The show tells the story of a group of four Vietnam veterans who escaped from prison after being convicted of a crime they did not commit.  Master tactician John Smith leads the group.  He is joined by BA Baracus, the no-nonsense mechanic and tough guy; Templeton Peck, the charming con man; and HM Murdock, the insane pilot.  On the lamb from the law, they now travel the country fighting for justice and aiding those whom "no one else can help."

The trouble began when the crack commandos were ordered to raid the Bank of Hanoi during the final days of the war.  The team fell victim to Army scapegoating after the ill-fated mission. They were convicted of warcrimes in short order.  After escaping from a maximum-security stockade, the four eccentrics, strapped for cash and bound by a strict moral code, became soldiers-of-fortune fighting run-of-the-mill bad guys (motorcycle gangs, organized crime syndicates and the like) for good, decent people in need.  All the while they stay one step ahead of the Military Police who scour the country looking for the "outlaws."

In the fifth season, the team began working for a mysterious man named General Hunt Stockwell who promised to exonerate them if they performed missions at his behest.

Despite this plot shift, the ratings for the television show began to fall and The A-Team was canceled after 98 episodes.  Stephen J. Cannell and Top Crow Productions are rumored to be producing an A-Team feature film to be released soon. 

Syndicated episodes of The A-Team air on the The New TNN cable channel.  Click here for more information.

*Some material adapted from TVLand.com and IMDb