MovieChat Forums > The A-Team (1983) Discussion > Why Do You Think the Ratings Fell ?

Why Do You Think the Ratings Fell ?

posted 13 years ago by mistermycroft
90 replies | jump to latest

I watched the A-Team as a kid, and over the past few years, re-watched all 5 seasons again on DVD.

In my opinion, people are overly critical about Season 5. Yes, Stockwell is unlikable. However, having seen the 13 episodes from the last year, again, I have to say that they are NOT drastically different than the shows from the first 4 years. Yes, they are not being chased by Decker, and yes, several of the Season 5 shows are more spy stories than classic A-Team (they didn't really travel to Europe in Seasons 1-4, except for that one when they went to Italy to rescue the judge's daughter)

However, as a whole, most of the Season 5 episodes are similar to the first four years. So, then, what are people's theories as to why the show fell drastically in the ratings during Season 4, and especially Season 5 ? Was it because people just got tired of it ? Or was it because for Season 5 they moved it to a different night, and that killed it ?

[–] Colorado_Kid (215) 4 years ago

The show just ran it's course like all shows did and bringing in or not bringing in new characters wouldn't have changed anything. They may not have gotten a series final but they did explain that Stockwell let them go because they had fulfilled their agreement and decided to keep helping people.

[–] JosephQCat (706) 3 years ago

Most shows rely on a formula (same story over and over but dressed up a little different from week to week) but the formula for this show got quite thin after the first two seasons. The guest stars were getting boring. They went through the bullpen of actors who played villains (John Quade, John Saxon, Mills Watson, etc.) as quick.

[–] hurricane (1967) a year ago

Everything has it's day, I suppose.

A-Team was a bit samey, even before Season 5. Somebody hires the A-Team, Hannibal puts on a disguise, they have to fly somewhere so BA panics, they drug him, Faceman shows more interest in the women than having a fight, BA gets annoyed at Murdock. How many times did we see all of these things happen? Though the repetition is part of the show's charm, it probably would get stale if it was on every week for several years.

But people are odd, despite something getting stale, when you change a format of a show that has been successful, audiences often still get upset. Even though the show was stale, if you make the wrong changes, it could be the death knell of it. Bringing in new characters is always a risk, and I guess it just didn't work.

[–] sadpopcorn (2279) a year ago

Growing Pains.

[–] millsey72 (10947) 14 days ago

I'd have to say ratings started to tank because of racism. People just got tired of seeing Mr T being a star

[–] sadpopcorn (2279) 14 days ago

Growing Pains...

Also, the show really was kind of a fad.

Also, obviously season 5 was moved to Friday nights.

But the Nielsen rating system should have always been investigated for decades...YT channels always blow up on the weekends.

Nothings changed there...lol, not everyone is (especially a lower income or middle class family) is doing something extraordinary on the weekends.

They all have a screen in front of their faces.