Blue Thunder
Seen it?1984 | 1 seasons | 49 min | Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Weeknight Watchearly ratingWhy it’s a Weeknight Watch
With a lukewarm 6.9 out of 10 from audiences and little lasting buzz, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime-drama fans, sci-fi fans and action fans. If you loved Doctor Who, start here.
- The mood
- Dark and gritty.
- The pace
- 1 season: a few weeks of evenings, episodes of about 49 minutes, about 9 hours in all.
- What might put you off
- It was cancelled, so the story may not get a proper ending.
Blue Thunder is a 1984 ABC television series based on the movie of the same title featuring the Blue Thunder helicopter. The series uses the converted Aérospatiale Gazelle helicopter and large portions of stock footage from the 1983 film. A ground unit named "Rolling Thunder" backed up the helicopter in the television series. This was a large support van with a desert camouflage off-road vehicle stored inside. The television series cast includes James Farentino, Dana Carvey, and former professional American football players Bubba Smith and Dick Butkus. The series was canceled by ABC after they felt the similar Airwolf on CBS would win the ratings battle. Also, the series aired at the same time as the CBS soap opera Dallas on Friday nights, and lost. Eleven episodes were made before the series was cancelled.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsNot counted
Not enough reviews on record yet
- AudiencesBelow par
6.9 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Limited series that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 37K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Created by Guy Magar
- James FarentinoFrank Chaney
- Dana CarveyClinton Wonderlove
- Sandy McPeakCaptain Braddock
- Dick ButkusRichard Butowski
- Bubba SmithLyman Kelsey