Thunder Alley (TV series)
Thunder Alley is an American sitcom that aired from March 9, 1994 to July 4, 1995 on ABC.[1]
| Thunder Alley | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Carmen Finestra David McFadzean Matt Williams |
| Written by | Bob Burris Tim Doyle Carmen Finestra Bill Freiberger Steve Gabriel Barry Gold Lissa Levin David McFadzean Joey Murphy John Pardee Michael Ware Jake Weinberger Michael Weinberger Matt Williams Robert Zappia |
| Directed by | Robby Benson Andy Cadiff Pat Doak Barnet Kellman John Rago |
| Starring | Edward Asner Felicity Huffman Diane Venora (replaced Huffman) Robin Riker (replaced Venora) Jim Beaver Lindsay Felton Haley Joel Osment Andrew Keegan |
| Composer | Howard Pearl |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 27 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Carmen Finestra Dan Guntzelman David McFadzean Matt Williams |
| Producers | Bob Burris Tim Doyle Barry Gold Dan Guntzelman Gayle S. Maffeo Michael Ware |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Wind Dancer Productions Touchstone Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | March 9, 1994 – July 4, 1995 |
Premise
The show stars Edward Asner as retired race-car driver Gil Jones. The unaired original pilot episode featured Felicity Huffman in the role of Bobbi Turner, Gil's daughter. When ABC picked up the series, Huffman was replaced[2] with actress Diane Venora. The pilot was reshot and Venora played the role for eight episodes before she was replaced by Robin Riker, who played the role for the remainder of the series.[3] The series also starred future Academy Award-nominee Haley Joel Osment.
The story involved Bobbi returning after a divorce to live with her father. In tow were her three children: Claudine (Kelly Vint); Jenny (Lindsay Felton); and Harry (Haley Joel Osment). The new family quintet lived in Gil's home above Thunder Alley, the specialty racing garage Gil operated. Rounding out the cast was Gil's dim-witted mechanic sidekick, Leland DuParte (Jim Beaver). In the show's second season, Andrew Keegan joined the cast as Jack Kelly, a local boy who helped around the garage.
Production notes
Thunder Alley was created and executive produced by Matt Williams, Carmen Finestra and David McFadzean for Wind Dancer Productions and Touchstone Television. The director of a majority of episodes was Robby Benson.
The show debuted to good ratings, finishing its first season the number 12th program with an average household share of 15.9,[4] helped in part by its being paired with the hit Home Improvement, coming from the same producers.[5] However, it struggled in its second season when it was slotted as the lead off show on Wednesday nights. It was cancelled in the spring of 1995.
List of episodes
Season 1 (1994)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Prototype" | March 9, 1994 |
| 2 | 2 | "The Love Triangle" | March 16, 1994 |
| 3 | 3 | "Chore Patrol" | March 23, 1994 |
| 4 | 4 | "Girl's Night Out" | March 30, 1994 |
| 5 | 5 | "Bloodsuckers" | April 6, 1994 |
| 6 | 6 | "Happy Endings" | April 13, 1994 |
| 7 | 7 | "A Fist Full of Phyllis" | April 20, 1994 |
| 8 | 8 | "As a Manner of Fact" | May 4, 1994 |
Season 2 (1994–95)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Never Say Die" | September 14, 1994 |
| 10 | 2 | "Speak No Evil" | September 21, 1994 |
| 11 | 3 | "Easy Money" | September 28, 1994 |
| 12 | 4 | "Get a Job" | October 5, 1994 |
| 13 | 5 | "First Date" | October 12, 1994 |
| 14 | 6 | "Give 'Em Hell, Bobbi" | October 19, 1994 |
| 15 | 7 | "Sex, Lies & Popcorn" | October 26, 1994 |
| 16 | 8 | "The Garage Sale" | November 2, 1994 |
| 17 | 9 | "Accidentally at First Sight" | March 7, 1995 |
| 18 | 10 | "Are We There Yet?" | March 14, 1995 |
| 19 | 11 | "Breaking Away" | March 21, 1995 |
| 20 | 12 | "The Trouble with Harry" | March 28, 1995 |
| 21 | 13 | "Workin' Man's Blues" | April 4, 1995 |
| 22 | 14 | "A Little Me Time" | April 11, 1995 |
| 23 | 15 | "I Am Spartacus" | April 18, 1995 |
| 24 | 16 | "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" | April 25, 1995 |
| 25 | 17 | "Just a Vacation" | May 2, 1995 |
| 26 | 18 | "Buzz Off, Buzzard Boy" | May 9, 1995 |
| 27 | 19 | "No Swing Set" | July 4, 1995 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Performance: Young Actor in a TV Comedy Series | Andrew Keegan |
| Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten in a TV Series | Lindsay Felton |
References
- Cotter, Bill (1997). The Wonderful World of Disney Television. Hyperion Books. pp. 452–454. ISBN 0-7868-6359-5.
- Lowry, Brian (1993-12-07). "Huffman exits ABC's 'Thunder Alley'". variety.com. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- Meisler, Andy (1994-10-16). "A Familiar Name, but I Can't Place the Face". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 1469. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
- Bierbaum, Tom (1994-04-13). "CBS elbows past ABC". variety.com. Retrieved 2008-10-31.