‘Thundermans’ cast loved returning for new adventure

One of the realities of television – even those featuring a family of superheroes – is that the end is inevitably going to come. The cast of the Nickelodeon series “The Thundermans” discovered that in 2018 when the show was canceled after four seasons.

Another reality of television is that cancellation doesn’t always mean the end as “The Thundermans Return” is scheduled to debut at 7 p.m. March 7 on Nickelodeon. It also will be available on the streaming service Paramount+.

The made-for-cable film focuses on twins Phoebe (Kira Kosarin) and Max (Jack Griffo) living a superhero lifestyle until a failed mission sends them home to Hiddenville. Dad Hank (Chris Tallman) and mom Barb (Rosa Blasi) are happy to have the twins back home, but their return comes with a very dangerous threat.

Chloe (Maya Le Clark) develops a new friend group while Billy (Diego Velazquez) and Nora (Addison Riecke) begin a normal high school life. The movie features the return of show favorites, including familiar locations, and new menacing supervillains.

Rosa Blasi, who plays the matriarch of the group, was sad when the series ended but she took satisfaction out of the 98 episodes that were produced.

“There were a lot of tears that last week. A lot. It was an incredible experience that we ended about six years ago,” Blasi says. “I thought that was it. This was before people were doing reboots and before the show started rerunning and gaining an entirely new and younger audience.”

Blasi came to “The Thundermans” knowing the joy of having a series stay on the air for years and the disappointment when it ends. The Chicago-native starred on the Lifetime medical drama “Good Medicine” that ran for 131 episodes.

Along with a strong theater background, Blasi’s credits also include “The Grudge,” “Make It or Break It” and “The Whole Truth.”

The cast members describe getting back together to film the movie as feeling like a family reunion. Blasi is certain that is the reason the series was such a big hit. They always looked at “The Thundermans” as being a story about a family that just happened to have a superhero element.

“The love is real and palpable,” Blasi says. “We just happen to have superhero powers. It is very much a family sitcom. I think that is why it has resonated with so many people in so many countries.”

The creative teams of some television shows are told in advance when the end is near. This allows for a finale to wrap up any loose ends. Because the team behind “The Thundermans” knew the show was ending, they were able to put together a two-part story where the twins competed to be part of an elite superhero team.

Griffo says putting together what he thought would be the last time he would be part of the Thunderman family was very difficult.

“It was our lives for so long. It was a big part of all of our lives,” Griffo says. “We just love each other so much and we love the show so much. I think that’s what it takes to have a successful series.

“You are with each other all the time. You deal with each other’s bad, good and everything in-between. A cast has to have a lot of unconditional love for each other.”

Griffo has been working as an actor for more than a dozen years. He has landed roles on “Jessie,” “Kickin’ It” and “Jinxed but the second longest run he has had on a series was 13 episodes of “Alexa & Katie.”

Working on the final episodes was a very hard experience for the actors. It was the opposite for coming back to work.  Velázquez recalls the emotional highs everyone felt for getting back into their super suits.

“Pulling back on to the lot again and seeing all our trailers all set up was really fun,” Velázquez says.

Everyone felt the excitement of being together again from the moment that they sat down to read the script together for the first time. Part of the fun of reading the script for Velázquez is that his character is not the brightest bulb. That gives the El Salvador born actor some of the funniest moments.

“He is a little comedic relief,” Velázquez says.

Velázquez has been acting since he was seven making his film debut in “Extraordinary Measures.” His other credits include a recurring role in the TNT drama “Leverage,” and he guest starred on NBC’s drama “Grimm.” He and the rest of the cast are back to their superhero ways with hopes the film will be as well received as the series that won a 2016 Kids Choice Award for “Best TV Show.” There is no word regarding future “Thundermans” films or a renewal of the series.

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