The WORST episodes of The Greatest American Hero
Every episode of The Greatest American Hero ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of The Greatest American Hero!
A special-ed teacher, an FBI agent, and a UFO? That's right, you've guessed it -- The Greatest American Hero. This show was first aired in 1981, and was both a comedy and a drama. A special "power suit" that only works on him is given to the teacher by the aliens, and he is paired up with the gumshoe FBI agent who keeps them both busy with his scenarios. The suit of "unearthly powers" gives the power of strength, flight, invisibilty, flames, telekenesis, vision of events without being there, protection from bullets and fire (if he remembers to cover his head!), and some others that he must figure out as well because; HE LOST THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT CAME WITH THE SUIT!
#1 - Reseda Rose
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/15/1981
Ralph uses his suit to help Rhonda, one of his students, after her mother is kidnapped by the Russians.
#2 - Saturday on Sunset Boulevard
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/8/1981
Russians are trying to find an heiress and her Russian husband in order to force them to establish a missile cache hold on their private island. Bill needs Ralph's help when he is suspected of failing a lie-detector test at FBI headquarters.
#4 - The Greatest American Hero
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/18/1981
Ralph Hinkley, an average school teacher, is given a suit with amazing powers by aliens. Now, Ralph must decide if he'll use his new powers to fight crime, even though he already lost the suit's instruction manual.
#5 - The Lost Diablo
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/16/1981
Bill has a treasure map, and takes Ralph and his class out to the desert to find the lost Diablo Gold Mine that vanished a long time ago, and are met with resistance from the local thieves.
#6 - Thirty Seconds Over Little Tokyo
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 2/3/1983
A young Chinese scientist has invented a deadly particle "ray gun" weapon. A local gang kidnaps his uncle, hoping to obtain the gun. Bill's plan to save the Uncle backfires, and Ralph must test his suit against the deadly ray.
#7 - The Best Desk Scenario
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/13/1981
At FBI headquarters, promotions are being handed out. However, Bill considers retiring from his job. Meanwhile, Ralph must use his suit to save Pam when she discovers her boss is the head of an underground operation.
#8 - Hog Wild
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/25/1981
A motorcycle gang steals the super-suit, and tries to use it to take over a town. It only works on Ralph, so they must force HIM to do their dirty work while holding Bill captive.
#9 - Classical Gas
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/2/1981
Ralph's students start a band, and a promoter lands them a spot on a big ticket concert while trying to get Pam to go out with him.
#10 - Don't Mess Around with Jim
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/18/1981
Ralph and Bill are kidnapped by a tycoon that actually had his own suit given to him years ago by the aliens. The suit corrupted this man to use it for personal fortune, and he did not lose the instruction book. The aliens did not like the way he was using the suit, and they took it away from him.
#11 - The Price is Right
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/5/1982
It's football season again, and time for Ralph's high school reunion. Ralph's old friend and star pro quarterback named Price Cobb is the focus of the party, but is being forced to throw a game for the return of his wife who was kidnapped. Our heros find her, but Price is injured during the game. Ralph must go out and win the game with the suit on to prevent the villans from winning the bets placed against Price's team.
#12 - The Hit Car
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/25/1981
Bill, who has been trying to bust open a drug ring for over 20 years, must drive a witness to Los Angeles for the trial of the gang leader and asks Ralph for help.
#13 - Operation: Spoilsport
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/11/1981
Ralph and Bill must stop World War III by defusing a corrupt military leader's plans to launch a suprise missile attack against Russia.
#14 - The Resurrection of Carlini
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/19/1982
A magician killed performing his greatest trick seemingly returns from the grave to murder his three rivals. Ralph must use his suit to out trick the would-be killer.
#15 - Here's Looking at You, Kid
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/1/1981
When a secret gunsight is stolen, Bill asks Ralph for help in solving the case. However, Ralph runs into problems when he keeps turning invisible unexpectedly, and must deal with the pressure of meeting Pam's parents.
#16 - Captain Bellybuster and the Speed Factory
Season 2 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/7/1982
Bill recieves hot tips on a speed factory working out of a fast food chain, and a newspaper reporter publishes pictures of Ralph flying.
#17 - My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/29/1981
Ralph reconsiders his suit of powers after a flying mistake almost takes out a bus full of tourists. Bill also reconsiders his job path when one of his heroes is suspected of plotting out the theft of a precious diamond.
#18 - Wizards and Warlocks
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 2/10/1983
King Abu Al-Fahad asks Ralph and Bill to help find his son, Prince Aha, who was kidnapped by Middle Eastern terrorists while playing a Dungeons and Dragonsesque game, Wizards and Warlocks. Their search leads them from Aha's college campus -- where they meet Aha's Keeper of the Clock, Joey Margolis -- to the game's author himself, Norman Fackler.
#19 - Who's Woo in America
Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/14/1982
Ralph's mother is re-marrying to a man who planted a much wanted micro-chip in her engagement ring.
#20 - Fire Man
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/6/1981
Ralph lends Tony a hand by finding him a job as a car repossesser. When Tony is arrested for arson, Ralph and Bill team up to find the real criminal.
#21 - The Beast in Black
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/9/1981
Ralph finds a window into the 4th dimension while scouting an old house. Bill gets possesed by a woman's spirit, and Ralph must return her through that window.
#22 - Space Ranger
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/27/1983
One of Ralph's students invents a radio telescope capable of decoding Russian satellite messages. The KGB tries to steal his system. When that maneuver fails, they decide to kill him before he can share his discovery with the CIA.
#23 - The Good Samaritan
Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/31/1982
Tired of using the suit to fight crime, Ralph decides to branch out. He tries to intervene in a battle between an old man fighting for his home and the city taking it away, but Bill has him on the hunt for bank robbers.
#24 - Lilacs, Mr. Maxwell
Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/28/1982
Bill falls in love with a female FBI agent, and wants to tell her about the suit. She turns out to be a spy, and is ordered to kill him.
#25 - There's Just No Accounting...
Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/24/1982
Bill convinces the parents of a kidnap victim to pay the ransom, certain that Ralph can recover it when he saves their little girl. Ralph finds himself being audited by an overzealous IRS agent who's convinced he took the ransom money. Meanwhile, Ralph and Bill keep getting shot at in drive-by shootings, but by who?