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Sea Patrol season 1

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Sea Patrol
Season 1
Season 1 DVD cover
No. of episodes13
Release
Original networkNine Network
Original release5 July (2007-07-05) –
4 October 2007 (2007-10-04)
Season chronology
List of episodes

The first season of the Australian drama-series Sea Patrol premiered on the Nine Network on 5 July 2007. The 13-episode season concluded 4 October 2007. Set aboard HMAS Hammersley, an old Royal Australian Navy (RAN) patrol boat, the series follows the ship's company as they investigate the deaths of several people who are linked by a web of intrigue.

Filming commenced in October 2006 and concluded in February 2007. Most of the material was shot aboard the patrol boat HMAS Ipswich, with up to 60 cast, film crew, and ship's company. They crammed aboard a vessel designed to hold only 24 people, in tropical Queensland conditions. Other filming occurred on Dunk Island, in Sydney, and at the Movie World Studios in Queensland.

The show was one of the most eagerly awaited of 2007, with the project marking Lisa McCune's return to television acting. Ratings for the first episode were the second-highest for a drama premiere in Australian history, and surpassed the NRL State of Origin match earlier in the week. Initial reviews were mixed, with concern that the series would be restricted by the early timeslot, poor scripts, and clichéd characters and storylines. Critical reception improved as the series progressed, but ratings fell.

Plot

The first season story arc involves the Australian Federal Police's investigation into the death of marine biologist Dr. Lisa Holmes, Kate's relationship with freighter Captain Rick Gallagher, Mike's relationship with Lisa's partner, Dr. Ursula Morrell, and the deaths of two fishermen, Carl Davies and Sam Murray. These threads increasingly intertwine throughout the season, culminating in the final two episodes, in which it is revealed that Gallagher hired Ursula and Lisa to manufacture a deadly toxin from an unusual venomous crab that he planned to sell on the black market. The plot is thwarted, the boat carrying the poison is sunk, Gallagher is killed and Ursula's death is staged as she enters a witness protection program.

During the season, Nav and ET develop a relationship despite adversities: Chefo becomes engaged to his girlfriend; Swain's wife, Sally, gives birth; Charge reluctantly gets help for, and recovers from, an eye injury; Spider loses friend and shipmate Jaffah to a jellyfish sting; Robert comes to terms with his father's death and Lt. Daryl Smith has a mostly off-screen and implied relationship with AFP Agent Alicia Turnball.

Production

Filming for this season started on 9 October 2006 and concluded on 20 February 2007.[1] The Pacific Film and Television Corporation offered the producers $750,000 as an incentive to film the series in Queensland.[2]

Much of the filming was carried out off tropical Queensland on a RAN patrol boat. This boat was built to accommodate 24 people, but up to 60 members of cast and crew were aboard the small boat, and a vast catamaran was used by the wardrobe department.[3]

HMAS Ipswich was used to film Sea Patrol.[4]

Filming schedule:[1]

Casting

Main

Actor Character Rank Position
Ian Stenlake Mike "CO" Flynn RAN Lieutenant-Commander Commanding Officer
Lisa McCune Kate "XO" McGregor RAN Lieutenant Executive Officer
Saskia Burmeister Nikki "Nav" Caetano Lieutenant Navigator
John Batchelor Andy "Charge" Thorpe Chief Petty Officer Chief Engineer
Matthew Holmes Chris "Swain" Blake Petty Officer Coxswain/Chief Medic
Jeremy Lindsay Taylor Pete "Buffer" Tomaszewski Petty Officer Boatswain
Kristian Schmid Robert "RO" Dixon Leading Seaman Radio Operator
David Lyons Josh "ET" Holiday Leading Seaman Electronics Technician
Josh Lawson Toby "Chefo" Jones Able Seaman Chef/Assistant Medic
Jay Ryan Billy "Spider" Webb Seaman Boatswain's Mate

Recurring

Actor Character
Sibylla Budd Dr. Ursula Morrell
Steve Bisley Commander Steven 'Steve' Marshall
Morgan O'Neill Lieutenant Darryl Smith
Christopher Stollery Federal Agent Gregory 'Greg' Murphy
Martin Lynes Richard 'Rick' Gallagher
Tye Harper Seaman John 'Jaff' Jaffah
Pearl Tan Federal Agent Alicia Turnball

