This spin off from the Blue Thunder movie has nothing in common with the film other than the LA setting and the helicopter. Aside from the chopper, gone are the serious themes and grit and overall sense of paranoia. Instead, into the TV production have come multiple TV tropes: The tough lead cop who breaks the rules to get things done; his comedy relief partner; two ex football jocks that are as the brawn ; and the Chief who yells at his subordinates a lot. Plots are generic (stop terrorists, stop an assassination, stop another assassination, get an old girlfriend out of trouble, foil a kidnaping, stop a drug runner, transport a MacGuffin), and the writers had to work harder and harder to find something in the air Blue Thunder can confront (choppers, WWII planes, space shuttles). BUT the star of the show is clearly Blue Thunder itself, a mock up of a French Chopper that steals the scene whenever it appears. Although stock footage is often used, there is new footage each episode of some dam fine stunt flying happening as well. The last episode, which took the Blue Thunder flies away from LA to stop a coup on an island nation was ironically much improved. Although to be honest it was a lot more like an Airwolf plotline with its foreign mission and cold war elements..
