According to the premise in the (then) distant future year of 2020, a underwater community known as the Challenger Seamount exists. Run by a group of scientists and their families, the place is meant to study the effects of sea life while its residents encounter adventure every step of the way.
A great setup if you ask me. What makes Sealab 2020 stand out is that this is basically an outer space adventure show, but everything takes place in an underwater world. Instead of a distant planet, its the bottom of the ocean floor here on Earth. Yeah, there are some lessons to be taught and some real-world facts to be pointed out, all mixed in with the adventures. After all H-B clearly tried to be educational with this. But it never felt like you were being beaten over the head with its environmental protection issues, unlike the obnoxious crapfest Captain Planet which came along some 20 years later and in which the lessons about the environment were so heavyhanded and obvious where, after watching a couple of episodes, it made you feel like a polution-loving, Earth-trashing buffoon who needs to be shot just for throwing a bubble gum wrapper on the ground the previous day!. Another welcomed relief is a lack of a "comedy relief" character. There is no talking pet walrus or a fat bumbling fool who is always doing something ridiculous. Sealab 2020 could also be seen as a bit of an influence as this same setup (an underwater command base and lab) would be used again in "Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue", one of the better Ranger teams and series.
Sealab 2020 is/was a great look at a year that seemed very hopeful, but as we found out in real-life, was anything but that.
My rating (from Excellent to Poor) - Good. Enjoyable sci-fi with some education thrown in for good measure.
A great setup if you ask me. What makes Sealab 2020 stand out is that this is basically an outer space adventure show, but everything takes place in an underwater world. Instead of a distant planet, its the bottom of the ocean floor here on Earth. Yeah, there are some lessons to be taught and some real-world facts to be pointed out, all mixed in with the adventures. After all H-B clearly tried to be educational with this. But it never felt like you were being beaten over the head with its environmental protection issues, unlike the obnoxious crapfest Captain Planet which came along some 20 years later and in which the lessons about the environment were so heavyhanded and obvious where, after watching a couple of episodes, it made you feel like a polution-loving, Earth-trashing buffoon who needs to be shot just for throwing a bubble gum wrapper on the ground the previous day!. Another welcomed relief is a lack of a "comedy relief" character. There is no talking pet walrus or a fat bumbling fool who is always doing something ridiculous. Sealab 2020 could also be seen as a bit of an influence as this same setup (an underwater command base and lab) would be used again in "Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue", one of the better Ranger teams and series.
Sealab 2020 is/was a great look at a year that seemed very hopeful, but as we found out in real-life, was anything but that.
My rating (from Excellent to Poor) - Good. Enjoyable sci-fi with some education thrown in for good measure.