Blue Thunder

LOOSELY based on the 1983 movie of the same name, the Blue Thunder TV series portrayed the title helicopter in a positive light in contrast to the movie which was dark and gritty.

Like most TV shows based on movies, this was NOT meant as a sequel, but alternate reality to the events and plot of the movie.

With the super vehicle genre underway; NBC's Knight Rider was in its second season; and with Airwolf set to premiere on CBS two weeks later, ABC's answer was reversing the dark theme of the movie and have the helicopter fight crime as was intended.

The result was another cop show, but with a super helicopter. But unlike most cop shows of the time, this one was not too dark or too violent, it was fun! It was really the antithesis of what the movie was about which was using the "Special" in an abusive government manner. For TV, the Special was going to fight for truth and justice!

Unlike other TV shows based on movies with the same name, the characters and their names were changed. James Farentino plays a convincing role as Frank Chaney, the pilot for Blue Thunder. Dana Carvey of Saturday Night Live fame plays his systems officer, JAFO Wonderlove. (While there was a JAFO in the movie, the name was Lymangood.)

The only other character from the movie besides the helicopter to (seemingly) make it to the TV series is Captain Braddock played by Sandy McPeak. Like the role originated by the late Warren Oates, McPeak's Braddock was a force to be reckoned with as the main pilot's boss. (Though McPeak resembled Oates and his character was just as gruff, his take was just as different.)

Rounding off the Blue Thunder team is a ground support crew played by Bubba Smith and Dick Butkus.

I recently caught the series on DVD. While dated, the stories in my opinion were very watchable. Like many shows of the time, there were "yeah right" moments that were incredulous even for artistic license. But you can get enjoy them easily.

Unlike most other cop shows of the time, this one didn't have support of real law enforcement in the use of their facilities or technical support. But then again, how do you get technical support for a helicopter that does not exist?

While the episodes had a watchable quality to them, unfortunately they were not too original. Some of the plots you could have seen in other cop shows (minus the helo). While the show appeared to have original flight scenes (interspersed with stock or unused footage from the movie), it was apparent the show was on a budget. Later episodes did the re-use of stock footage act (more) common to shows with special effects and flight scenes of the time.

I echo some of the other reviewers that the show suffered from competition from other super vehicle shows. While this did not air on the same night on those other shows, sometimes people can take in only so much state-of-the-art vehicles in one week.

Whether there was competition from other super vehicles or not, the series could have continued if the writing was better. Superb writing leads to more viewers as a result, great ratings, especially when they involved super vehicles. When all you have is a vehicle ahead of its time, but don't have a story, then your buck ends right there. Or when your stories are identical to other cop series, you might as well stick to them.

When viewed as a different story from the movie, and different premise than the other super vehicle shows, this was not a bad fare.

A good show that could have been better.

Was in Grade 9 when this show was on. It's ok but typical tv, did not watch to much, rather watch Air wolf. The part I hate it, and I watched it at my buddies place Tony & Wilfred, and we would all laughf at this, they would shoot the gun out of the hand of bad guy every time, with this super powerfull attack chopper. Dam where thoes guys good. The only other thing I can remember one of the cast made sure they would get cassarole after Bubba and Dick ate it for a week in sum prision. It would have been a better show if they made the guy eat it than the typical ending I mention earlier. One point to be taking this show with a chopper had a bigger set budget, and include the stunt than any of todays on the cheap shows. Friend's , Sienfield what kind of budget is that, 2 room, and now with reality TV shows with no director script, or even professional actor. Boy, TV budgets sure have gone down the toilet no wonder I only watch movies.

I remember watching a few episodes of this TV series when it first came out, and liking what I saw. So when I found out that the entire eleven episodes of the series had been released on DVD, I rented the entire set to see if the show would still hold up. And the answer is, for the most part, no. With the exception of a pre-fame Dana Carvey, who manages to show off his comic skills and charm, the cast gives pretty forgettable performances, most likely because the scripts don't give their parts multi-dimension. The other parts of the scripts also fail to interest, with bland, simplistic stories. The Blue Thunder Helicopter does look cool, and there is some impressive aerial photography as well as choreography. But it seems that the expense to do so resulted in some shabby cost-cutting elsewhere, with obvious stock footage and footage repeated - sometimes in the same show! And while the helicopter looks cool, its movements and abilities come across as sluggish - unlike Airwolf, from a different helicopter show broadcast around the same time. In fact, you'd be better off watching "Airwolf" than watching the "Blue Thunder" TV series.

Blue Thunder was a fun TV series inspired by the 1983 movie of the same title. That movie was an edgy adult thriller with an R rating that was impossible to emulate in a kid friendly 80's made for TV action series. Instead the Blue Thunder TV series was similar to other 80's kid friendly action shows such as the Dukes of Hazzard, the A Team, Knight Rider, and Street Hawk. Each episode featured aerial dogfights, car crashes, fist fights, explosions, shootouts, lots of 80's TV FX, and nasty/hammy bad guys. The brave heroes of the series were played by James Farentino, Bubba Smith, Dick Butkus, and - Dana Carvey! Plus the true star of every episode was the cool Blue Thunder 'copter! How could I not like this show? I'm having a great time watching it on DVD. Blue Thunder the series is an entertaining 80's action show. Good fun!

After seeing only the Pilot episode (''Second Thunder'') and the next proper episode to follow (''A Clear and Present Day''), I have to say this spinoff series inspired by the original 1983 box-office smash hit of the same name, is a worthy and stylish piece of television, fiananced by Rastar Productions and the original film's distributer, Columbia Pictures. Dana Carvey get's on my nerves sometimes with his over-the-top humour (noticably taken from Dwight Schultz's Murdock in 'The A-Team'), but the aerial action sequences are superb. Seeing as only 11 episodes were produced, I would have to say it is miles ahead of the 1985 13-episode 'Streethawk' series, seeing as both were aired on ABC in the Eighties. The new theme music is now one of my favourites, but I still recognise the constant drum beat used also constantly in 'The A-Team'. All in all, I would rate these show 8/10. Although the original aerial police station base wasn't available to the show's production team, the stock footage taken from the original film is well put together and the soundstages are alright, but a bit of a goof, with the slow rotating blades above the actors, plus no backing motion video playing to simulate the actors actually flying in the air, which was seen in 'Airwolf'.