SeaQuest DSV Series Review

SeaQuest DSV (1993-1996) Season 1 - 23 episodes (1993-94)
Season 2 - 21 episodes (1994-95)
Season 3 - 13 episodes (1995-96)

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Created by: Rockne S. O'Bannon
Starring: Jonathan Brandis, Don Franklin, Ted Raimi, Roy Scheider, Stephanie Beacham, Michael Ironside
Rated: TV-PG
Watch the trailer

Plot
In the early 21st century, mankind has colonized the oceans. The United Earth Oceans Organization enlists Captain Nathan Bridger and the submarine seaQuest DSV to keep the peace and explore the last frontier on Earth.

Verdict
It's essentially a space exploration show that takes place in the ocean. It's Star Trek where the final frontier is water. Many shows take a season to find its place, but the first season wasn't enough to keep me watching into the second. There's plenty of action and exploration, and while the setting is unique the story lines aren't.
Skip it.

Review
The show was plagued by disputes between producers, the network, and the cast. The second season moved production for Los Angeles to Orlando with many of the original cast returning and Scheider voicing his displeasure at how the show had lost its original premise as the second season episodes were more traditional sci-fi premises.

I really liked this as a kid, though I don't think I caught more than a handful of episodes. 

Captain Bridger (Roy Scheider) is coerced to captain a large submarine that was a warship now retrofitted to a research vessel. As you'd imagine, he's the moral arbiter of the show, the decision maker, and hero. Lucas (Jonathan Brandis) is the teen computer genius that's a fan of baseball and developed a way for dolphin Darwin to communicate.

Roy Scheider, Jonathan Brandis play Captain Bridger, Lucas

This feels a lot like Star Trek, from the ship and exploration vehicles to the setting. I can't help but see it as a knock-off. It's middling sci-fi. Being the ocean, of course we see the Library of Alexandria. There's also new water based life forms, refugees, a coup, and even ghosts. Towards the end of the season we get a wild plot, and I'm surprised it's a one off. You'd think the impact would be bigger, but the show does have an excuse for that.

 I will not continue this, I've read the studio wanted more sci-fi and the second season went to wild story lines and aliens. As this season isn't great, I have no desire to see something worse. I did watch the first episode of the second just to see how the final episode of season one resolves. It didn't wow me.