Ocean Girl

I only watched the first 4-5 episodes of season one, I just couldn't get into it and I found the main female character to be a bit of a hypocrite, the script writers try to show us she cares about sea creatures, she says they're her friends, she rescues whales from fishing nets, removes probes scientists have put on them etc but apparently she only cares about the big fish because she puts her spear through the smaller fish and eats them for dinner!

While it's been too long since I've seen this show (I was a mere 7th grader when it was on the Disney channel), I remember this show being very intellectual for a children's primetime series. Neri was a mysterious girl who lived in the ocean (and a nearby island) could communicate with the whale. Meanwhile there was a group of scientists, complete with an underwater city that boasted a school for the teenage children. Neri befriended two of the teenage boys of the ocean city, and together they tried to help save "Charlie" - the whale that Neri was friends with. The show had it's villains - a group of scientists that were competing against the Ocean city for whale research. This is pretty much all I remember about the series - aside from the fact that i was completely in love with the complicated stories - but it was canceled shortly before it's mysteries and loose ends were finished (Neri's island was a spaceship of sorts, suggesting she was an alien; and she had a sister - and a brother if I'm not mistaken). If you get a chance to see this show in syndication sometime, trust me, it's worth your time. Then again, maybe I just remember it being my only alternative to the looooong half-hour before Melrose Place on Monday nights.

Ocean Girl is the most enjoyable and certainly one of the most intelligent children's series that it has been my good fortune to experience. Made in the time before now, when the producer's of children's TV believed in quality rather than budget, it carries well on all levels.

Far more than just an "alien on earth" program. Ocean Girl deals with friendship and bullies, the environment, family and life. There is little call for special effects in the story lines, but those there are have neither pretensions nor inadequacies. The plots are in interesting, inventive and attention catching with a strong emphasis on the necessity of protecting our oceans.

One of the most important aspects is the high quality of the acting from the main and supporting cast members. A strong attachment to the characters is easily developed and one genuinely cares about what happens to them.

The strong performances and excellent visual effects lend a strong sense of realism to the tales and unlike modern programs adults can enjoy it nearly as much as their children. It is truly targeted as family entertainment, not just for children. While there are enemies to be overcome and some rather scary moments, the stories are not dark and a happy ending is always around the corner. The beautifully shot scenes of The Great Barrier Reef, the ocean and the islands also lends a sense of loveliness to the happy scenes.

Ocean Girl is a science fiction program, but the language and ideas are no different from today's and the technology is mostly current, although with elements such as AI computers which are perhaps a few short decades beyond us.

I must have been around 12 or so when this show aired in Portugal on a cartoon channel and I accidentally caught the first episode (how many times does that happen?). The story is intelligent, with some very intriguing plot twists and it grows with you while approaching themes like ecology, respect for life, acceptance of one another's differences, courage, friendship and love. It makes you understand that you sometimes have to rebel and break the rules if and when that is the right thing to do. It was intriguing, believable for sci-fi and the perfect 12 to 15 yo show, one that parents wouldn't object but I still didn't find boring or childish, in fact both my (then 6 year old) brother and my (obviously adult) mother got glued to it eventually and both enjoyed it their own way. If I had a child or cousin of appropriate age I would gladly re-watch it with them as this is a great show.

Gosh, this show takes me back! I have fond memories of this show from childhood. In the summer holidays this always used to be on, under the title of 'Ocean Odyssey' if I recall correctly.

It was an interesting and entertaining show, with a good central performance from the Ocean girl herself.

It's a shame that this isn't repeated on TV now, because it's far better than half of the dross that kids are brought up watching today.

You can pick up the DVD's online, and even now it's well worth a watch.