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 AĆ©rospatiale 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.
Nothing in Common was a 1987 television series on NBC starred Todd Waring in the role of David Basner and Bill Macy in the role of Max Basner. Seven episodes were broadcast immediately after the highly-rated series Cheers but didn't pick enough audiences. The short-lived series was cancelled because of low turnout.
The series was inspired by the 1986 film by Garry Marshall starring Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason also entitled Nothing in Common in which Hanks played David Basner and Gleason protrayed Max Basner.
Todd Waring later reprised another Tom Hanks role in a TV sequel to Splash for The Wonderful World of Disney called Splash, Too.