Sea Patrol

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.

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."

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.

Most of the drama is based on clownish security practices. I'm sure the Australian Navy is far more professional than depictions in this dramedy. Great scenery though.

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.