''Thunder in Paradise'' is an American
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
-
adventure
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
TV series from the creators of ''
Baywatch
''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, ...
,'' which stars
Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
,
Chris Lemmon
Christopher Boyd Lemmon (born June 22, 1954) is an American actor and author.
Early life and education
Lemmon was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Cynthia Stone and actor Jack Lemmon. Lemmon attended the Verde Valley School ...
, and
Carol Alt
Carol Ann Alt (born December 1, 1960) is an American model and actress.
Early life
Alt was born in Flushing, Queens, New York, the daughter of Muriel, an airline employee and model, and Anthony Alt, a fire chief in the Bronx. She was noticed w ...
. This
first-run syndicated TV series originally premiered as a
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
feature film in September 1993, then ran for one season from March 25 until November 27, 1994, before being cancelled. In May 1994, during a taping of ''
WCW Saturday Night
''WCW Saturday Night'' is an American weekly Saturday night television show on TBS that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Launched in 1971 initially by Georgia Championship Wrestling, the program existed through various incarna ...
'', Hogan publicly expressed a desire to return to professional wrestling and hinted that he would no longer be a part of the show. The series was later rebroadcast on the
TNT
Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
cable network.
Series concept
''Thunder in Paradise'' follows the adventures of two ex-
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...
, Randolph J. "Hurricane" Spencer and Martin "Bru" Brubaker, who work as
mercenaries
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
out of their tropical resort headquarters along
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
's
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...
. Using their futuristic, high-tech boat, nicknamed ''Thunder'', they travel around the world fighting various criminals and villains. They must also balance their dangerous undercover work with their responsibilities of raising widower Spencer's young stepdaughter Jessica, who lives with them.
Former model Kelly LaRue, who owns and manages the Scuttlebutt Bar & Grill on the beach in front of the resort, looks after Jessica whenever Spence and Bru go on their missions. Kelly also serves as a romantic
foil
Foil may refer to:
Materials
* Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine
* Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal
* Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food
* Tin foil, metal foil ma ...
for Bru. Edward Whitaker, Jessica's uncle, owns the beach resort and makes semi-regular appearances in the series, primarily for comic relief.
Characters
Main cast
*
Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
as Randolph J. "Hurricane" Spencer
*
Chris Lemmon
Christopher Boyd Lemmon (born June 22, 1954) is an American actor and author.
Early life and education
Lemmon was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Cynthia Stone and actor Jack Lemmon. Lemmon attended the Verde Valley School ...
as Martin "Bru" Brubaker
*
Carol Alt
Carol Ann Alt (born December 1, 1960) is an American model and actress.
Early life
Alt was born in Flushing, Queens, New York, the daughter of Muriel, an airline employee and model, and Anthony Alt, a fire chief in the Bronx. She was noticed w ...
as Kelly LaRue
*
Ashley Gorrell as Jessica Whitaker Spencer (episodes 4–22)
*
Patrick Macnee
Daniel Patrick Macnee (6 February 1922 – 25 June 2015) was a British film and television actor. After serving in the Royal Navy during World War II, he began his acting career in Canada. Despite having some small film roles, Macnee spent much ...
as Edward Whitaker
*
Felicity Waterman
Felicity Waterman (born 11 October 1964) is an English actress known for her role as Vanessa Hunt during the final two seasons of the television drama series ''Knots Landing'', and for her role as regular cast member Lt. Abigail Hawling on the ...
as Megan Whitaker Spencer (episodes 1–3)
*
Robin Weisman
Robin Weisman is a former American child actress. She is well known as the "little lady" Mary Bennington in the 1990 film ''Three Men and a Little Lady'' co-starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson.
Weisman was born in Hollywood, F ...
as Jessica Whitaker Spencer (episodes 1–3)
* Russ Wheeler as The Voice of ''Thunder''
*
Sam J. Jones
Samuel Gerald Jones (born August 12, 1954), known professionally as Sam J. Jones, is an American actor and former football player. He is known for playing the title character in the 1980 film ''Flash Gordon'' and for starring in the short-lived ...
as Pilot
* Michael Andrews as The Beach Bartender
Recurring cast
*
Steve Borden
Steve Borden (born March 20, 1959), better known by the ring name Sting, is an American professional wrestler and former bodybuilder, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as the mentor of Darby Allin. He is regarded as one of the great ...
