one season?!?!?I feel like i've been searching for this show since it aired, and no amount of Gipper era propaganda guilt can keep me from enjoying it. You see, this was back when studios would pay for actual helicopters and actual airplanes to preform ridiculously dangerous stunts for the enjoyment of the viewing public. And sure, is it cheesy, you bet, in the best 80's way possible, and sure, it's not deep or complicated or profound, thats what actual life is for. It's just an a$$kicking show about a superhelicopter and the cowboys who love her.In terms of mst3k worthy 1984 pop culture... Dana Carvey(who would have thought Beatles impressions would go out of style?)!?!? Bubba Smith!?!?!? In Leather?!?!? and saying poetry like " sophistication is a state of mind."?!?! George Gaynes as the professor who created Blue Thunder!? A Twin Peaks Van Horne?!?!? Semi ancient current events plots involving revolutionary forces against Eva Peron?! Helicopter gun turret double entendres?! It's all here folks.And you might say, this guy just has an action helicopter fetish, and you'd be right, but there is something redeeming in the simplicity of this show. Seven seasons may have been to much for the story arc, but i could do with another season.

Long forgotten and short running TV-series is based on John Badham's 'Blue Thunder' starring Roy Scheider. The title is the only thing common between film and TV-series. The series didn't take over where film ended, but it rather created alternate universe or storyline how the Blue Thunder helicopter will serve in the forces. Characters are different - super cool Murphy has been replaced by Chaney (James Farentino), who still has enough charm and coolness in him to carry the show. Also, compared to the film, the show is much more lighthearted - besides Chaney and captain Braddock, all the other characters are there for comic relief. Show also lost all the seriousness and message of the film, turning 'Blue Thunder' series typical '80s action show.And a typical action show 'Blue Thunder' is. If you're familiar (and grown up with) shows like 'The A-Team', 'Airwolf', 'Magnum P.I.', or any other that kind, 'Blue Thunder' can offer a nice juicy '80s nostalgia boost. Cheesy stories and ridiculous villains (mostly played by well known character actors from that time). Cheap effects and reused aerial shots from the film.

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.

This show ran September 1983 - February 1984 on Friday nights at 9:00 on ABC. I was in 10th grade at the time. My sister hooked me into watching it, because she saw the movie in the theaters that summer and thought the copter was cool.While the copter was cool and while James Farentino tried to add some classiness to the show, it was beleaguered by melodramatic, corny writing. With other action shows like the "A-Team," "Magnum P.I.," and "Airwolf" to compete with, it didn't have a chance. It was canceled after 13 shows--with no announcements or last-minute advertising. One day you had the show, the next two weeks it was the Winter Olympics, and then it was replaced--can't even remember which show replaced it.However, it did have one good thing going for it--this is where I first discovered the comedic charms of Dana Carvey. While the writing was trite, he did the best with the material he had.