To be realistic the synthesized version of Airwolf doesn’t sound to different from the actual theme, but then there’s likely a lot of folks that are wondering what in the heck Airwolf even is. Well, from the picture it should be obvious that Airwolf had to do with an impressive helicopter that was the subject of its own show for a period of three years from 1984 to 1987. The show featured the titular craft as a stealth-capable weapon that had an impressive arsenal of options when it came to disposing of enemies, and was obviously a very prized item by whoever took hold of it. Initially the bad guy that had it in his possession used it against American targets, as the feel of the show was kind of a contemporary post-Cold War era that a lot of those from older generations should be able to remember. Obviously the show didn’t last long once it started to change from the darker and more serious style that it had adopted to start with, but a lot of people still remember it from back in the day and do remember that it was worth watching for a little while. Like many shows however it did eventually get a bit old since there were only so many missions that Airwolf and its crew could go on and eventually the cast did need to change, which could have been another aspect that had to do with its downfall given that the series didn’t get to even glimpse the 90s.
Like many of the shows that came into being in the 80s, Airwolf was one that was out to entertain and to kind of provoke a reaction in people at times since it did deal with material that created a very strong response in some folks when it came to being patriotic, while others just figured it was another macho, over the top guys show that was designed to pump people up and do little more than entertain those that wanted a simple story and not much else. For those times though it was enough and it was good enough for many that enjoyed watching. The music is still faintly familiar if you don’t know what it is you’re listening to, much as a lot of the 80s theme songs are familiar since we used to hear them over and over each week. It’s safe to say that 80s television was a LOT different than what we’re used to now, a theme songs are still a thing but they’ve definitely changed over times, as have the openings to various shows.
It’s kind of interesting to think that Airwolf might be one of the shows that a person might want to bring back, as there was talk about bringing back Knight Rider, another popular show at the time, even if it didn’t pan out. If Airwolf was brought back however the updates needed would be massive since despite the fact that the helicopter of the time was supposed to be insanely sophisticated and downright deadly, a new chopper in this day and age might need to be nothing short of a fabled black, armor-laden, nuclear-weapon carrying death machine that could observe enemies from a mile off and then pinpoint a single individual to launch a missile towards. Plus, the pilot of said helicopter, if it wasn’t made into an AI type of show, would need to be someone that was a highly-trained pilot but was also an expert in survival and some form of fighting method that would make them compatible with a flying contraption of death. Of course one could only imagine that said pilot would either be female or a POC, which wouldn’t be an issue really unless the actor picked wasn’t the best suited for the job because of anything other than their gender or skin tone. It’s very true that a lot of heroes on screen back in the day were white males, and there are plenty of roles that can be taken by women of people of color and be seen as just effective if not more so.
But thinking that the old 80s shows might be looked at and redone isn’t a guarantee that they will be, and in fact it’s kind of a hope that they won’t be since unless someone is really willing to put in the time to redo the script and come up with something that sounds entirely different and fresh then it’s not worth the effort. Reboots, remakes, and sequels are these days the driving forces in Hollywood, but unfortunately they’re also what’s helping to kill creativity and innovation since they’ve been so hit and miss lately. If Airwolf ever came back it would be great to see it updated and given a compelling story to go along with the current era.
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