shows Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction the theme song has been changed to an Instrumental song
DREAM A out Happy Days and
Gomer Pyle USMC reruns so the
Everly Brothers song All I Have To
Do IS Dream applies to Me.
On the Happy Days season 2 episode called Crusin ' where Bag
Makes a bet with Richie Potsie and Ralph o. who can come up first with z daye.The LOSER of the bet
Has to run through Arnold's Drive
In in their underwear .Richie has
Drag race with Dooley (Michael
Lembeck) so that he can date
Hildie (Maureen McCormick Marsha
Brady from The Brady Bunch.
I wonder why the song ALL I
HAVE TO DO IS DREAM BY THE
EVERLY BROTHERS IS REPLACED BY AN INSTRUMENTAL WHEH THIS
CRUSIN EPISODE went into
Syndication. .Also Fonzie rigged
Mr Cs car do thst it would go fast a day win the drag race.
DREAM A out Happy Days and
Gomer Pyle USMC
-------------------------------
What you choose to think or dream about is your choosing. I'm not saying what you do always or otherwise. If you remove "You can always dream", from my reply to you, it spells out the likelihood
of the dedicated programming ideas your hoping for.
BAG ZOMBROSKI (Neil J.Schwartz)
On Happy Days and The BEST OF
EDDIE HASKELL (Ken Osmond ) and Lumpy Rutherford (Frank Bank) on
Leave It To Beaver would all be great for The Summer OF ME.
ALSO Basketball guys Roger Phillips (Ted McGinley) and Chuck Cunningham (Gavan O'HERLIHY and
Randolph Roberts) could be on
Basketball Guys on Happy Days WEEK on The Summer of ME.
Also for the Summer OF ME:Minor
Characters on Happy Days WEEK with selected episodes of these
Happy Days Characters:
Wendy MISTY ROWE Marsha Simms Beatrice Colen Bobby Melner Harris Kal. Moose Barry Greenberg
Spike Danny Butch Bag Zombroski Neil J Schwartz Eugene Belvin Denis Mandel Melvin Belvin Scott Bernstein Daphne Hillary Horan and other minor characters for The
Summer OF Me.BIG AL WEEK ON HAPPY DAYS FEATURING AL MOLINARO as AL for The Summer of Me.For Gomer Pyle USMC week for The Summer of Metv:
Sgt Charlie Hacker week
Bunny Olsen WEEK
Cpl Boyle WEEK
Cpl Nick Cuccinelli WEEK
Sgt Whipple week
Colonel Gray WEEK
Duke Slater WEEK
Lester Hummell WEEK
Lou Ann Poovie week
Frankie Lombardi WEEK
All Suggestions For The Summer
Of METV.
Leave it to Beaver or Happy Days (once). By "WEEK" If you mean (M-F) or 7 days of programming dedicated to one character or one series that's not realistically likely to happen on MeTV or any of their related networks. The best scenario but again not realistic would be Pluto TV that has a Happy Days Channel- even there it's not dedicated to just HD as they show Laverne and Shirley as well, and they don't run "Best Of's" they usually run by episode order. But again
"You can always dream."
" Give Stephen J. Cannell an A for effort." Heck, give him an A+ for all his work(s). Well deserved.
And please return Happy Days with
the Lost Brither Chuck and Laverne And Shirley and Gomer Pyle USMC with
Tommy Leonetti as Cpl Nick Cuccinelli and Roy Stuart as Cpl Boyle and
Elizabeth MacRae as Lou Ann Poovie.
I appreciate the minor characters on
Happy Days:Eugene Belvin Moose
Melvin Belvin BAG ZOMBROSKI
Wendy Marsha Simms Trudy Gloria
Chuck Cunningham and the city
Co Stars Ted McGinley as Roger Phillips
And Cathy SILVERS as Jenny Piccalo and I like Fonzie Potsie Ralph Richie and
Chachi and Spike a minor character.
I would also like to see The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet with Wally Plumstead (Skip Young) Ginger Salerno
(Chsrlene Salerno) and The Nelson's
Ozzie Harriet Rick and David.
I would Also like to see Alice and The
Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman Freakazoid and The Tick
And Love American Style on METV.