lueb-292-592981 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.

cjmbabsc There is so much potential for the television series, "Sea Patrol", that I could almost qualify myself as a fan; almost. But the reality is this show is in desperate need of a Technical Adviser. When I see some of the dumb situations the crew get themselves into and the stupid responses and behavior of the crew, it makes this program seem more like a parody of the series, rather than the series itself.To start with, the Captain never leaves the ship, he doesn't go ashore on a mission, and he doesn't relinquish command of his vessel to anyone, at any time during the mission. That's just standard Navy procedure. Unless we can say that Australians are all a bunch of backward dorks, then this program is a poor representation of the Australian Navy. I just refuse to believe the Australian Navy is that poorly run. I've known quite a few Australians and they are a lot more intelligent than this program makes them out to be; making this series a blight on Australians everywhere !

melwyn A large amount of the funding for Sea Patrol comes from the RAN, who in turn took their cut from many tens of millions given to the ADF under the Howard Government to "promote" the armed forces. In return for putting up the money, RAN reportedly have a fair amount of say in the scripts.Nine made Blue Heelers the same way (with the NSW Police Media Liaison Unit having final veto over the scripts). It means they aren't paying all the bills, but it also means the primary purpose of the show is not to provide quality entertainment. The result is a show with poor quality stories and acting. Visually it is very good, but it has no substance. It features a cast of well known faces playing the same kinds of roles they've been playing for years. They have no real emotional investment in their characters and it shows.The execs involved are happy to let all this slide because none of it matters. There is one purpose only to Sea Patrol, and that is to make life in the Navy look exciting and attractive to impressionable youngsters so they are more likely to join up when they're old enough.There's enough rubbish on TV. It saddens me that creative options are foregone in favour of what amounts merely to government advertising.

scaryisntit As a fan of Lisa McCune from her days as "Maggie Doyle" in the mostly excellent 'Blue Heelers' series, I was curious to see what she was like after her extended hiatus from television. There was also the premise, the Australian Navy at work, which shed some interest. So, I started watching.I watched the premiere with a dead mind. I didn't want to pick at it and point out all the faults that I could see and, while it had a few problems, it was worth the watch. Thus I have continued to watch each episode since.Season 2 has just drawn to a close earlier in the week and I can honestly say I am looking forward to the Season 3 sometime early 2009.But.The show has numerous bad moments, dominantly because of bad script writing. There are occasions where you will just blink, mouth agape and wonder at the intellect of the crew. I will not spoil anything in particular, but there is an episode in the second season where Hammersley was taken over by insurgents which left me far from satisfied. The Captain basically gave the insurgents the ship, made every wrong decision, and yet was commended for his work when the crew finally took back control. It was silly, it was poorly executed, it was the worst episode, and is a perfect example of the poor script writing.Lisa McCune's acting, unfortunately, is a little cold. She rarely shows any emotion, despite her character not being cold or calculating in any way, shape or form. In addition, many of the characters are pretty poorly developed.Yet, while these aspects are irritating, I continue to watch because the overall story and the episodes do provide me with both interest and satisfaction in the end. It is my sincere hope that the writers will either be fired or improve, as they are the main weakness to the show at present.For those who are sick of the American dramas with gunfights and overly high-tech gadgets coming in every other minute, this is certainly something I would recommend. As long as you can persevere on some of the weaker episodes, you will find satisfaction at the end.For an Australian drama, now that Blue Heelers has left the air, this is perhaps the best around.