Flipper

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.

This American-Australian co-production about the adventures of the dolphin who's faster than lightning (no one you'll see, I'm told, is smarter than he) is far from the worst way to while away an hour, although it lacks the original song and most of the characters except for Brian Wimmer in the first season (as the grown-up son of Porter Ricks). Then again, the version with Paul Hogan was based more directly on the source and look how well that turned out...

Because your average dolphin has an even more limited range of abilities than Champion the Wonder Horse - as opposed to Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, the Littlest Hobo etc - the scripts are often a stretch; the one where interns Holly and Dean discovered a group of teenagers living on an island after their plane crashed and building their own society was particularly contrived, although it wasn't the worst episode. The overuse of the FX shots of our finned hero diving in and out of the research facility around which the action revolves is also a bit grating, and the acting's not exactly Emmy-winning.

For all that, it's hardly unwatchable with lots of attractive Australian (and Floridan in the first few episodes) scenery and nice music - though the second season's music is better than the first. Definitely not one for cynics, but pleasant family fare, and you just have to go all warm and gooey inside at the sight of that sleek, cuddly, giggly, adorable creature. (As well as Jessica Alba, Flipper's pretty cute too.)

Note: The above only applies to the 1995-97 episodes, not the ones from 1998 onwards known as "Flipper: The New Adventures" - beware of anything with "The New" in its title. And while some would say this is a plus, there's no Jessica either :-(

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

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!!!

When this show came on back in the mid-'90s, it was a treat for both kids and adults alike with likable characters, good stories and a great cast. What's great about this show is that it takes it's cues from the 1960's show and puts a modern spin on it. Everything from the beautiful Florida landscape to the enchanting "new age" soundtrack makes this show stand out from its 1960's grandfather. I'm sure many teenage boys enjoyed it just for Jessica Alba (though I admit I had a crush on her myself when I was a teenager) but I still loved it. Though it dealt with teen and adult issues, there were no sexual interludes that got in the way that shows nowadays have. It was a show that the whole family could watch and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys wholesome family entertainment or good shows in general ( though I would suggest watching the original seasons).