Episodes

Series
episode 		Season
episode 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date Viewers
(millions)
11"Welcome Aboard"Chris Martin-JonesTony Morphett5 July 2007 (2007-07-05)1.98
22"What Lies Beneath"Chris Martin-JonesTony Morphett12 July 2007 (2007-07-12)1.662
33"Ghost of Things Past"Chris Martin-JonesMichaeley O'Brien19 July 2007 (2007-07-19)1.799
44"Irukandji"Chris Martin-JonesJeff Truman26 July 2007 (2007-07-26)1.617
55"Under the Radar"Chris Martin-JonesMarcia Gardner2 August 2007 (2007-08-02)1.601
66"Precious Cargo"Chris Martin-JonesJohn Ridley9 August 2007 (2007-08-09)1.581
77"Rescue Me"Geoff BennettJohn Ridley16 August 2007 (2007-08-16)1.586
88"Through the Storm"Geoff BennettChris Hawkshaw23 August 2007 (2007-08-23)1.466
99"Under the Hammer"Geoff BennettJeff Truman30 August 2007 (2007-08-30)1.337
1010"Damage Control"Geoff BennettSarah Smith6 September 2007 (2007-09-06)1.341
1111"Chinese Whispers"Geoff BennettTony Morphett13 September 2007 (2007-09-13)1.265
1212"Deep Water"Geoff BennettKristen Dunphy27 September 2007 (2007-09-27)
NSW, ACT & QLD
4 October 2007
VIC, TAS, SA & WA		1.172
1313"Cometh the Hour"Chris Martin-JonesDave Warner4 October 2007 (2007-10-04)1.209


Reception

Critical response

In 2007, Sea Patrol was one of the most eagerly-awaited television series in Australia. The series marked Lisa McCune's return to television and the Nine Network's attempt to reclaim its former ratings.

Almost 2 million viewers watched the first episode; this was first place in the ratings. It was the second most popular series premiere in Australian history. Sea Patrol's premiere drew a larger audience than the NRL State of Origin match broadcast the same week, a rarity for an untested local drama.[3] Critics described the script as "...dated, unsophisticated and a little clichéd". In the Sun Herald, the television critic stated that "...the series is let down by a somewhat sinking script that fails to quickly engage".[5][6] Hal McElroy was disappointed; he believed the Australian drama industry failed due to a lack of good writing and a "...fail[ure] to create stories that connected with mass audience".[3] Another common complaint from critics was the "safety" of the story-lines. The series was developed as a 7:30 pm drama; story-lines had to be appropriate for that time-slot.[7] These complaints lasted throughout the season. In The Daily Telegraph, for example, Sea Patrol was described as "decent but safe drama".[6] This was not what the Nine Network had hoped from their $15 million drama.[8]

The show was given a promising review from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), published in Navy News, which stated that Navy personnel were glad the show did not "...embarrass the service or give false perceptions" and were also happy with the portrayal of life in the RAN.[9] Regardless of the critical comments of Sea Patrol, Nine commissioned a second season before the first was broadcast.[5]

With a theme worthy of James Bond and glorious footage of our coastal waters and shores, Sea Patrol sweeps over you like a well-made feature film. It looks terrific and, despite a certain predictability in the set-up and character types and some unlikely touchy-feely stuff nestled amid the blokey banter...there's enough going on to ensure viewer appeal...[A] cracking beginning to a promising new show.

— Ian Cuthbertson, Weekend Australian, 30 June 2007[6]

While the critical response improved, ratings continued to drop throughout the season.

Ratings

The first episode of Sea Patrol was the second-highest rating series premiere, surpassing the debut of McLeod's Daughters at 1.89 million, but not the debut of Always Greener at 2.06 million, both of which were cancelled by their respective networks.[10]

