The ’80s were the prime time for wild show ideas that studios somehow greenlit – budgets be damned. From Moonlighting’s eye-watering $1.6 million per episode to The A-Team’s incredible pyrotechnics, the decade was defined by shows that pushed the envelope of what a TV series could achieve. Take Airwolf, for example, a series that pondered – and solved – the ages-old question of “how do we make helicopters even cooler?”
The first three seasons of Airwolf are simply peak 80s. Action, drama, explosions, unnecessary character deaths: Airwolf had it all. For a while, it looked as if Knight Rider had finally met its match. And then, Season 4 came around, and all the action and, you know, “quality” fans had come to expect from the show went out the window.
How Airwolf Became the Coolest Show on 80s TV
Airwolf follows the core idea of many 80s shows: introduce a no-nonsense protagonist and pair them with an awesome vehicle (preferably painted black). This show had Jan-Michael Vincent starring as Stringfellow Hawke, an ex-test pilot who comes across the experimental Airwolf stealth chopper during an anti-terrorism operation in Libya.
For three seasons, Hawke and his Airwolf battled an array of terrorists and shady secret organizations in chopper-fueled dogfights that were, undoubtedly, the stars of the show. The secret behind Airwolf’s success lies in the show’s epic action scenes, which, in true 80s fashion, were filmed using real helicopters, sometimes modified to appear more futuristic. At least, until Season 4 came about.
Why Jan-Michael Vincent Was Fired From Airwolf
For most of Season 3, the production of Airwolf faced one of its most daunting challenges: the series’ lead actor. Jan-Michael Vincent’s addictions were becoming an issue for the rest of the cast and crew. From substance abuse to alcoholism, Vincent’s excesses were too much, even for the 80s. Ultimately, the producers made the tough decision to let him go, casting a shadow over Airwolf’s future.
Against all odds, the series was renewed for its fourth season, but not at CBS. The USA Network picked the show for Season 4, introducing a whole new cast, unceremoniously retiring previous Airwolf regulars, and moving production from California and the Southern United States to Canada. Also, they slashed the budget to a third of the series’ original funding, and it shows.
How Budget Cuts Killed Airwolf Season 4
The last (and cheapest) Airwolf season hit the airwaves in early 1987. For a post-Top Gun world, the new season felt unbelievably cheap. The production could no longer afford the iconic Bell 222 helicopter they used for three seasons; now, they had to get creative. Season 4 rehashed a ton of footage from the previous seasons, and when they needed to shoot new sequences, they used some of the cheapest models known to man.
There’s nothing wrong with using models, sure – but this is Airwolf we’re talking about. The show’s main draw was its unrelenting aerial stunts. Take that away (along with every main character) and what you’ll get is a show that’s Airwolf in name only. Jan-Michael Vincent never fully recovered from being fired from the show, fans never got a proper conclusion to the series they loved, and the original Airwolf chopper was stripped of all its “weaponry and turned into an air ambulance – which later crashed in 1992. At the end of the day, everyone lost in Airwolf’s final season.
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