Hi, I’m trying to tackle the difficult subject of when Thundercats first aired each episode in the US. Aside from it being a syndicated show (which really complicates matters), it’s quite a tricky one to get to grips with, even if we’re just going by ‘first airing’ in any state/area.
All of the online guides are wrong. They all list series 1 in '85 and series 2 in '86. In reality, series 2 was running for much longer, through to '89.
Has anyone got any production documents in their collections which list transmission dates, or has anyone ever found a correct list on the internet?
Hi Griz, the list isn’t correct. Series two didn’t conclude until 1989. Unlike series 1, Rankin/Bass drip-fed the stations episodes for the second series which were bulked out with repeats.
In reality Thundercats had 4 seasons from what I can see. 1985,1986,1987 and 1988. I thought Book of Omens debuted in 1988?
Back in the day when I first came online, the episodes were grouped like this:
1985: Exodus - Fond Memories 1986: Thundercats Ho! Part One - Vultureman’s Revenge 1987: Thundercubs Part One - The Last Day 1988: Return To Thundera Part One - Book Of Omens
Probably the best way is to find out which channel Thundercats was aired on and then contact them as they may have details in their archives…
That’s how I got the UK airdates (by contacting the BBC)
It’s very hard to get correct air dates as when I was a kid and where I live (Allentown, Pa), the tv stations didn’t air any of the second season episodes till 1989. Ironically enough, the tv stations stopped airing Tcats in 1987 and didn’t air them again till 1989.
Come to think of it, even though I lived in Allentown, the cable company broadcasted New York and Philadelphia stations.
I should add, the only “new” episodes that was ever shown to me in 1986 was the five part “Thundercats Ho” Nothing after that till 1989.
Hi, it is indeed tricky to pinpoint. Thundercats had two seasons (as the production office was commissioned to produce two sets of 65 episodes). However, the episodes for the second series were staggered to facilitate production on Thundercats, Silverhawks and Comic Strip.
I’ll post a separate thread and try to find which stations people remember watching the show on.
I think ThunderCats first aired in Los Angeles in January of 1985. KTTV (Fox) Channel 11, a local L.A. station, had the show during its entire run from 1985 to 1989. The ThunderCats, Ho! film first aired here in the summer of 1986 (don’t quote me on that, it’s just a guesstimate), with Season 2 debuting in September of 1987.
Hi guys, I’ve been working on this subject too, including the nigh-impossible task of convincing IMDb editors that “Some guy said they aired in 1986” is not as strong a piece of evidence as “The original script is dated 1988.”
I’ve checked the dates on scripts both here and on Purrsia’s site, and they all corroborate the four-season claim, but that doesn’t seem to be good enough for the IMDb admins. I was wondering if there’s any other way we can get official confirmation – could the people who own the scripts provide some further proof that they’re official? Could somebody who has contact info for people who worked on the show get confirmation from them?
Short of that, I think I’m just about at a dead end here. Any help is appreciated.