A visual representation of Sea Patrol's Australian television ratings
A visual representation of Sea Patrol's Australian television ratings
Episode number
Production number 		Title Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth TOTAL Weekly
rank 		Nightly
rank
01
1-01		 Welcome Aboard 575,000 611,000 345,000 231,000 219,000 1,980,000 1[11] 1[12]
02
1-02		 What Lies Beneath 482,000 492,000 311,000 194,000 183,000 1,662,000 7[13] 1[14]
03
1-03		 Ghost of Things Past 604,000 498,000 302,000 191,000 204,000 1,799,000 3[15] 1[16]
04
1-04		 Irukandji 438,000 503,000 290,000 197,000 188,000 1,617,000 7[17] 1[18]
05
1-05		 Under the Radar 480,000 512,000 258,000 177,000 173,000 1,601,000 7[19] 1[20]
06
1-06		 Precious Cargo 464,000 471,000 281,000 189,000 176,000 1,581,000 7[21] 1[22]
07
1-07		 Rescue Me 448,000 517,000 268,000 184,000 169,000 1,586,000 7[23] 1[24]
08
1-08		 Through the Storm 452,000 407,000 273,000 183,000 150,000 1,466,000 10[25] 1[26]
09
1-09		 Under the Hammer 422,000 404,000 235,000 144,000 133,000 1,337,000 18[27] 2[28]
10
1–10		 Damage Control 369,000 447,000 237,000 144,000 143,000 1,341,000 18[29] 3[30]
11
1–11		 Chinese Whispers 341,000 414,000 244,000 138,000 129,000 1,265,000 27[31] 4[32]
12
1–12		 Deep Water 324,000 399,000 224,000 114,000 111,000 1,172,000[1] N/A[33][34][a] N/A[a]
13
1–13		 Cometh the Hour 374,000 399,000 211,000 114,000 111,000 1,209,000[2] N/A[34][a] N/A[a]
Notes
  1. ^ a b c d "Deep Water" and "Cometh The Hour" were aired as a single two-hour special in some states and thus a weekly or nightly rank is not available.

Awards

Sea Patrol was nominated for three awards at the 2008 Logie Awards. The nominees included Lisa McCune, who was nominated for Most Popular Actress and the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television. David Lyons was nominated for Most Popular New Male Talent.

Home media

Sea Patrol – The Complete First 13 Episodes
Set details Special features
  • 13 episodes (563 minutes)
  • 4-disc set
  • 16:9 aspect ratio
  • Subtitles: English & English for the hearing impaired
  • English audio (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX)
  • Distributed by Roadshow Entertainment
  • Slipcase packaging
Release dates
Australia
17 October 2007[35][36][37]

References

Wikiquote has quotations related to Sea Patrol – Season 1.
  1. ^ a b Editors. Sea Patrol – Behind the Scenes (25 March 2008), Sea-Patrol.com. Retrieved 25 April 2008.
  2. ^ Editors. Gold Coast stars in new TV show, ABC News Online. Retrieved from Sea-Patrol.com on 17 May 2008.
  3. ^ a b c Dramatic Emphasis, The Australian, 21 July 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
  4. ^ Idato, Michael. Coast and Crew, The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 June 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
  5. ^ a b Fidgeon, Robert. Let's join the navy, Herald Sun, 4 July 2007.
  6. ^ a b c Editors. Episode 1: Welcome Aboard, SeaPatrol.com. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  7. ^ Downie, Stephen. Review – Episode 11: Chinese Whispers, The Daily Telegraph, 13 September 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  8. ^ Murdoch, Alex. "TV Bosses Bank Local", The Courier-Mail, 9 October 2006.
  9. ^ LSPH Yuri Ramsey. Promising start for Sea Patrol, Navy News (Volume 50, No. 12), 12 July 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
  10. ^ Zuk, T. Sea Patrol: 2007 episode guide, Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
  11. ^ Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 27, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  12. ^ Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 27, TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  13. ^ Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 28, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  14. ^ Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 28, TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  15. ^ Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 29, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  16. ^ Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 29, TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  17. ^ Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 30, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  18. ^ Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 30, TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  19. ^ Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 31, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  20. ^ Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 31, TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  21. ^ Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 32, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  22. ^ Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 32, TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  23. ^ Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 33, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  24. ^ Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 33, TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  25. ^ Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 34, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  26. ^ Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 34, TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  27. ^ Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 35, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  28. ^ Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 35, TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  29. ^ Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 36, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  30. ^ Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 36, TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  31. ^ Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 37, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  32. ^ Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 37, TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  33. ^ Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 38, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  34. ^ a b Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 40, TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  35. ^ "Sea-Patrol.com – Merchandise". Archived from the original on 9 September 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
  36. ^ Sea Patrol – Season 1 (complete) DVD summary, ezydvd.com. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  37. ^ Sea Patrol – Series 1, DVD Orchard. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
General references
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sea_Patrol_season_1&oldid=1108379915"