Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (May 21, 2026)
Though 1983’s Blue Thunder didn’t become a huge hit, it apparently did well enough to inspire a 1984 TV series. Also titled Blue Thunder, it lasted a mere 11 episodes before it got the axe.
This three-disc Blu-ray set includes all 11 of those programs. The plot synopses come from the package’s liner notes.
Second Thunder: “The Blue Thunder team takes on a ruthless pilot (Richard Lynch) who’s been attacking police helicopters from the air above Los Angeles.”
As an equivalent to the Daniel Stern “nerdy rookie” role from the movie, Thunder features Dana Carvey a few years prior to his breakout on Saturday Night Live. “Second” features a scene in which his character joins the other cops to shoot at the rogue aircraft.
If you look closely, you can see Carvey smirk in a manner that appears to imply he realizes he now belongs to a TV series that borders on camp. Did anyone else get that Thunder would offer such a trite cop show that it’d veer into self-parody?
Perhaps, though 1984 wasn’t always a particularly self-aware era for TV. What now looks like intentional comedy didn’t necessarily intend to fare that way 42 years ago.
In any case, “Second” launches the series in a feeble manner – if you want a lively cop show, that is. If you desire cheesy fare, then maybe you’ll find the program to satisfy.
With 10 more episodes to go, I don’t want to write off Blue Thunder entirely. However, I can’t claim I feel optimistic that it’ll gel.
A Clear and Present Danger: “A paramilitary group is the prime suspect in a series of bank robberies, including one that involved a modified WWII fighter plane.”
If nothing else, “Danger” feels surprisingly timely given the rise of right wing militia groups over the years. That allows “Danger” to bring a little more charge than the prior episode.
“Danger” also hits a groove better than the pilot. We still get plenty of 1980s cop show cheese but at least the show comes with some interesting moments.
Arms Race: “One of pilot Frank Chaney’s (James Farentino) former flames (Darleen Carr) from when he served in Vietnam comes to him to help stop a rapidly growing drug smuggling ring.”
In the movie, Roy Scheider played Frank Murphy, a character virtually identical to Chaney. Why the name change?
Who knows? It seems odd but I doubt many people cared back in 1984.
In any case, “Race” attempts to give Murphy/Chaney some backstory and a little hinted-at romance. Neither of these actually go much of anywhere, especially when we find a predictable “twist”.
“Race” does manage some pretty good action, even if the Blu-ray’s resolution makes it painfully obvious the show used a white stuntman to substitute for Bubba Smith. This becomes an erratic episode.
Revenge in the Sky: “An F-86 Sabre jet is stolen from an airfield by KGB mercenaries, leading to an intense chase and a series of deadly events.”
“Sky” brings us another potential love interest for Frank via federal agent Kate Cunningham (Katherine Justice). We can sense this path via the “meet cute” during which they spar over a parking space.
This becomes a cheap choice for emotional manipulation, and that factor detracts from the rest of “Sky”. Not that it would’ve been a classic anyway, but the clumsy stabs at pathos sabotage “Sky”.
Trojan Horse: “Witness Mrs. Moynihan (Elizabeth Hoffman) who could put her employer Richard Lassiter (Dennis Holahan) behind bars is rescued by the Blue Thunder unit after being kidnapped.”
Spoiler alert? That synopsis sure seems like it gives away the whole episode’s plot.
As it happens, Frank and squad perform their rescue early in the episode. This leaves the rest to deal with the manner in which Frank attempts to ensure Lassiter doesn’t evade justice.
Ah, the days when white collar criminals went to prison! These days Lassiter would get a presidential pardon.
Political commentary aside, “Horse” becomes a competent action-oriented show, one that avoids some of the cheesy romantic notions of earlier shows. It never makes a ton of sense that Frank obsesses over Lassiter as much as he does, but otherwise the episode does okay for itself.
Skydiver: “A renegade group is determined to stop the president of Sumora from inviting US companies to set up offices in her country.”
So much for episodes without stabs at ooh-la-la – well, sort of. “Skydiver” sets up sexy Gretchen Terrell (Tracey Scoggins) as a potential love interest for Frank but it doesn’t pursue this in the expected manner.
“Skydiver” manages a few intriguing plot points, and at least Scoggins provides a much better-looking female foil than the frumpy women of earlier shows. It comes with a pretty silly tale much of the time, though.
Footnote: largely thanks to their popular commercials for Miller Lite, Thunder cast formal NFL stars Bubba Smith and Dick Butkus as… former NFL stars who now work as the ground partners for Blue Thunder. “Skydiver” brings the second winking reference to those TV ads – how many more will we find before the series ends?
Clipped Wings: “Chaney’s archrival Peter Anson (Scott Hylands) takes control of Blue Thunder after Chaney is reassigned.”
That plot exists solely to offer the juxtaposition of uptight “by the book” Anson with Frank’s loosey-goosey colleagues as well as Chaney placed in the position to act as beat cop. This seems contrived, to say the least.
Still, it offers an intriguing change of pace. Nothing remarkable emerges and we enter the show with the safe understanding Frank will return to his old gig by the time “Wings” ends, but it nonetheless comes with some charm.
Payload: “A private space shuttle is threatened by arms dealers who don’t want their illegal sales of bacterial weaponry jeopardized.”
When the best part of an episode revolves around the comic relief connected to the Butkus character’s use of dating personal ads, I know I’m in trouble. The basic plot of “Payload” seems fine but the execution falters.
“Payload” gets bogged down in silly side notions too much of the time. That makes it one of the series’ weaker shows.
The Long Flight: “Captain Ed Braddock’s (Sandy McPeak) daughter Amy (Kelly Preston) is kidnapped and the price for her return is Blue Thunder itself.”
The use of Braddock’s daughter as bait becomes little more than cheap fodder for stabs at weepy sentiment. Basically just a tale about attempts to stop a drug kingpin, “Flight” becomes one of the series’ less interesting shows, even though I like the glimpse of a young Preston.
Godchild: “Professional killers perform an unsuccessful attempt on the life of Lisa Ritchie (Maylo McCaslin) at an exclusive restaurant.”
That synopsis implies that viewers of Blue Thunder should know who Lisa Ritchie is, doesn’t it? However, the character debuts here.
We learn Lisa is the granddaughter of a recently deceased organize crime figure, and that means a plot that revolves around Blue Thunder vs. the Mob. Right after “Long Flight”, it seems awfully soon to focus on another pretty young woman in peril, but “Godchild” seems stronger than its predecessor.
The Island: “The Blue Thunder unit travels to a Caribbean island to prevent mercenaries from killing the prime minister (Robert DoQui).”
For the series’ final show, Carvey’s JAFO gets replaced by Terry Burke (Lisa Sutton) as Chaney’s second in command. Did Blue Thunder intend this to become a permanent change if it got renewed?
I guess I’ll never know. If nothing else, Terry adds a change of pace, especially because unlike technical specialist JAFO, Terry can also pilot Blue Thunder.
The absence of JAFO and the non-US setting allow “Island” a little spark, even if it seems trite in its depiction of Caribbean politics. Still, it finishes the series on a decent note.
Which is about all I could ask from Blue Thunder. At times cheesy, at times campy, it feels like a product of its era – for better or for worse.
Maybe it’s the nostalgia for my yoot, but I didn’t mind the time I spent with the series. That’s not much of an endorsement but given my low expectations for a failed spinoff from a mediocre movie, that’s the best I can do.
