The Greatest American Hero/Trivia

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Breakaway Pop Hit: The theme song. It had the longest duration in the Billboard Top 40 of any TV theme, ever. It peaked at #2 a few weeks after the show premiered, but then hung around seemingly forever. It stayed in the top 40 for over two years(!), making it one of the biggest hits of the 1980s.
  • Dawson Casting: The high school students. So much so that Michael Pare (Tony) is only 3 years younger than Connie Sellecca (Pam). And Faye Grant (Rhonda) is only 2 years younger than Sellecca.
  • Executive Meddling: The temporary change in Hinkley's name (see Too Soon, below).
    • Plus, the continued struggles between Cannell, who wanted a light comedy with real world problems as opposed to the network, who wanted Villain of the Week "Superhero" type plots.
  • Hey, It's That Guy!: Didn't Bill Maxwell used to be Kelly Robinson? Must be a cover...
  • Hey, It's That Sound: In "Divorce, Venusian Style", the computers on the little green guys' ship make the distinctive Star Trek Bridge sound effects.
  • Real Life Relative: In "Who's Woo in America", William Katt's real life mother, Barbara Hale, plays Ralph Hinkley's mother Paula.
    • Robert Culp's sons appear in "Vanity, Says the Preacher".
  • Screwed by the Network: Series creator and executive producer Stephen J. Cannell had envisioned Greatest American Hero as a show focusing on down-to-earth, real life problems, the powers would be in the suit, not the guy (though the suit would only work for him) and Ralph would try to solve ordinary-type issues. The ABC executives whom Cannell had pitched the show to, Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner, had actually agreed to go along with this. Unfortunately, however, after the show was picked up, Carsey and Werner left ABC to create their own production company, and the new network executives demanded that Cannell incorporate more fantastic plots, which ultimately alienated viewers.
  • Short-Lived, Big Impact
  • Throw It In: The scene of Ralph writing his name on the blackboard with the chalk breaking at the start of the third season's credits was a blooper.
  • Too Soon: Ralph's last name was instantly changed to "Hanley" with no explanation after the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley, Jr. It was undone a few months just as quietly.
  • Uncanceled: Well, almost. About three years after it had been canceled by ABC, NBC expressed interest in reviving the show. A twenty minute presentation film was created which set up the premise for the revamped series - Ralph was found out after the media happened to film one of his rescues. At first reluctant to 'go Hollywood' he quickly became very famous and well known. The aliens return and insist that he has been compromised and demand he give up the suit to someone else to work with Bill Maxwell. To Maxwell's horror, Ralph gives the suit to a woman, making way for the title change "Greatest American Heroine". For a number of reasons NBC passed on it and the footage was edited with other footage to make one final episode for the syndication package and eventual DVDs.
  • Written by Cast Member/Directed by Cast Member: Robert Culp directed and wrote the episodes "Lilacs, Mr. Maxwell", and "Vanity, Saith the Preacher" (the latter was one of four episodes not shown in the network run, although it and the others did get shown in syndication).
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