(WCW's "Sting") as "Hammerhead" McCall
*
Kiki Shepard
Kiki Shepard (born Chiquita Renee Shepard; July 15, 1951) is an American television host, best known as the longtime co-host of ''It's Showtime at the Apollo''. She is a native of Tyler, Texas. Shepard has also worked as an actress and voice act ...
as Trelawny / DJ Moran
*
Heidi Mark
Heidi Mark (born February 18, 1971) is an American model and actress. She is of Finnish descent; her father was born in Helsinki, Finland. She has worked at her father's law office and Hooters. She was ''Playboy''s Playmate of the Month for July ...
as Alison Wilson
*
Jimmy Hart
James Ray Hart (born January 1, 1944) is an American professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician currently signed with WWE in a Legends deal. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World ...
as Jimmy
Episodes
Home media
* The pilot movie was originally released on home video the week of September 27, 1993. It was not broadcast on television until the beginning of Season 1, after which it was split into two episodes for reruns and later syndication.
* The two-part episode "Sealed with a Kismet" was combined and released to home video as the feature ''Thunder in Paradise II''.
* The two-part episode "Deadly Lessons" was combined and released to home video as the feature ''Thunder in Paradise 3''.
* The two-part episode "The M.A.J.O.R. and the Minor" was used as the basis for the ''
Thunder in Paradise
''Thunder in Paradise'' is an American action film, action-adventure film, adventure TV series from the creators of ''Baywatch,'' which stars Hulk Hogan, Chris Lemmon, and Carol Alt. This Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated TV series orig ...
''
CD-i
The Compact Disc-Interactive (CD-I, later CD-i) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage device, data storage format that was mostly developed and marketed by Dutch company Philips. It was created as an extension of Compact Disc Di ...
interactive game. In addition to the episode itself, additional footage was filmed for use at different stages in the game. This game-exclusive footage was shot at the same time as the episode itself.
Another video game based on ''Thunder in Paradise'', this one from
The Software Toolworks
The Software Toolworks (commonly abbreviated as Toolworks) was an American software and video game developer based in Novato, California. The company was founded by Walt Bilofsky in 1980 out of his Sherman Oaks, California, Sherman Oaks garage, ...
, was announced for the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...
and
Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
, but never released.
On September 26, 2006,
Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
released a DVD 3-disc ''Thunder in Paradise Collection'' that contained ''Thunder in Paradise'' ("Thunder in Paradise" Parts 1 & 2), ''Thunder in Paradise II'' ("Sealed with a Kismet" Parts 1 & 2), and ''Thunder in Paradise 3'' ("Deadly Lessons" Part 1 & 2).
Filming locations
The ''Thunder in Paradise'' pilot movie was filmed in and around the historic
The Don CeSar
The Don CeSar is a hotel located in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Developed by Thomas Rowe and opened in 1928, it gained renown as the Gulf playground for America's pampered rich at the height of the Jazz Age. The hotel was designed by Henry H. Dup ...
hotel in
St. Pete Beach, Florida
St. Pete Beach (formerly called St. Petersburg Beach) is a coastal city in Pinellas County, Florida. Known as a tourist destination, St. Pete Beach was formed from the towns of Pass-a-Grille, Belle Vista, St. Petersburg Beach and unincorporated ...
, during April 1992. When the series was picked up for a full season, the production company then moved to
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by Ma ...
near
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
, where the primary filming location became
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a Victorian themed hotel and spa located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The property opened on June 28, 1988, as the ''Grand Floridian Beach Resort''. The name changed to ''Disney's Grand Fl ...
at
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...
. Other filming locations at Walt Disney World included
Disney's Old Key West Resort
Disney's Old Key West Resort is a Disney Vacation Club resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It opened on December 20, 1991, and was formerly known as Disney's Vacation Club Resort until January 1996 when i ...
,
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground is a themed camping resort located in the Magic Kingdom Resort Area at the Walt Disney World Resort in the U.S. state of Florida. It officially opened on November 19, 1971. The resort is situated adjac ...
, and
Epcot
Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...
, used heavily due to the wide variety of futuristic and international architectural styles available at that theme park. The destruction of the school featured in the two-part episode "Deadly Lessons" was an actual controlled demolition of a school building in
Central Florida
Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Gr ...
that the production company agreed to perform in exchange for filming rights.
Stetson University
Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I–4 corridor in Central Florida with the primary undergraduate campus in DeLand. The university was founded in 1883 and was later established in 1887 ...
in
DeLand, Florida
DeLand is a city in central Florida. It is the county seat of Volusia County. The city sits approximately north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. As of the 2020 ...
was utilized for an episode.
Reception
On the release of the DVD collection in 2006, the series was reviewed by David Cornelius of
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
:
Cornelius admits to giving the series a higher rating than usual, and selectively recommends it but warns "Those not so fond of Bad Movie fun, meanwhile, should obviously Skip It." In 2008, ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' ranked it as the "cheesiest" syndicated TV series.
See also
References
External links
*
**
**
**
*
**
**
**
{{Baywatch Nav
1994 American television series debuts
1994 American television series endings
American action television series
English-language television shows
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
Nautical television series
Television series by CBS Studios
Television series by Lionsgate Television
Television shows set in Florida