Where do I even begin to review the new DVD set of Cartoon Network’s “Sealab 2021: Season 3?” I guess I should start with the assumption that you might have absolutely no idea what “Sealab 2021” is. How about we try that… okay? If you’d like to step into the ‘way back’ machine with me, we’ll travel to the year 1972. It was time when the production company of Hanna-Barbera was running full steam to churn out animated series after animated series. One in particular, “Sealab 2020”, featured an underwater domed city, where scientists studied what life would be like living beneath the sea. Its main inhabitant was Dr. Paul Williams. The man behind the voice of Williams was none other than Ross Martin (of “Wild, Wild West” fame).

After being rescued by Sealab divers, Williams was joined in the series by Captain Mike Murphy, Sally Murphy, Bobby Murphy and a guy who was known simply as “Sparks”.

It was a fairly straightforward series, filled with underwater adventures. The animation was bit rudimentary as was the case with a lot of animated shows at the time. It only lasted for a single thirteen-episode season, and I barely remember watching it as a youngster. Years went by without my ever thinking of the show, so much so that it was all but forgotten… until last year.

Like many of my friends, I had gotten into the habit of watching Cartoon Network’s ‘Adult Swim.’ For those of you unfamiliar with it, basically it’s a block of cartoons that are put on late at night (after the kiddies should be in bed) that are aimed at a distinctly adult audience. Not adult in the pornography sense, but animated shows that offer a little bit more violence and language than you might want your children to see. Some are Anime, others… well… they’re just odd.

I still remember the first night that I saw “Sealab 2021.” I sat in front of the TV, stunned at what I was watching. It looked exactly like the show I used to watch 22 years ago. The animation style was the same, the characters were immediately recognizable. But there was something… different. The title had been changed to show that 1 year had gone by, the characters had different names, and… and… they were behaving very strangely. The particular episode I saw had Captain Mike Murphy… I mean Captain “Hank” Murphy telling his crew that his HappyCake Oven had been stolen and he wanted everyone to start searching, even at the cost of their very lives. And their radio operator was toying with world domination, to the point of actually having control over a cadre of evil henchmen. It was the most bizarre thing I had ever seen. And I couldn’t get enough.

Every week, my wife and I would turn on Adult Swim just to see “Sealab 2021.” As bizarre as it was, there was no getting away from the fact that those 15 minute episodes were hypnotic. I felt as though we were being sucked into some kind of Sealab cult. As the weeks wore on, we noticed that the creators of the series were getting more and more comfortable with the series and every episode pushed the boundaries of good taste a little further. The sexual innuendos became a little more than innuendos, and some of the plotlines made me question what kind of hallucinogenic medications the writers were on. And yet, we continued to watch.

When Warner Brothers released the 1st season last year on DVD, I couldn’t wait to get it in. I was curious to see if I had missed seeing any of the episodes (I had), and whether or not the extra features would give some insight into the whacked-out imaginations of the writers (they did). The set it self only has two discs, but as there were only 13 episodes in the 1st season… that was surely enough.

The extra features were as bizarre as the series itself, and carried into the release of the 2nd season a few months ago. This month, Warner Brothers is releasing the 3rd season set, and once again I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. After all, how many shows could I watch that gave me the feeling of being on drugs, without actually being on drugs?

Sadly this season was to mark the last for Harry Goz, the voice behind Captain Murphy as he passed away in 2003. However, a few episodes in we are introduced to football coach Tornado Shanks, who takes over as the commander of Sealab. Shanks is voiced by Michael Goz (Harry’s son). While the character is funny, there’s just no replacing Murphy.

As much as I’d love to describe some of the better episodes of the season, I’m not sure it’s possible to fully describe ANY episode of “Sealab 2021”, even though I tried to above. Just trust me when I tell you that if you’re a fan of the series already, and think the writers have already gone way past the point of ridiculous ideas, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

The previous sets of “Sealab 2021” have included some great extra features, though most of the time they are as schizophrenic as the series itself. This set isn’t any different. Here you’ll find commentaries on several of the episodes as well as a couple of unaired episodes. Of course, the reasons they were unaired range from ‘they weren’t funny enough’ to ‘we couldn’t figure out how to finish it’, so you can only imagine the results. There is also an ‘original original’ pitch episode… which is to say it is the pitch that was created and not used before creating the pitch version that was. It has the creators of the series doing the voices, and it is very… very …bad. You’ll also find some serious comments from the otherwise dim-witted Stormy Weather.

For what is considered to be a very bizarre series Warner Home Video really turned out a nice product as far as the extras and packaging. After watching this set, I’m already on the prowl for a 4th season set. I hope they release it soon! Oh, and if I haven’t convinced you that you need to get this set… did I mention that Erik Estrada does one of the voices? What are you waiting for?

Episodes:
Tourist Season
Red Dawn
Meet Beck Bristow
I, Robot, Really
Frozen Dinner
Splitsville
Tornado Shanks
ASHDTV
Chalkboard Jungle
Dearly Beloved Seed
Craptastic Voyage
Let ‘Em Eat Corn
Neptunati

Starring (the voices of): Harry Goz, Michael Goz, Brett Butler, Erik Estrada, Bill Lobley, Ellis Henican, Kate Miller
Extras: Commentaries, Unaired Episodes, Stormy Weathers - Pundit
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: 7/12/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website

We'll give Sealab 2021: Season 3 a B.