Filming of the first season was marked by producer disputes, changes
at the helm (off-screen, as well as on-screen), and even an earthquake.
The second season contained changes in the cast, as well as disputes
between cast members and producers, while the third season introduced a
new lead actor and title. While initially popular, the series began to
decline in ratings throughout its run, and was abruptly canceled in the
middle of its third season.
Roy Scheider narrated the voiceover during the opening credits of each first-season episode:
The 21st century: mankind has colonized the last unexplored region on Earth; the ocean. As captain of the seaQuest and its crew, we are its guardians, for beneath the surface lies the future.
The series follows the adventures of the high-tech submarineseaQuest DSV (Deep Submergence Vehicle) operated by the United Earth Oceans Organization (UEO), a global federation of nations, similar to the United Nations, which was created following a major showdown of nations that occurred circa 2017. The seaQuest
was built by NORPAC (a military organization mentioned in the pilot)
and given to the UEO after its creation. The storyline begins in the
year 2018, after mankind has exhausted almost all natural resources, except for the ones on the ocean floor. Many new colonies have been established there and it's the job of the seaQuest and its crew to protect them from hostile nonaligned nations and to aid in mediating disputes.
Part of the original focus of seaQuest DSV also centered
around the interpersonal relationships of the crew, such as Captain
Bridger's, Lucas Wolenczak's, and Dr. Westphalen's loss of immediate
family and their shared interest in science, as well as each other, and
the "love-hate relationship" between Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg and Lieutenant Commander Katherine Hitchcock, recently divorced, now forced to serve together on the same ship.
In the first-season finale, Bridger sacrificed the seaQuest to prevent an ecological disaster, and for a short time it was not known if the show would be renewed for another season.[5] When it was decided the show would return, NBC and Universal used this opportunity to tinker with the show's format. Both Royce D. Applegate (Chief Manilow Crocker) and John D'Aquino
(Krieg) were released by NBC as the network wanted a younger cast for
the second year (D'Aquino subsequently returned for a guest appearance
in the third season). Stacy Haiduk
(Hitchcock), who was not happy with her character's development,
informed producers she did not wish to return if the show went on to a
second season. Stephanie Beacham,
who as Dr. Kristin Westphalen was one of the first season's strongest
characters, had been asked back for the second year; however, she quit
when it was decided the show would move production from Los Angeles to
Florida.[6]
(The move also changed the show's home base from Pearl Harbor to New
Cape Quest; a fictional city in Florida). Beacham also blamed continued
fighting between the network and the show's producers as a major reason
why she did not return. The series had also suffered in the ratings, as
it was pitted against Murder, She Wrote.
NBC also decided they wanted more traditionally science-fiction
oriented episodes this season, a direction that was explored toward the
end of the first season when seaQuest discovered a
million-year-old alien ship entombed in the ocean floor. Whereas the
first season dealt with issues like ecology, exploration of the sea,
environmental radicals, advances in technology, and political intrigue,
the second season featured episodes involving genetic engineering, aliens, parapsychology, time-travel, and various "monsters of the week" (including killer plants, a dragonworm, and a prehistoric crocodile). By the end of season two, seaQuest DSV
was again suffering, partly attributed to a perceived decrease in the
quality of the writing as well as preemptions by NBC due to sports coverage.[7] The threat of cancellation loomed large but NBC gave it one more chance after plans for a new series titled Rolling Thunder to replace seaQuest DSV were canceled. Producer Lee Goldberg claimed the new series was canceled because the premise was "awful."[8]
Another revamp resulted in the production of a third season, now renamed seaQuest 2032.
Roy Scheider had been vocal in his anger of the show's new direction.
"It's childish trash," Scheider claimed in an interview while filming
the second season. "I am very bitter about it. I feel betrayed."
Scheider also described the second season as being "21 Jump Street meets Star Trek."
Executive Producer Patrick Hasburgh had strong words for Scheider as
well, replying "I'm sorry he is such a sad and angry man. seaQuest is going to be a terrific show, and he is lucky to be part of it."[9]
Scheider requested to be released from his contract with NBC. However,
the network only partially agreed and demanded that Bridger would make
several appearances throughout the season. Edward Kerr had been very
frustrated with the episode entitled "Alone" (reportedly, Kerr hated the script so much that he walked off the set, which is why Brody does not appear in that episode)[10]
and also wished to exit the series in the third season, which is why
his character was critically injured in the second season finale, "Splashdown".
However, NBC would only agree to release him from his contract if he
continued to play Brody for a few episodes in the third season so his
character could be killed off for more dramatic impact.[10]Rosalind Allen was released as her character proved to be unpopular with the audience. Marco Sanchez (Sensor Chief Miguel Ortiz),
who had requested to remain with the series, was also released after
NBC decided it wanted the principal cast number dropped from ten to
nine, leaving Jonathan Brandis, Don Franklin (Commander Jonathan Ford), and Ted Raimi (Lieutenant Tim O'Neill)
as the only three cast members who remained with the show since the
first episode. The marine trivia presentations at the end of the show,
formerly hosted by oceanographerDr. Bob Ballard in the first season and the principal cast in the second season, were dropped entirely.
Season three cast
"The world is not a nice place, it's not comfortable...corporate
entities have grown to the point where they rival and sometimes are
more powerful than actual national governments. UEO is not the big kid
on the block anymore, seaQuest is no longer state of the art;
it's a boat and it's a military vehicle and I'm going to take it places
it has never been before." -- Michael Ironside, in an interview
promoting season three
In the season premiere, the seaQuest
reappears, its crew mostly intact, ten years after their abduction at
the end of season two. Captain Bridger retires to raise his new
grandson and Michael Ironside joins the cast as the more militaristic Captain Oliver Hudson and brings along his "best student", Lieutenant J.J. Fredericks, who serves as seaQuest's
ace sub-fighter pilot. Steering back towards more reality based story
lines, the third season attempted to blend the sense of the first
season with some of the more unique elements of the second season,
while at the same time, pushing forward in an entirely new direction
altogether as the UEO faces the threat of the Macronesian Alliance.
While the series is perceived as becoming much darker than it was in
the previous seasons, some fans felt that seaQuest had finally found its feet.[says who?] However, Universal and NBC disagreed, and cancelled the series after thirteen episodes.[11] The final network airing of seaQuest DSV/2032 took place on June 9, 1996 after 57 episodes.
The show's time slot was shuffled around during its original run.
During the first and second seasons, NBC aired the show on Sundays at
8:00 p.m. NBC had originally planned to cancel seaQuest DSV
partway through the second season in favor of another show about a
"high-tech truck". However, NBC executives were unimpressed with the
new show's development and kept seaQuest DSV in production.
During the third season, NBC moved the show to Wednesdays at the same
time; however, NBC would frequently preempt the show in favor of sports
coverage and other television specials. Several of the show's
producers, including Carleton Eastlake believe these preemptions led to
the show's cancellation.
Currently, seaQuest DSV does not air in syndication or re-runs. The Sci-Fi Channel in the United States had most recently aired the series for a December Marathon in 2009. The Sci-Fi Channel in the United States had also previously aired the episodes for a number of years.
Fans of seaQuest DSV have campaigned for the release of the series on DVD. Universal Home Video,
which owns the distribution rights to the series, had at one time
stated that it had no plans to release the show on DVD. Over the past
few years, illegal bootleg recordings of the series have been sold on eBay and other online auction sites in VCD and DVD format.
In 2005, Universal announced that the first season of seaQuest DSV would be released on DVD on December 26, 2005 along with a week long marathon of the show on the Sci Fi Channel.
Universal credited the fans with the changing their minds about a DVD
release. However, some also credit the successful sales of bootleg
copies of the series. The DVD release included numerous deleted scenes
as well as alternate versions of broadcast scenes. The first season was
released on four double-sided discs. The only extras included were
deleted scenes for a handful of episodes.
The second season was released on January 1, 2008. As opposed to the
first season, the second season was released on eight single-sided
discs. The second season does not contain any extra features such as
deleted scenes. The first season DVD release presents the episodes in
their original airdate order, which leads to some continuity errors
from episode to episode. (see List of seaQuest DSV episodes for more information) The second season DVD release is presented in a similar fashion, however, the episode "Blindsided"
is presented in the correct order, despite an incorrect summary of it
on the DVD slipcase; the DVD slipcase mixes the summaries for it and "Splashdown" around.
All three seasons are available for streaming by Netflix
subscribers, though as of early 2011, a few episodes have become
unavailable. Rather than stating the episode's name, the system states
the DVD disk on which the episode can be found.
A series of action figures designed by Playmates Toys
were released in 1993. Captain Bridger, Commander Ford, Lucas
Wolenczak, Lt. Commander Hitchcock, Lieutenant O'Neill, Chief Crocker,
Darwin, Dr. Rubin Zellar, and The Regulator were released as part of
wave one. Additional characters such as Dr. Westphalen, Chief Ortiz,
and Lieutenant Krieg and a Darwin with sound effects were planned as
part of wave two, but they were never released. Additionally,
prototypes of the seaQuest, the Delta 4 Pirate sub, the Stinger,
a seaLaunch, and a Deep Sea Mini Pickup, all with electronic lights and
sounds, are known to exist but were also not released either.
A series of trading cards produced by SkyBox were released, depicting characters, scenes, and episodes from the first season.
Various models were produced by Monogram, including the seaQuest, a Deep Sea Mini Pickup, The Stinger, and Darwin (actually a remolded Flipper) were released.
Various pieces of clothing, including T-shirts, baseball caps, and embroidered patches of the seaQuest and UEO logos (replicas of the ones used on the show) were released.
A non-fictional large format book was released during the first
season and contained comprehensive interviews and production
information, - also art work and design histories, as well as a
production report of the episode "Hide and Seek."
Other merchandise made available included a shot glass in cobalt
blue with gold logo, key chains and pins, a book cover, 'magic rocks'
sets, journal, and a set of bookmarks.
Roy Scheider's character was based on John C. Lilly.
Lilly was a pioneer researcher into the nature of consciousness using
as his principal tools the isolation tank, dolphin communication and
psychedelic drugs, sometimes in combination. He was a prominent member
of the Californian counterculture of scientists, mystics and thinkers
that arose in the late 1960s and early 70s. Albert Hofmann, Gregory
Bateson, Ram Dass, Timothy Leary, Werner Erhard, and Richard Feynman
were all frequent visitors to his home. The character's name, Nathan
Hale Bridger, was an homage to Nathan Hale.
Jonathan Brandis wore baseball jerseys during the first season, including one for the Florida Marlins that noted they had won the World Series in 2010. The Marlins were an expansion team that played for the first time in 1993, the same year that seaQuest DSV began production. Florida did go on to win the 1997 and 2003 World Series, but the real-life 2010 World Series was eventually won by the San Francisco Giants.
When producers began developing new characters for the second
season, they named Lieutenant Brody after Police Chief Martin Brody,
Roy Scheider's character in the first two Jaws films.[15]
Ralph Willcox and Karen Fraction, who both became recurring guest stars
in the third season, had previously appeared as different characters in
the second. Despite the numerous cast changes after the first season,
John D'Aquino did make a guest appearance in the third season episode "In the Company of Ice and Profit".
Despite the numerous cast changes, Jonathan Brandis appeared in every
episode of the series, while Don Franklin appeared in every episode
except for "And Everything Nice."
Several of the cast's family members were brought in to play
characters, as well. Brenda King, Roy Scheider's wife, portrayed Carol
Bridger; Todd Allen, Rosalind Allen's husband, portrayed Clay Marshall
in "The Siamese Dream".
Several cast members also dabbled on the creative side of the show, as
both Ted Raimi and Jonathan Brandis penned episodes during the second
season. (Brandis wrote the aforementioned "The Siamese Dream" and
Raimi, "Lostland.") Conversely, Robert Engels, one of the show's executive producers (and writer of two episodes, "Greed For a Pirate's Dream" and "Hide and Seek") during the first season, portrayed the recurring character Malcolm Lansdowne.
After the series had moved production from Los Angeles to Florida in
the second season, the filming crew was able to take advantage of some
nearby landmarks. The exterior scenes in the episode "Playtime" were filmed in Lakeland, Florida, (specifically, the campus at Florida Southern College) to take advantage of the buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
In several instances in the series, outside footage was employed. In the pilot episode, the scene from The Hunt for Red October where the USS Dallas and the Red October
are rising to periscope depth alongside each other was used. In this
same episode, the home-movie segment employed footage shot at a
Dolphin's Plus in Key Largo, Florida, by Steve "Finz" Finzelber. Images
of the Airwolf helicopter from the television series of the same name was also used in "Hide and Seek."
While in production, seaQuest DSV won and was nominated for a number of awards. John Debney won the 1994 Emmy for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music" for his composition of the seaQuest DSV theme song and in 2000, it was named the 48th best theme song of all time by TV Guide. Don Davis
also won an Emmy in 1995 for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in
Music Composition for a Series" (Dramatic Underscore) for his score for
the second season premiere, "Daggers." Russ Mitchell Landau was also nominated for his work on the third season premiere, "Brave New World", in 1996. Kenneth D. Zunder
was nominated for the Emmy award for "Outstanding Individual
Achievement in Cinematography for a Series" for the episode "Such Great
Patience". Jonathan Brandis won the 1994 Young Artist Award for "Best
Youth Actor Leading Role in a Television Series" for his portrayal of
Lucas Wolenczak and the series was nominated for a 1994 ASC Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Pilots" as well as the Saturn Award for "Best Genre Television Series" in 1995.
A seaQuest DSV feature film was in pre-production stages, however, it never materialized.[16]
Despite being scripted in at least one episode, Captain Bridger
never refers to Dagwood by name. The closest he ever got was calling
him "Dag" in the episodes "Special Delivery" and "The Siamese Dream".[17]
Michael Ironside, Jonathan Brandis, and Ted Raimi on the set of the final episode.
After the change in title from seaQuest DSV to seaQuest 2032,
a new opening credits montage was assembled, which included stock
footage of The Regulator and his orangutan Verne from the first season
episode “The Regulator”.
When the series was ultimately canceled in Spring 1996, no one
working on the show knew that the final episode would prove to be "Weapons of War."
Several episodes had reached script stages to follow it, but,
ultimately never went into production. During the filming of the final
scene in the final episode, Michael Ironside gave a small speech
thanking the cast and crew for the time they spent working on the show.
Following his words, Ironside tossed Jonathan Brandis into the moon
pool on the sea deck set.
Two years after the end of the series, Jonathan Brandis, Don
Franklin, Marco Sanchez, Ted Raimi, and Michael and Peter DeLuise
reunited to film the motion picture Between the Sheets, which was written and directed by Peter and Michael, respectively.
In the years following the show's cancellation, several cast members
have died. Jonathan Brandis committed suicide in November 2003; Royce
Applegate died in a fire on New Year's in 2003; Karen Fraction died in
2007 from breast cancer, and Roy Scheider died in 2008 from
complications of a staph infection.
