The superhero who lost his manual and crashed into every landing
In short: In 1981, ABC premiered a hero who was anything but perfect. Armed with an alien suit but lacking the instruction book, Ralph Hinkley had to master flight, telekinesis, and invisibility through trial and error—often resulting in undignified, uninjured crashes.
Created by producer Stephen J. Cannell, The Greatest American Hero followed Ralph Hinkley, a Los Angeles special education teacher. After encountering extraterrestrials during a field trip, Ralph was gifted a red and black suit granting him superhuman abilities, including flight, super strength, and X-ray vision. However, a recurring comedic element stemmed from Ralph losing the aliens' instruction manual, forcing him to discover his powers—such as pyrokinesis or shrinking—by accident.
The series' direction shifted significantly during its run. Originally, Cannell intended to focus on 'character comedy' and real-life problems, exploring how an ordinary man might live within a superhero environment. However, following management changes at ABC, the network pushed for more traditional 'save-the-day' episodes, including plots involving nuclear war and mythical creatures. This tension between character-driven drama and superhero spectacle defined the show's two-season run from March 18, 1981, to February 2, 1983.
The production was not without controversy. Warner Bros. filed a lawsuit against ABC, claiming the suit's powers were too similar to Superman, though the case was eventually dismissed. Interestingly, the suit's iconic emblem was not a deliberate design but was inspired by a pair of scissors sitting on Cannell's desk. The show also faced a sudden naming crisis following the March 30, 1981, assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan; to avoid similarities with the perpetrator, John Hinckley Jr., the character's surname was briefly changed to 'Hanley' via audio overdubbing before being restored to 'Hinkley'.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Greatest American Hero
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