Where The Thundermans Began
The Thundermans is an original creation, not an adaptation of any book, comic, or prior property. Jed Spingarn conceived it as a live-action family sitcom for Nickelodeon, built around a single comic premise: what if a superhero family tried to pass itself off as ordinary suburban neighbors? The show premiered on October 14, 2013, and ran for four seasons before ending in 2018. Its central tension, a good-hearted twin sister (Phoebe) and a wannabe supervillain twin brother (Max) stuck sharing the same house, the same school, and the same relentlessly chaotic younger siblings, proved durable enough to outlast its original run by nearly a decade.
The franchise has stayed entirely in television and film, with no official game adaptations or tie-in novels released. When Nickelodeon and Paramount+ revived the property in 2024 and 2025, they brought back most of the original cast and placed the story in new settings rather than reimagining it from scratch. The result is one of the more complete arcs in modern kids' television: a series, a reunion movie, and a full spinoff sequel.
Every Version of The Thundermans
The complete franchise, in order
The Thundermans Timeline
- 2013Original series premieres on Nickelodeon The Thundermans
- 2018Original series concludes after 4 seasons
- 2024Reunion film reunites the full cast The Thundermans Return
- 2025Spinoff sequel series launches on Paramount+ The Thundermans: Undercover
The World of Hiddenville
The original series is set in Hiddenville, a fictional suburb where the Thunderman family works hard to appear normal despite possessing powers ranging from flight and super strength (dad Hank, played by Chris Tallman) to electrokinesis (mom Barb, played by Rosa Blasi). The twins Phoebe and Max, played by Kira Kosarin and Jack Griffo, drive nearly every plot: Phoebe wants to become a sanctioned superhero, Max wants to become a villain, and neither one can resist meddling in the other's plans. Younger siblings Nora (Addison Riecke) and Billy (Diego Velazquez) contribute their own powers and chaos to the mix.
The Thundermans Return (2024) picks up with Phoebe and Max established as active heroes, until a mission gone wrong sends the whole family back to Hiddenville. The 70-minute film functions as both a reunion special and a bridge to the next chapter. The Thundermans: Undercover (2025) then moves the story forward again, sending Phoebe, Max, and youngest sibling Chloe to the seaside town of Secret Shores on an undercover assignment, with Chloe's superhero development at the center of the new series.
If You Love the Thundermans: Family Superpowers on Screen
Live-action and animated takes on families with powers
If You Love the Thundermans: Nickelodeon and Teen Sitcoms with a Twist
Kids shows where ordinary life keeps getting interrupted by something bigger
If You Love the Thundermans: Hero vs Villain Rivalries
Stories built on the push-pull between heroism and the temptation to go the other way
If You Love the Thundermans: Undercover Missions and Secret Identities
From the Undercover spinoff's premise outward: stories about hiding who you really are
The Original Series Is Still the Definitive Version
Four seasons gave The Thundermans (2013) enough room to develop the Phoebe-Max rivalry from a simple good-vs-evil setup into something with real emotional stakes. The show is at its best in its middle seasons, when both characters are actively pursuing conflicting goals and the writers trust the audience to root for a kid who openly wants to be a supervillain. The reunion film and the spinoff sequel are worth your time, but they exist because this foundation worked. Start here.
The Undercover Spinoff Is Better Than It Had Any Right to Be
The Thundermans: Undercover (2025) could have coasted on nostalgia. Instead it shifts the focus to youngest sibling Chloe and builds a genuine coming-of-age arc around a kid learning to manage powers while keeping secrets from new friends. The seaside setting in Secret Shores gives the show a different visual register from Hiddenville, and the decision to leave the parents largely offscreen forces Phoebe and Max to actually grow up on screen. It is the freshest the franchise has felt since the original pilot.
The Reunion Movie Is the One to Watch Last, Not First
The Thundermans Return (2024) is a 70-minute film that works best as a bridge episode for existing fans rather than an entry point. At that length it cannot do justice to the full ensemble, and the plot device of the botched mission feels rushed. It earns its place in the franchise by setting up the Undercover series, but watched cold by someone who skipped the original run, most of the emotional payoff is going to land flat.