Sea Patrol

I'm watching this show after it's had its run through the Australian markets and making its way outward on HULU. It makes me want to see more Australian TV shows. The characters in Sea Patrol are great, and superb acting is the norm. I know to some it seems unrealistic, but of course it should be, as it's a fictional show. Whatever the case, it's very exciting, fun, funny, dramatic, romantic, and though not always heavy on the plot, it's great fun to follow the procedural events and military ventures. I am a military veteran myself though not a sailor, but it seems very real to me, despite the negative reviews that claim the contrary. On a personal level, the characters to me seem very real and remind me of many people that I happened to serve with myself, and some of the best memories of my life. The characters in this show interact so well that at times it's simply a blast to watch. It seemed that the show took somewhat of a hit after Season Three, which is my favorite so far, when it lost the first "Buffer", "Spider", and "Nav",but I still enjoy the show and will watch till the end. I hope to see more excellent Australian shows like this in the future, along with the many British high productions that my wife and I favor over the mindless, trashy junk that predominantly flows out of my own country.

In 2007, "Sea Patrol" blasted onto the Channel Nine program. At first I thought that it would definitely not be my thing, and was expecting a boring piece of junk. I was really pleasantly surprised.

This program has everything you could possibly want: action, drama, romance (if you're into that sort of thing), great writing, and more! It also has a stellar cast including: Lisa McCune, Ian Stenlake, Saskia Burmeister, and Kristian Schmid (of Tomorrow People: New Generation fame).

If you are looking for Australian drama of exceptional quality, look no further than "Sea Patrol," "Sea Patrol II: The Coup" and "Sea Patrol III: Red Gold."

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.

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.

I have to laugh sometimes at their clumsiness, like oh no, don't do that, don't go there, don't say anything, dummy! I hope it doesn't reflect the real Australian Navy! Apart from that, Sea Patrol is a highly entertaining show, casting is spot on, and the acting superb.