Thunder Alley
Encyclopedia
Thunder Alley is an American sitcom
which aired from March 9, 1994 to July 4, 1995 on ABC
.
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 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. 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.
, Carmen Finestra
and David McFadzean
for Wind Dancer Productions and Touchstone Television
. The director of a majority of episodes was Robby Benson
.
The show had significantly good ratings, helped in part by its being paired with the hit Home Improvement from the same producers. Nonetheless, in the spring of 1995, ABC dropped almost all of its family-oriented programming in a move toward edgier material. As part of ABC's family programming, Thunder Alley, despite its recent status as the thirteenth highest-rated show in the country, was canceled.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
which aired from March 9, 1994 to July 4, 1995 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
.
Premise
The show stars Edward AsnerEd Asner
Edward Asner , commonly known as Ed Asner, is an American film, television, stage, and voice actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, primarily known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series, Lou Grant...
as retired race-car driver Gil Jones. The unaired original pilot episode
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
featured Felicity Huffman
Felicity Huffman
Felicity Kendall Huffman is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as executive producer Dana Whitaker on the ABC television show Sports Night , which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination, and as hectic supermom Lynette Scavo on the ABC show Desperate...
in the role of Bobbi Turner, Gil's daughter. When ABC picked up the series, Huffman was replaced with actress Diane Venora
Diane Venora
Diane Venora is an American stage, television, and film actress.-Early life:Venora was born Diana Venora in East Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Marie and Robert P. Venora, who owned a dry cleaning establishment. Diane graduated from East Hartford High School, class of 1970. During her...
. The pilot was reshot and Venora played the role for eight episodes before she was replaced by Robin Riker
Robin Riker
Robin Riker is an American actress. She has guest-starred in a number of notable television series, including The Rockford Files, M*A*S*H, The A-Team, Airwolf, Murder, She Wrote, Sliders, Malcolm in the Middle, Pyramid, Six Feet Under, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch among other...
, who played the role for the remainder of the series. The series also starred future Academy Award-nominee Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment is an American actor. After a series of roles in television and film during the 1990s, including a small part in Forrest Gump playing Tom Hanks' title character’s son, Osment rose to fame with his performance as Cole Sear in M...
.
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
Lindsay Felton
Lindsay Marie Felton , is an American actress.Felton was born in Seattle, Washington. She had a variety of roles since beginning acting in advertisements on local television at 3, and her first major network television appearance came in 1994 on the short-lived ABC sitcom Thunder Alley, as the...
); and Harry (Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment is an American actor. After a series of roles in television and film during the 1990s, including a small part in Forrest Gump playing Tom Hanks' title character’s son, Osment rose to fame with his performance as Cole Sear in M...
). 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
Jim Beaver
James Norman "Jim" Beaver, Jr. is an American stage, film, and television actor, playwright, screenwriter, and film historian...
). In the show's second season, Andrew Keegan
Andrew Keegan
Andrew Keegan is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his role of Joey Donner in the film 10 Things I Hate About You.-Life and career:...
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 WilliamsMatt Williams (producer)
Matt Williams is a television writer, creator and producer. He was the producer of the TV series Roseanne and Home Improvement and films such as What Women Want, and has written for The Cosby Show and A Different World as well as writing the screenplay for Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken...
, Carmen Finestra
Carmen Finestra
Carmen Finestra is an American producer and TV writer who currently is partnered with Matt Williams and David McFadzean in Wind Dancer Productions, a firm which Finestra also co-owns...
and David McFadzean
David McFadzean
David McFadzean is an American television producer, writer, film producer and playwright. He is best known for co-creating the 1990s sitcom Home Improvement along with Carmen Finestra and Matt Williams.-Career:...
for Wind Dancer Productions and Touchstone Television
Touchstone Television
ABC Studios is the television production division of Disney-ABC Television Group. ABC Studios was established as Touchstone Television in 1985 and given its current name in May 2007....
. The director of a majority of episodes was Robby Benson
Robby Benson
Robby Benson is an American film and television actor, television director, educator and singer.-Early life:Benson was born Robin David Segal in Dallas, Texas, the son of Freda Ann , a singer, actress, and business promotions manager, and Jerry Segal, a writer...
.
The show had significantly good ratings, helped in part by its being paired with the hit Home Improvement from the same producers. Nonetheless, in the spring of 1995, ABC dropped almost all of its family-oriented programming in a move toward edgier material. As part of ABC's family programming, Thunder Alley, despite its recent status as the thirteenth highest-rated show in the country, was canceled.
Season 1
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "The Prototype" | March 9, 1994 |
| 1-2 | "The Love Triangle" | March 16, 1994 |
| 1-3 | "Chore Patrol" | March 23, 1994 |
| 1-4 | "Girl's Night Out" | March 30, 1994 |
| 1-5 | "Bloodsuckers" | April 6, 1994 |
| 1-6 | "Happy Endings" | April 13, 1994 |
| 1-7 | "A Fist Full of Phyllis" | April 20, 1994 |
| 1-8 | "As a Manner of Fact" | May 4, 1994 |
Season 2
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 2-1 | "Never Say Die" | September 14, 1994 |
| 2-2 | "Speak No Evil" | September 21, 1994 |
| 2-3 | "Easy Money" | September 28, 1994 |
| 2-4 | "Get a Job" | October 5, 1994 |
| 2-5 | "First Date" | October 12, 1994 |
| 2-6 | "Give 'Em Hell, Bobbi" | October 15, 1994 |
| 2-7 | "Sex, Lies & Popcorn" | October 26, 1994 |
| 2-8 | "The Garage Sale" | November 2, 1994 |
| 2-9 | "Accidentally at First Sight" | March 7, 1995 |
| 2-10 | "Are We There Yet?" | March 14, 1995 |
| 2-11 | "Breaking Away" | March 21, 1995 |
| 2-12 | "The Trouble with Harry" | March 28, 1995 |
| 2-13 | "Workin' Man Blues" | April 4, 1995 |
| 2-14 | "A Little Me Time" | April 11, 1995 |
| 2-15 | "I Am Spartacus" | April 18, 1995 |
| 2-16 | "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" | April 25, 1995 |
| 2-17 | "Just a Vacation" | May 2, 1995 |
| 2-18 | "Buzz Off, Buzzard Boy | May 9, 1995 |
| 2-19 | "No Swing Set" | July 4, 1995 |
Award 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 |