Day of Destruction (DVD, 2005)

An extravagant CBS miniseries that serves as a vehicle for some spectacular special effects, the DAY OF DESTRUCTION is fast approaching Chicago in the form of three separate weather systems set to collide there: a tornado cluster that has already laid waste to Las Vegas, an Arctic front from the north, and a warm storm front from the south. A subplot involving a national energy crisis, during which the national power grid fails, is navigated by a heroic Mitch Benson (Thomas Gibson); he battles the capitalist superstructure to restore power to the city, so that people can be warned in time. The series follows the major players in this natural disaster melodrama, including Andy Goodman (Brian Dennehy, SHE HATE ME), a meteorologist about to retire who discovers the imminent disaster. Amy Harkins (Nancy McKeon) is a local TV journalist who is reporting on the crippling drought that has dragged on for weeks. She chafes under bureaucratic strictures, which forbid her to present the truth about who's really behind the power grid failure. Finally there's Tornado Tommy (Randy Quaid, INDEPENDENCE DAY), a thrill-seeker who chases storms in his tricked-out SUV. This latest in a string of television disaster films is an exciting, breathtaking nightmare scenario that is sure to keep audiences on their toes.