The Greatest American Hero
1981 - 1983
Idealistic high school teacher, Ralph Hinkley (sometimes Hanley), and maverick FBI agent, Bill Maxwell, are enlisted to save the world by mysterious aliens who give them a red suit that imbues Ralph with super powers. Unfortunately, Ralph lost the instruction book, so they have to figure out how to use the suit without it.
- Stars: William Katt, Robert Culp, Connie Seleca, Michael Paré, Faye Grant, Don Cervantes, Jesse D. Goins, William Bogert
- Created by: Stephen J. Cannell
- Tags: action-com, scifi/fantasy
Where to Watch :
Episode Tropes
Season 1
- Lie Detector: Episode 4, "Saturday Night on Sunset Boulevard" (1981). The FBI gives Bill is bi-annual lie detector test, and he fails the question, "Has anything peculiar or unusual happened to you in the last six months?" He has to take another test, and if he fails again, he'll lose his badge.
- False Arrest: Episode 7, "Fire Man" (1981). A practical parade of federal employees is after Tony for setting fire to their files. Eventually, they catch up to him and throw him in Jail, but Tony's innocent, and only Ralph believes him.
Season 2
- Play Ball: Episode 1, "The Two-Hundred-Mile-an-Hour Fast Ball" (1981). To investigate attacks on baseball players, Ralph uses the suit get on the team as a relief pitcher, and he uncovers a ring of arms dealers have been rigging the games so they could bet on them and make money to sell guns in South America.
- Boo! Haunted House: Episode 6, "The Beat in the Black" (1981). Ralph takes his students to a mansion that's about to be demolished so they can find antiques to sell and raise money for a class gift, but he experiences some strange phenomena there and tries to usher the kids out. While the students are protesting, a chandelier falls from the ceiling and lands on Bill, knocking him out. When Bill comes to, Ralph discovers that he's been possessed by the spirit of the woman who died in the house.
- Quarantine: Episode 8, "Plague" (1982). While on a case, Bill, Ralph, Pam, and Mr. Carlisle, are exposed to a highly contagious and deadly disease, so when the case is over, all four of them have to be quarantined in a designated wing of the hospital while they wait to see if any symptoms manifest. Fortunately, they're all symptom-free, and Ralph and Pam enjoy the time off together, but Bill is aggravated because he feels he has to let Carlisle win at every board game they play together.
- Amnesia: Episode 9, "Train of Thought" (1982). Ralph accidentally flies into a train and hits his head, makes him forget the last eight months, including Bill, the suite, and "the little green guys."
- Hyp-NO-sis: Episode 11, "The Hand-painted Thai" (1982). While at a hypnotist's show, Bill inadvertently gets hypnotized when Pam says his favorite word, "scenario," so he freezes every time he hears it.