Verdict:
What you have to appreciate is the context. Thunder in Paradise was not about the acting or story or any such nonsense. Hulk Hogan can’t act very well. He is not terrible, since all wrestlers have some experience in acting, but Hulk never rose above the wrestling level of acting, unlike some other wrestlers who broke through in Hollywood. The writing and action in some episodes were the worst I’ve ever seen. They make elementary school stage plays seem oscar-worthy by comparison.
However, this show did combine a number of things that could really appeal to a young boy living in the cold North:
1. The paradise part. The blue water and palms lifted you away from your rainy hometown and took you on a little vacation every time you watched this show. It’s a similar in effect to reading travel magazines or watching travel shows.
2. The boat, Thunder. It is awesome! It looks like stealth jet on water. It has mini-guns and missiles and other funky tech. The show used computer generated effects for the boat transformations that look ok even today. This boat was the true star of the show that kept a boy hooked.
3. The theme song. This has a lot to do with point 1 on this list. The holiday-themed song just helped transfer you to that vacation setting.
4. Bikini babes.
Thunder in Paradise was a colourful show. Bright sun-lit scenes, blue water, green palms, orange explosions, etcetera. It’s not about the acting or camera work or plot. It’s about happiness. It’s Margaritaville with miniguns. The fact that it was a silly show only underlined the happy attitude it was going for. If you are an adult, and especially if you are an adult who is already happy with the climate of wherever you live, then you probably would not enjoy this show because it is a poorly acted kids show with a bunch of bikini babes.