I'm taping SeaQuest and watching all of the episodes. The show is being shown on the SciFi channel. It's an interesting show, one that only lasted three seasons, changing significantly each season. I like taping military-type shows and at least SeaQuest is a military boat with a navy crew.

Anyway, I first watched this show when I was working in San Francisco. Back then, I ran the system backups on Sunday and I watched a big screen tv that my employer had for presentations. Didn't have great reception, but I did get to watch SeaQuest and Star Trek TNG. I'd watch a show then go downstairs to change the tapes. I had other duties on Sunday, but it was light work overall.

The first season of SeaQuest was quite good. It tried to be, and was, solidly based on current science and fairly modest extrapolations. The crew was interesting, Darwin the dolphin was ok. The kid was at times too much of a Wesley Crusher clone. I also liked the little science fact at the end of the each episode. Stephanie Beacham (Dr. Westphalen) is beautiful, and Stacy Haiduk is also quite fetching.

But ratings were low, so in the second season there were some changes. Dr Westphalen left and they got a buxom telepath. Can't really complain there. What was disappointing though was the stories themselves. They consciously decided to make it into a more of a fantasy show. You had gods and undersea creatures. It sort of left behind its scientific base. The Daggers were interesting, as was having two DeLuise brothers working on the same show.

Once the third season came around, it was time for another change. Michael Ironside took over as captain and the show became more of an action/adventure. More of a warlike world. There was a romance between the second in command and the pretty lieutenant, both of whose names I don't remember. The kid and dolphin were still around. The season was cut short as really low ratings forced the network to pull it from the schedule.
So, what did I like about the show? It was at least partly military based, same as Star Trek. I also like science fiction shows, and back then, those type of shows were few and far between. It was also original in that its focus was underwater instead of in space or another planet. The special effects were good for the time, and having a squid-shaped submarine was kind of funny.

I haven't watched every episode, and even now I sometimes watch the episode intently and sometimes just let it play while I work on my computer. Me deciding to tape it is a way to force myself to watch it again, otherwise since it's on at 14:00 I wouldn't watch it normally. And it gives me some thing to do; something tangible with a visible goal (tape all the episodes).

Other shows I'm taping regularly are JAG, Pensacola: Wings of Gold, and Stargate. I have one episode of Space: Above and Beyond left to record. Of the others, I have all their episodes except for half of JAG's first season. So this makes it three weekly shows and one daily show.

Again, for the most part these are things I do to have something to do. I don't watch the stuff I tape after the first time. It just goes on a bookshelf with all the other tapes. After I get all of SeaQuest I may finally start taping Star Trek TOS. I love Star Trek but I've never had the urge to collect it. We'll see.