I will attempt to summarize the main characters of this 1980's TV show.
Hannibal:
Played by George Peppard, he was the colonel who was the leader of the A-Team. He always smoked cigars and wore gloves and a members only jacket.
I believe his character was loosely based on the famous Carthaginian general also named Hannibal due to his constant use of the phrase, "I love it when a plan comes together," and due to his day job as a movie actor when not on a mission with the rest of the team. You see, Hannibal was one of the greatest generals of the ancient world. And one of his most famous triumphs was the Battle of Cannae where, through numerous deceptions, he was able to lure a large Roman army into a battle in which his forces were able to secretly sweep around and encircle the Romans and defeat them. This classic battle was partly an inspiration to Norman Schwartzkopf when planning the Gulf War. I believe the A-Team character's phrase is a reference to this "coming together" and encirclement performed by the ancient general's forces. And I believe the day job as an actor is a vague reference to the ancient general's deceptive tendencies.
B.A. Baracus:
His initials stand for Bad Attitude, supposedly. Played by Mr. T, this character was the A-Team's muscle man. He was also the owner and usual driver of the team's van. He was helluva tough! He usually got paired up in each episode's final fight with the bad guys' largest ruffian
for an absurdly dramatic fight. There was usually a lot of one-upsmanship during this fight, with the two big guys breaking 2x4's or chairs over each other, and then being amazed at how ineffective each blow was against one another.
He was also deathly afraid of flying.
Faceman:
Portrayed by Dirk Benedict, he was the conman of the group who was always trying to run some sort of scam on the side. He always tried to dress and look well, and was a little bit prissy for a soldier. He often worked as the team's financier. His full
name was Templeton Peck.
Murdoch:
His role was mostly comic relief, but he was also the team's pilot. This of course made him frequently at odds with B.A. Baracus. He was a deranged lunatic who had a new quirky behavior for each episode. Mostly harmless, except he'd often complicate a mission with his insane antics. Played by actor Dwight Shultz.
Colonel Decker:
This was the military police colonel who always chased the A-Team with a small band of soldiers, usually showing up in the wake of each episode's final battle. Played by Lance LeGault.