Blue Thunder - Season 1 - Eps 8: Payload
The Space Shuttle Argo, privately funded and arranged without any governmental interference, becomes under threat by a group of weapon dealers who don't want their sales of bacterial weapons falling down heavily because of this. This is because, the shuttle has successfully performed an gene-splicing experiment in outer space, relieving the American Space Industry after it is set for the shuttle to re-enter orbit, but there is one slight problem. The experimental canister has to be transported from the moment the shuttle touches down, to an unknown designated laboratory, where it will be configured and analysed to affect the usage of bacterial weaponry, in 20 minutes. Only Blue Thunder has the speed capabilities to achieve this, and so Apex lends the unit to them. After a accident involving the helicopter's entire electronics being short-circuited by power lines at a nearby power plant where the team managed to apprehend two men linked to the trading of German Warfare products, Profess
About Blue Thunder

Title: Blue Thunder
First Air Date: 1984-01-06
Last Air Date: 1984-04-16
Status: Canceled
Rating: 6.9/10 (from 118 votes)
Language: EN
Seasons: 1
Total Episodes: 11
Network: ABC
Genres: Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Production Companies: Columbia Pictures Television, Rastar Productions
Synopsis
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 Aérospatiale 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.
Cast

James Farentino
Frank Chaney

Dana Carvey
Clinton Wonderlove

Sandy McPeak
Captain Braddock

Dick Butkus
Richard Butowski

Bubba Smith
Lyman Kelsey