The first season of the Australian drama series Sea Patrol premiered on Nine Network on 5 July 2007. The 13-episode season concluded on 4 October 2007. Set aboard HMAS Hammersley, an old Royal Australian Navy (RAN) patrol boat, the series follows the ship's company as they are seen investigating the deaths of several people who are linked by a web of intrigue.
Filming of this series began in October 2006 and concluded in February 2007. Most of the footage was shot aboard the patrol boat , with up to 60 cast members, film crew, and ship's company. Other filming occurred on Dunk Island, Queensland, at the Movie World Studios at the Gold Coast, Queensland, and in Sydney.
The show was one of the most eagerly awaited ones 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 a concern that the series would be restricted by the early time slot, 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 gets engaged to his girlfriend; Swain's wife, Sally, gives birth; Charge reluctantly gets help 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.Editors. Sea Patrol – Behind the Scenes (25 March 2008), Sea-Patrol.com . Retrieved 25 April 2008. The Pacific Film and Television Corporation offered the producers $750,000 as an incentive to film the series in Queensland.Editors. Gold Coast stars in new TV show, ABC News Online. Retrieved from Sea-Patrol.com on 17 May 2008.
Much of the filming was carried out in 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.Dramatic Emphasis , The Australian, 21 July 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
was used to film Sea Patrol.Idato, Michael. Coast and Crew , The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 June 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
Filming schedule: Dunk Island (tropical island, Queensland) for eight weeks Sydney for six weeks Gold Coast Movie World Studios for six weeks
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 RyanBilly "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
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 a 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. 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".Fidgeon, Robert. Let's join the navy , Herald Sun, 4 July 2007.Editors. Episode 1: Welcome Aboard , SeaPatrol.com . Retrieved 8 May 2008. Hal McElroy was disappointed; he believed the Australian drama industry failed because of a lack of good writing and a "...fail[ure] to create stories that connected with mass audience". 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.Downie, Stephen. Review – Episode 11: Chinese Whispers , The Daily Telegraph, 13 September 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2008. These complaints lasted throughout the season. In The Daily Telegraph, for example, Sea Patrol was described as "decent but safe drama". This was not what the Nine Network had hoped from their $15 million drama.Murdoch, Alex. "TV Bosses Bank Local" , The Courier-Mail, 9 October 2006.
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.LSPH Yuri Ramsey. Promising start for Sea Patrol , Navy News (Volume 50, No. 12), 12 July 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Regardless of the critical comments of Sea Patrol, Nine commissioned a second season before the first was broadcast.
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.Zuk, T. Sea Patrol: 2007 episode guide , Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
Episode numberProduction number Title Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth TOTAL Weeklyrank Nightlyrank 011-01 Welcome Aboard 575,000 611,000 345,000 231,000 219,000 1,980,000 1Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 27 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008. 1Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 27 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 22 May 2008. 021-02 What Lies Beneath 482,000 492,000 311,000 194,000 183,000 1,662,000 7Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 28 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008. 1Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 28 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 22 May 2008. 031-03 Ghost of Things Past 604,000 498,000 302,000 191,000 204,000 1,799,000 3Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 29 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008. 1Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 29 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 22 May 2008. 041-04 Irukandji 438,000 503,000 290,000 197,000 188,000 1,617,000 7Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 30 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008. 1Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 30 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 22 May 2008. 051-05 Under the Radar 480,000 512,000 258,000 177,000 173,000 1,601,000 7Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 31 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008. 1Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 31 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 22 May 2008. 061-06 Precious Cargo 464,000 471,000 281,000 189,000 176,000 1,581,000 7Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 32 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008. 1Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 32 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 22 May 2008. 071-07 Rescue Me 448,000 517,000 268,000 184,000 169,000 1,586,000 7Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 33 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008. 1Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 33 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 22 May 2008. 081-08 Through the Storm 452,000 407,000 273,000 183,000 150,000 1,466,000 10Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 34 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008. 1Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 34 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 22 May 2008. 091-09 Under the Hammer 422,000 404,000 235,000 144,000 133,000 1,337,000 18Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 35 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008. 2Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 35 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 22 May 2008. 101–10 Damage Control 369,000 447,000 237,000 144,000 143,000 1,341,000 18Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 36 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008. 3Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 36 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 22 May 2008. 111–11 Chinese Whispers 341,000 414,000 244,000 138,000 129,000 1,265,000 27Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 37 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008. 4Knox, David. Television Ratings – Week 37 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 22 May 2008. 121–12 Deep Water 324,000 399,000 224,000 114,000 111,000 1,172,000 N/AKnox, David. Network Rankings – Week 38 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008.Knox, David. Network Rankings – Week 40 , TV Tonight . Retrieved 8 May 2008."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. N/A 131–13 Cometh the Hour 374,000 399,000 211,000 114,000 111,000 1,209,000 N/A N/A Notes
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 detailsSpecial 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 2007Sea Patrol – Season 1 (complete) DVD summary , ezydvd.com . Retrieved 22 May 2008.Sea Patrol – Series 1, DVD Orchard . Retrieved 25 May 2008.
References
General references