This was one of the few times I agreed with many critics. Airwolf was one of the tightest action shows of the mid-'80s. The competition was there, but not that stiff. Though it was a bit slow at times, Airwolf was a bit more character-driven than your usual garden-variety adventure shows.<br /><br />Jan-Michael Vincent plays Stringfellow Hawke, a test pilot recruited by the white-suited government angel Archangel to retrieve the titular supersonic attack helicopter from the mad scientist who invented it. In the pilot alone, we got action, character development, tragedy, and just a smidgen of humor. Ernest Borgnine gives JMV able, seasoned support as Dominic, the outspoken comedy relief father figure who assists Hawke on his frequent spy assignments.<br /><br />Some episodes admittedly strayed from the more intrigue-oriented format into more contrived scripts. And the climaxes to many episodes might have been a bit repetitive. But overall, Airwolf blew ABC's Blue Thunder out of the sky. It was a treat months ago when they reran it on the Sci Fi Channel for 8 hours a day, two days in a row.<br /><br />Too bad Jan-Michael Vincent had substance-abuse problems. Sometimes he looked like he didn't feel good, and it likely was the reason the show was recast. I've always wanted to see the much-panned 4th season, albeit with low expectations.<br /><br />Some of the best eps were 'Airwolf II,' 'Once A Hero,' and 'Fallen Angel,' just to name a few. Memories of this show have me saving up for the box sets, and in the meantime, I've started watching the show on hulu.com. Thank God for that site, because I've been on an Airwolf kick lately. Some shows just stand out.