Flipper

Please note: my review is about the FLIPPER TV series made in 1995. This database has merged FLIPPER 1995 with the following years (1996+), however, the 1995 series was made by an almost totally different cast, production and post-production crews. The 1995 series is in a separate class than the more recent shameful continuations.

In the original series from the 1960's, FLIPPER was about Flipper and two boys and their father. In the 1995 season of the new FLIPPER, the series is about Flipper and two teens and two adults. Flipper is the "spiritual" anchor of the series and interesting new-age-y background music (female vocals) are often used to strengthen the meta-dramatic connection of Flipper to the people.

The 1995 FLIPPER is directly connected to the original FLIPPER tv series made in the mid 1960's. In one wonderful 1995 episode, Bud and Sandy are together again. It can be argued that FLIPPER 1995 paid more respect to the original concept behind "Flipper" than the first FLIPPER series from the 1960's -- that is how great FLIPPER 1995 is!

In the 1995 series the actors had GREAT and SPECIAL chemistry with each other and it developed well and it became more fun to watch each new show.

Bud/Keith is played by the actor/episode director Brian Wimmer. Brain has an email list on egroups (as does Flipper) and has many super dedicated fans.

Colleen Flynn plays Dr. Pam Blondel. Flynn and Wimmer share strong real life chemistry in part due to their working together in the past such as in the TV series "China Beach."

Her character name "Blondel" pays tribute to Florida based TV from the 60's (GENTLE BEN). Poetry and coolness! The FLIPPER of the 1960's and 1995 were both filmed at least in part in the state of Florida. (The shameful 1996+ series was filmed in Austrailia).

Payton Haas plays the kid Mike Blondel. Also popular with fans of the show.

Jessica Marie Alba -- the reader will find many fan pages dedicated to this actress on the web.

There is a theory that a "beautiful" face is an average composite of all young females in a person's environment. (Researchers have morphed the faces of thousands of young females and that which results is seen as an "attractive" face. The larger the quantity averaged, the more attractive.)

Jessica's great grandparents are English, French, Danish, Italian, Mexican, Indian and Spanish. Maybe Jessica's special and wonderful beauty is now explained.

If you watched FLIPPER in the 1960's, watch FLIPPER 1995. If you never watched it in the 60's, still watch FLIPPER 1995.

Avoid FLIPPER of 1996/1997, etc. It has no music, no chemistry and no connection AT ALL to the FLIPPER concept! FLIPPER 1995 is the one to watch!

The first season of this show was pretty decent. The characters were interesting, the writing was reasonably good, and the chemistry between the two adult leads (Brian Wimmer as an adult Bud (now Keith) Ricks, from the original '60s "Flipper" TV series, and Colleen Flynn as Pam Blondell, a fellow dolphin researcher) made the show fun for adults as well as kids. The two kids (Payton Haas as Pam Blondell's son Mike and a young Jessica Alba as Maya) were pretty likeable as well. Unfortunately, the producers evidently felt that a show about scientists wasn't interesting enough (exact same thing seemed to happen to "Seaquest DSV" as well), so for the second season they fired the entire cast except Jessica Alba (who afterwards seemed to show up in a bikini far more often) and turned it into a sort of aquatic cop show instead. The quality of the show went downhill in a big way, with lame writing and even lamer characters.

The first season of this show has its charms. The character dynamics are interesting, and many of the characters are believable. The occasional villains are sometimes a bit over the top, and the dolphin is underused at times. It's more like a Flipper LITE compared with the original show. Despite some occasional overacting the show is still watchable, as the four main characters are fairly interesting and there's some continuing character development as well.

However, the change from season one into season two makes the show completely different. Some of the characters are more like caricatures - in the first season there are such characters as well, but they're mostly the villains, while that also applies to the reoccurring characters in the second season.

In the second season it's also completely unbelievable that this is supposed to be Florida, as most people speak with HEAVY Australian accents. It's like they don't even try....

The second season seems inspired by Baywatch more than Flipper, as there's constantly bikini "babes" walking around in the background of the shots and they even have beauty pageants! That season also features some search and rescue team as main characters, similar to Baywatch as well. Even Maya is featured in an exploitative way for no real reason. Inexplicably, Alba's acting is worse than it was in the first season.

Just watch the first season - it has an ending which serves well as a final ending for the show. There are no real unresolved issues at all, as almost everything unravels through the season. The last episode is a bit odd, but it works as a conclusion. Just forget about the other seasons, regard season one as sort of a stand alone show.

I gave this a six out of ten, but that applies only to the first season.

I really love this show, and I love dolphins. The best part of this program was the relationship between Keith and Pam. They would have been the perfect couple!!!

I like it when flipper makes that funny noise and then does a trick