[3][4] The movie first aired on the Syfy channel on July 11, 2013, and stars Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, and John Heard.

Though the original film was not explicitly a comedy, maintaining at least a façade of seriousness despite the implausible plot, the sequels were more openly comedic in nature.

[citation needed] Off the coast of Mexico, the ship of shark fin smuggler Captain Carlos Santiago is caught in a hurricane, interrupting his meeting with a potential buyer.

While heading to April's home, the group stops on a freeway to save people as flooding causes sharks to attack.

Collin, April's boyfriend, is eaten by sharks, but the rest of the group escapes unharmed from the house, which gets hit by a huge wave causing it to collapse.

They steal another car and meet up with Fin and April's son Matt, who is found taking shelter at his flight school.

Ultimately, Fin destroys the last sharknado with a bomb attached to his car and the sharks begin to plummet toward the ground.

[15] Ian Ziering stated that he had serious reservations about the script but was motivated, in part, by the need to earn enough to qualify for Screen Actors Guild health insurance for his family.

Due to an increase in publicity (mostly through Twitter), Syfy repeated Sharknado on Thursday, July 18, 2013, one week after its premiere.

[21] A representative of the National Weather Service jokingly recommended what to do in case of a sharknado, saying: "As with any waterspout or tornado, the best advice is to be in an interior part of the lowest floor of a sturdy building – and not outside, whether sharks are raining down or not.

"[3] Organizations such as the Red Cross of Oklahoma City also used the film as an opportunity to pass on storm safety information[22] while others incorporated it into their own advertising.

[26] Syfy and The Asylum announced in August 2013 that Sharknado merchandise would be made available, including shirts and potentially other products, such as costumes, bags and posters.

The site's consensus states: "Proudly, shamelessly, and gloriously brainless, Sharknado redefines 'so bad it's good' for a new generation.

"[35] Reviewer Mary McNamara, writing for the Los Angeles Times, mentioned that the plot holes are "the whole point of movies like this: fabulous in-home commentary.