Water Rats

When it first came out it was quite an intriguing concept - a police drama that centered on a special group of police, namely the Sydney Water Police, which added a breath of fresh air to most of the other police dramas out there. Unfortunately as time has worn on the novelty wore off and they began to go for more and more standard police stories. Here's where the problem lies. Whilst it's great to see the 'Rats' not entirely dependant on Sydney Harbour for their storylines the producers have come up with the ridiculous idea that they must regularly have a cutback to the harbour for at least 5 minutes of every second episode as if to try and validate the 'Water Rats' tag. I wouldn't have minded if it was a rare kind of thing but it's all too regular for no real reason.

If the producers are serious about keeping the series going for a few more years yet then please, either: a) Don't be afraid to stay on land if need be. b) Get another name for the series so you don't feel tied to the harbour all the time or c) Just stick to the water and be done with it.

Having 5 minute throwbacks to the water every second episode for no reason other than to remind the audience why the series is called 'Water Rats' is quite annoying.

Re watching nearly 25 years later. They just don't make shows like this anymore. Beautifully filmed. Superbly acted and directed.

Whenever I watch an "action-series", I always end up thinking;-Is this the way it really is? Is this how it happens? Well, probably not, but it`s entertaining, so I keep watching. "Water Rats", however is different. The events are "real", the characters are "real". I think it`s quite easy to identify yourself with the everyday problems the detectives have to deal with. I`d watch "Water Rats" rather than "NYPD Blue" anyday. I love it! It`s just GREAT!!

I know that "Water Rats" was over a while ago now in Australia, but it's playing here at the moment and I'm completely hooked to it. It's entertaining, the stories are usually well written and keep the interest until the final credits, and the characters seem and act like real people not just some stereotypes you throw in to make an action-police show. My favorite is Rachel Goldstein. I like the personal stories of all the characters too.

I have to admit that another reason why I love this show so much is the beautiful sceneries of Sydney. I've heard that one of the aims was to attract more tourists to Sydney, and I wasn't surprised to hear that it worked.

Watching season 3 right now but the episodes don't match up with the episode blist. So I'm not sure if I am watching them in order. For example episode 4 is listed as "behind closed doors" but the episode comes up as "old dog old tricks"