I really enjoyed the first series (and am enjoying it again on DVD), but it never really stood a chance in the UK. When it first started it had the Saturday tea-time slot (after the sports results and before the evening schedule). I'm not sure about the other regions, but on Granada (NW England) part way through series 1 it stopped being weekly - on one week then missing the next. Then it stopped completely. Some time later it reappeared on Saturday afternoon (going against the BBC's main sports programme Grandstand) and picked up from where it had left off. It then disappeared again. A year or so later, HTV (the ITV franchise for Wales, which I also received) started showing series 3 on Saturday afternoon's, which was seriously confusing for someone who hadn't seen series 2, but they didn't show the complete series. Granada subsequently showed a couple of shows from series 2, but not at a regular time and not for very long. I hope they release series 2 and 3 on DVD just to see what I missed when they were(n't) first shown.

At it's heart SeaQuest wasn't a bad show. I think done today it would greatly benefit from the fact that computer graphics have become so commonplace and affordable. An issue that was one of the major problems at the heart of SeaQuest. At 1 Million an episode (Unheard of at the time)there was obvious cuts that showed up on screen. The perfect example it in an episode where the SeaQuest has a giant bioillumenesant squid invading through the moon pool. The interior scenes have a number of old tricks that were obvious lifted from 1950's monster flicks. "Don't go in that room captain! It's in there!" and a clear rubber tentacle with blink lights, that is without a doubt silly looking and a budget crunched effect. Very Lost in Space-ish.The next issue at hand is story. While not being awful in the first season the plots are often centered around you taking away an ocean lesson, which would later be echoed by Dr. Robert Ballard of Titanic fame. More often the not what was meant to be fun, comes off as silly, and what should be threatening or action packed is not. The menacing ball pit from Brothers and Sisters comes to mind. Even with these issues SeaQuest doesn't show any weaknesses that any other first season Sci Fi show hasn't had. It's struggling to find an identity, and establish itself. The first seasons of Star Trek:The Next Generation, and Deep Space 9 have the same sort of growing pains as well, but turned out fine once they had found it's voice.The third issue which doesn't really show on screen is Roy Scheider himself. Roy clearly hated the show, and put the bad mouth on it as often as he could. In interviews both in print and on TV. In reflection the cut corner effects, and silly plot devices may have had something to do with Scheider's complaints, but face it when the star of a show torpedo's it how much longer is it likely to survive? Season 2 of SeaQuest saw a change in were it was filmed, which helped, and unfortunately a change in cast as well. Most of the principal cast stayed on, but the loss of Stacy Hiduk (spelled wrong I know) stunk. However we did get several new cast members that balance out the losses.The effects didn't really get any better, but I think the crew got better at making the show, and it's effects budget run and look better.The stories were starting to shape up a bit as well, but unfortunately not well enough.Budget, coupled with sinking ratings, and the star bad mouthing the show made the changes that were coming for season 3 unavoidable.Season 3 changes the format of the show considerably. It takes place years later, and Roy is replace by a man who has been in seemingly every bad movie ever Michael Ironside. While the show is dead in the water at this point. The stories started to get better, and were actually beginning to become something that might work.Only problem is it was way too late. Ratings were in the toilet, the show was pre-empted for everything. It no longer had a standard day, or time slot. The cast had yet again another round of changes made for season three, and most of what the audience was familiar with had changed so much it no longer held interest to the fans that could find the show.I gotta be honest. I loved SeaQuest, and as I watch season 1 on DVD I still do. I really wish SciFi channel would resurrect it like it did with Battlestar Galactica.I recommend it with a sense of not overanylizing the show. If you do that I guarantee you won't like it, but given half a chance I think you'll find a buried treasure of sorts.Did I use enough bad sea related jokes in this review?

I agree with "Kylic" that the boobs at NBC didn't know what they had. However, I don't think the show was that original. To me SeaQuest was a redo of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea." If you watch some episodes you might sea the resemblance. Not that I'm complaining: I liked that old show. A quick comparison. The Seaview was the most advanced sub -- as is "SeaQuest". Both explored the ocean, both fought bad guys. Both dealt with E.T.s, time travelers and weird science. The two leading men on each show were at times babe magnets. "Voyage" had a smaller cast especially compared to "SeaQuest" in season 1. But the crews did comparable duty. Though SeaQuest had an ensemble look to it.All in a show a that was badly abused by a network.

I've been watching the replays of the episodes during Sci Fi Channel's recent marathon, and I must say that I was struck by the "in your face" environmental activism in nearly every episode I've watched so far. The shows are still entertaining, but they border on annoyance with all the holier-than-thou preaching about how horrible mankind is.I am also reminded of how dark the underwater scenes were back then...at first I thought maybe I had a bad TV, but no, they're just dark. Does ANYONE know what the SeaQuest actually looks like?And you'd think with all the flack that Gene Roddenberry took for having Wesley Crusher "save the Enterprise" each week on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" that the producers of DSV would have learned their lessons and cut back on Jonathan Brandeis' (God rest his soul) role.