RIP Stephen J Cannell

Over the weekend the sad news was revealed to the world that Stephen J Cannell, creator of shows such as The A-Team and The Rockford Files, passed away, aged 69.

His contributions to the world of television were certainly extremely big elements that defined my TV viewing habits when I was a kid. The two shows mentioned above are ones that I regularly tuned into, especially The A-Team, with its "TV safe" violence and action-adventure storylines. While I certainly don't remember much about either show based on my childhood memories, I do remember loving them each and every week.

Which is why it was nice to recently be re-exposed to the shows on the new free-to-air TV station 7mate, which just launched. As part of their regular afternoon schedule, both shows (along with other 80s classics like Knight Rider) have been given a brand new lease of life, and I know I've certainly become a regular viewer thanks to my PVR. It's upon re-viewing these shows that one realises just how significant a contribution SJC made to the 1980s TV schedule, and it wasn't just because of the prominence it gave Mr T to our eyeballs.

OK, so The A-Team cops a bit of flack here and there because of its almost cartoon level of violence - the notion that hundreds of rounds of ammo can go off, along with several explosions, and yet not one person dies. But here's the thing - despite this, the show was totally watchable. Why? Because of the quirky characters we were presented with. Sure, they were at times a bit shallow, but each character in The A-Team had a well-defined personality, and it was instantly likeable. You had the annoying relationship between BA Baracus and Murdoch, or the paternal role played by Colonel Smith. Coupled with the near cowardly womanising of Faceman, and you have a great group of characters to drive the show each week.

This trait could also be clearly seen in another of SJC's hits, The Rockford Files. Jim Rockford was the quintessential "down on his luck" good guy. A bloke with a big heart, who tried to put himself first, but never seemed to be able to get ahead. The guy who always took the job to help someone, even if it meant he'd come out the worse for wear. The poor bugger landed up in jail more times than he managed to solve a case, in some instances. But he was totally likeable. Coupled with his father, Rocky, the two made a great double-act team. The show was watchable because of these two.

And yes, I agree that the actors involved did bring a huge amount to each role - James Garner as Jim Rockford was a consistently excellent performance - but any actor is only as good as the material he/she is handed to read. And this is the true legacy of Stephen J Cannell.

So his passing last week is a sad loss to the industry, and with the recent The A-Team movie re-make, along with plans to resurrect The Rockford Files for a brand new 21st Century audience, the future does indeed hold some hope of the legacy of the man with the most famous typewriter in history living on. I know I for one will be lining up to see any resultant productions.

And speaking of his typewriter, this blog post wouldn't be complete without looking at a compilation of the aforementioned end-credits element that featured in almost all of his productions over the years. Sure, the typewriter might change a lot, and the number of Emmys grow, but each time it was the same sense of energy that he brought to his work.

Even a simple flick of a page.