The Thundermans may be back for a new mission, but the one thing that hasn’t changed for the family of superheroes is their heroic heart.
The half-hour scripted comedy series first captivated millions when it premiered on Nickelodeon back in 2013. Airing over 100 episodes in four seasons over the course of five years, The Thundermans followed superhero twins with opposite personalities, Phoebe and Max Thunderman (played by Kira Kosarin and Jack Griffo, respectively), as they navigated their way through school, friends and a family of extraordinary superheroes — all while keeping their true identities a secret.
While we were sad to see The Thundermans come to an end, we were elated to hear the news that it made its way to streaming platforms like Paramount+, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, giving us the ability to rewatch some of our favorite episodes over and over again. It seems as if everyone felt the same way, as Kira tells Celeb Secrets that streaming gave the show “a new life,” which ultimately prompted both The Thundermans Return movie last year and The Thundermans: Undercover spin-off series that’s airing later this month.
“[‘The Thundermans’] got popular on streaming in 2021, which was that amazing thing that streaming can do, just like give old projects a new life. I think a lot of legacy fans who watched the original series were watching it for the comfort during COVID, but there were a lot of new fans, really young kids, who were stuck at home and their parents were homeschooling them and were watching TV to pass the time. So that was what inspired it,” Kira told Celeb Secrets in an exclusive interview back in July.
“Paramount+ specifically to want to spearhead the movie project. They came to me with the idea of doing something and I brought in some ideas of what I thought that should look like… they liked them and the rest is history.”
Kira — along with other OG cast members like Jack, Maya Le Clark (Chloe), Daran Norris (Thunderford), and Dana Snyder (Dr. Colosso) will reprise their roles once again in The Thundermans: Undercover, and Chris Tallman (Hank), Rosa Blasi (Barb), Diego Velazquez (Billy), Addison Riecke (Nora), Audrey Whitby (Cherry), Kenny Ridwan (Gideon), Helen Hong (Mrs. Wong), Jeff Meachum (Principal Bradford) and Daniele Gaither (Super President Kickbutt) are all set to make appearances throughout the season. It’s also been confirmed that Ryan Ochoa, Jessica Marie Garcia, Lilimar and Anna McNulty will be making guest cameos in some episodes, too.
Fans have been waiting for this moment, and Kira is just as thrilled to bring Phoebe back to life for the next chapter of her superhero adventures.
“I never really thought [‘The Thundermans’] was going to go more than a few episodes at a time. It was always like, ‘ok, here’s 13 episodes’ and we do them and it would be great. And then, towards the end of it, we’d get ready to move on, but then it was like, ‘here’s 13 more’ and then ‘here’s a 20-episode season’… it just kept getting added on,” Kira shared.
“So at no point during the process did we think that we would be on a show for 112 episodes over the course of four and a half years. We just got lucky that we were able to keep doing it for such a long time. It’s crazy to be like 26, almost 27, working as an executive producer with a big important job title and big important people, and it just started at an audition that I tried my best at at 14-years-old.”
In The Thundermans: Undercover, Phoebe and her mischievous twin brother, Max, are sent on a secret mission to the beachside town of Secret Shores. With their superpowers put to the test once again, the siblings have to team up to face a new mysterious threat— and, of course, they’re bringing the youngest Thunderman, Chloe (Le Clark), along for the ride. As they work together to unlock Chloe’s superhero potential, fans can expect plenty of action, comedy, and family dynamics.
But don’t be fooled — Undercover isn’t just about saving the day; it’s also about embracing growth. For Kira, reprising her role as Phoebe was something she told us is “super surreal.”
“Putting on my super suit on set felt different. Getting my hair and makeup done as Phoebe also felt different because I had been wearing my hair straight for a long time. I got back into the mindset with the [Phoebe] curls and jewelry, and standing in the set was crazy,'” she recalled.
“When I was young, I felt a lot more like Phoebe. It felt more like just playing a fictionalized version of myself. I think now, you know, 12 years later, I am a very different person than she is, so it gets to feel more like slipping on a character when I go in to be Phoebe; which might sound weird because I feel like when I’m doing interviews like this publicly, I am pretty much Phoebe,” she continued.
“And people are like, ‘Oh, she’s just like her character.’ But I think it’s just that my public, press persona is very similar to my on-camera persona. When I’m off camera, I’m very different, I think… but there’s a whole lot of overlap,” she concluded.
Fans can expect tons of laughs, heartwarming moments, and thrilling superhero action when The Thundermans: Undercover premieres on January 22. As for Kira, she’s eager to see how audiences react to Phoebe’s new journey — which she is ultimately content with.
“The role that she ends up taking on in the spinoff is great. I can’t tell you what it is, but it’s really funny and it’s a role that I’m excited for her to be, even though it’s a kind of fake undercover job, it’s a really fun one for her to be doing. I’m happy with where she’s gone,” Kira revealed.
“Phoebe and Max are kind of doing what they always wanted to do. I hope and plan to see more of Phoebe’s personal life in addition to her superhero stuff because that’s what I always enjoy playing and watching the most; I like seeing her failed dating adventures and all of that stuff. I’m pretty happy where she is in her life. She’s in her early 20s now, which is really cool,” she continued.
The show’s mix of humor, action, and family dynamics makes it the perfect watch for fans old and new. Whether you’re a longtime Thundermaniac or just tuning in, The Thundermans: Undercover is bound to deliver the excitement you’ve been waiting for.
So, mark your calendars and get ready for more Thunderman fun. Phoebe’s back, and she’s got new missions, new challenges, and a whole new family adventure to tackle.
For more on The Thundermans: Undercover, watch our full interview with Kira below, and don’t forget to catch the new series when it airs on Wednesday, January 22nd @ 7PM ET/PT on Nickelodeon.
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR “THE THUNDERMANS: UNDERCOVER” HERE:
