Others say...

"seaQuest DSV- great!"
I received the first season of seaQuest DSV on dvd for my birthday- I really loved it! Almost all of the episodes include deleted scences from the aired versions. Plus each DVD has 3 hours on EACH side, cutting in half the number of DVDs needed- so it takes up less space, and its less waste. :0)

"Good Show for the 90's but no true fellings for it"
I received this as a gift awhile back as I have a fondness for some of the 90's shows way back when like Earth2,Space Above and Beyond,Hercules The Legendary Journeys,and Xena. The series was for the most part decent for the first season and some of the second season but the third season was the most forgetful and hopefully forgotten. The series tried to bring in for the audience issues like the environment,third world tragedies,and about the insanity of wars. The first season I also feel had the best cast at the time for this show but sadly the producers would either let them go or the actors left to do other things and than you would have to bring in a new cast for the most part an that seemed to mess up the chemistry you had before anyone left. All I can say is if you're like me and have a fondness for some of these 90's show go ahead and get the first and second season but leave the third one alone...

"Review"
I saw this show when it first aired and loved it. Just recently picked up Season 1 and 2 in an effort to keep my brain from seeping out of my ears with all the reality trash currently on tv.

I was expecting to not be as excited about the show, since I watched it originally through the eyes of a teenager, but I still very much enjoyed it. And am now re-watching with a friend of mine who has never seen it.

The character relationships were nicely developed, and continued to be as the series progressed. As with any series, there were some good episodes and bad. The acting was good, notably Roy Sheider, Stephanie Beacham and Jonathan Brandis, but, really, they were all good. Either they were well directed, or they were just very talented actors who knew just the right amount of emotion and depth to give to a scene.

The show mixed science fact with science fiction and for the most part was quite believable as something that could really be manufactured 12 years from now.

As with most early 90's shows, the CGI isn't perfect. You probably don't want to watch on an HD tv. But I can get past it because I really like the characters and most of the stories.

This is my favorite season by far.

"SeaQuest DSV should've dived deeper..."
I bought this DVD because I had fond memories of SeaQuest DSV when I was much younger in the mid-90's. Viewing it again today, it's not the same. I find a lot of things lacking in this first season. The show simply does not come together.

Although SeaQuest took place "beneath the surface" - the writers barely scratched it when it came to the characters. The pilot introduces us to many characters, some of whom have interesting back stories. However, these backgrounds are rarely used to the shows' advantage. One prime example is the formerly married couple of Lt. Commander Hitchcock and Lt. Kreig. One would imagine a divorced couple now serving together (and the ex-wife outranking her ex-husband) would give the writers a great deal of material, but this is barely touched on. In fact, Hitchcock and Kreig are rarely in scenes together. Eventually, these two characters were ejected from the series for season two. Another character point that would've been served from diving deeper is the father-son dynamic between Captain Bridger and young Lucas Wolenczak (interesting because Bridger has lost a son). A glimpse into Chief Crocker's (aptly played by Royce D. Applegate) past would've been appreciated as well. Crocker has worked with Bridger previously, and the two actors convey much of that unspoken history when they perform together. The writers never took the opportunity to expand this relationship further (unfortunately, Crocker was another causality of the re-tooling in season two) . All in all, there was very little character development in this season.

Other things trouble me, such as the very predictable plots. Reportedly, there was an attempt to make the show based in science fact rather than science fiction in season one, but there are many sci-fi clichés. Sci-fi fans will recognize the plots and/or their elements and will be able to easily predict their outcomes.

As for the acting, everyone does a decent job, but no one has a chance to shine due to the limited nature of the writing. The show eventually focuses around three main characters: Bridger, Wolenczak, and Dr. Kristin Westphalen. Roy Schneider does well in his role, but makes his way through many scenes with a strange glint in his eye, as if he's not really invested in the role. Jonathan Brandis as Lucas is very hard to sympathize with as he is often disrespectful and bratty. By far, the best actor is Stephanie Beecham as Dr. Westphalen. Beecham brings a lot of depth to her role and consistently elevates some rather shallow material. Beecham was asked to return for season two, but opted out when filming was moved from LA to Florida. With her departure, Seaquest DSV lost it's most capable actor and a good bit of intrigue, as the Bridger/Westphalen relationship did generate some interest.

Why do I give this season three stars? It is fun and entertaining at times. Some of the episodes did manage to move me or peak my interest (the episode guest starring William Shatner was very entertaining). But overall, this show is too consistently mediocre to really recommend it. Perhaps for the mid-90's, this could be considered "groundbreaking." By today's standards, I doubt it could tread water.





"great show"
Over 18 hrs of adventure in double sided dvd
I love that the episodes have English SDH (subtitles)
Would have liked more deleted scenes or special features (but with subtitles)