Sea Patrol

Here I am in the USA in 2020, & despite so many other reviews (& I tend to agree with most -- the good, and the bad) feeling compelled to write my own review. I stumbled across the series on Amazon Prime just a few weeks ago, being somewhat intrigued because I'm interested in military stuff, and as a youth, I lived in Australia for about a year. The first one or two episodes were kind of slow, but I was fascinated by the show obviously having access to a modern Australian Navy Frigate or Patrol Boat, and the Australian accents and various coast/ocean shots made me nostalgic for Australia.

Over the past two months, I've watched all the episodes except the last couple, and absolutely, the plot lines have gotten somewhat stale & some of the tactics shown seem more like they're for the United Nations than the Australian Navy. I don't appreciate some of the political-correctness preaching either (illegal immigrants & fishing), but what's kept me enthralled is the plot lines between the people, and the the appreciation for a a show that can be popular, without having to resort to very graphic violence or sex, like most American shows have resorted to.

Feels weird to be so engrossed in the show & characters, knowing that what I'm watching is from 10+ years ago, and I know I'm going to be going through withdrawals in a few days, when I end up watching the final episode of the series.

My wife and I both enjoy this series about an Australian patrol boat whose crew are called upon to investigate illegal fishing, Mayday calls from civilian boats and a variety of other tasks. The depiction of the crews' duties seems very realistic, but only a real sailor would know for sure.

The characters are interesting and mostly appealing as individuals. The acting is good although the scripts sometime seem repetitive. My only other quibble is that it gives the impression that the Australian Navy has only one or two ships and no helicopters to assist in critical situations. I hope this is not the case.

After watching season one which was so refreshing to watch because not only Australian but an action drama set in on a navy ship and best of all the cast are all quality actors- which i remember watching Jeremy as Kurt in HeartBreak High! I was so happy to hear nine had comissioned a second series and you can tell that channel nine has put in more money into this show as each episode goes along there's more and more action and not to mention the guest stars like Alan Dale and Ditch Davey among others.

I've been tuned into every episode so far- which is on the same time as Desperate Housewives which i've dumped cos it's getting tiring- I also look forward to seeing who else makes a guest spot.

Sea Patrol has its faults - from painfully obvious story lines to some dicey acting - but all in all, I enjoy it and never miss an episode. It's far from realistic but that's actually a good thing, because that's what makes this show so entertaining. And all the characters have their own space to develop through both series, despite some cast changes and questionable acting.

The ship itself and the locations are the real stars of Sea Patrol, and it's nice to see an Australian show with a half decent budget for once. Nothing beats some local scenery and themes, considering how many overseas shows flood the television market here.

I love Sea Patrol and I'm certainly going to keep watching.

Given that you have to cram a lot more story into a TV show than happens in real life, they did an excellent job here. I relived the smell of hot oil in the engine room and salt spray on the bridge wings in a storm. The smell of coffee on the mid-watch, sunrise on the bridge during the morning watch. It brought back a lot of the best memories, especially in the brief glimpses of the frigates such as I served many years aboard, although the Aussies seem to consider FFGs as the LARGE combatants!

Small ships have tight crews, and I saw a very realistic portrayal of life aboard a warship (given plot constraints). Second season was much improved over the first in showing realistic chain of command relationships.