Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 20, 1995 TAG: 9506210004
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: IAN SPELLING
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Despite the use of high-profile guest stars (such as William Shatner), greater emphasis on breakout star Jonathan Brandis (who plays Lucas Wolenczak) and wildly ambitious sci-fi plots, the series seemed lost at sea.
The show ended in May with a cliffhanger that left the supersub's crew stranded on a water planet. SeaQuest was sinking to the ocean's bottom with nearly everyone aboard, while the genetically engineered janitor, Dagwood (Peter DeLuise), bobbed up and down in a raft with Wolenczak.
When the episode aired, no one behind the scenes of the Steven Spielberg production was certain the series would return to NBC come fall. The network subsequently announced that ``seaQuest'' would indeed be back, and in a new time slot - Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
``Season two, and this is offered with some apology, was a real learning experience for the cast, crew and writing staff,'' says Patrick Hasburgh, executive producer of the series since the middle of its first year.
``The show is and should be science fiction, but our reach extended our grasp a number of times last season.
``We did some excellent episodes and some that were simply not good. We did some that were terrestrial and not necessarily supernatural but that certainly were science fiction.
``Then we did other shows where we ended up in space, and those I don't think worked as well.''
Hoping that ``seaQuest'' might cruise the seas again, Hasburgh and his staff sought to conclude season two in a way that would cleanly cut the cord to the past. Thus the cliffhanger, which set the stage for numerous changes.
Roy Scheider's Capt. Nathan Bridger will be back, but on a limited basis, and he'll be more of a Jacques Cousteau-type seafarer than a military officer. Brandis and DeLuise are slated to return full time.
The fates of the remaining actors and characters are undetermined.
``I can't say yet who's coming back because that's part of what we want to accomplish dramatically early next season,'' explains Hasburgh, 45, whose writing and producing credits include the TV shows ``Greatest American Hero,'' ``Hardcastle and McCormick'' and ``21 Jump Street.'' (He created the latter two.)
Kent McCord and ``Star Wars'' star Mark Hamill will continue to play recurring characters (Scott Keller and Tobias LeConte, respectively). A new seaQuest captain is still to be cast.
The other big change will be the show's focus.
``Since we've got these guys in space, we'll bring them back to Earth quickly, but to a slightly different time and world,'' says Hasburgh, who lives in Aspen, Colo. and commutes to ``seaQuest's'' Orlando, Fla., set.
``Season three will be the natural extension of what's happening in our world in 1995, where it's a pretty tense environment,'' he continues.
``We seriously think seaQuest can be the starship Enterprise underwater. How, for example, can the seaQuest be involved in the planet's balance of power?
``Next year it won't be about policing oceans but about maintaining oceans for their resources, military advantages and peacekeeping capabilities. Picture seaQuest being like Marshal Dillon, with the seven seas as its new West.''
Hasburgh adds that Spielberg is taking an active role in revitalizing the show, and says his input is invaluable.
Will it work? Can ``seaQuest'' find its sea legs quickly enough to reclaim its audience?
Hasburgh remains hopeful.
``The people who hung with us will be rewarded,'' he insists. ``We'd certainly like the opportunity to show people what `seaQuest' can be.
``I'm really excited about where we're going with the show. I think we've finally figured it all out.''
TREK SPECS
For information on the Kate Mulgrew Appreciation Society send a SASE to Michelle Green at 15613 Ambience Drive, North Potomac, Md. 20878, or E-mail Green at tiggercais.com. ... Sisko must save DS9 from young and hungry Hortas. Such is the plot of ``Devil in the Sky,'' a new Pocket Books ``DS9'' paperback ($5.50) by Greg Cox and John Gregory Betancourt. ... Look for Dwight Schultz in the ``Symbiosis'' episode of Showtime's ``Outer Limits'' revival and back as Barclay in a second-season ``Voyager'' episode.
CON CALENDAR
June 30-July 2
- Creation at the Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlboro, Mass., featuring Nana Visitor, James Doohan and Ethan Phillips. (July 1-2 only; call 818-409-0960.)
TREK/SCI-FI ALERT
If you have Trek or science-fiction news or trivia to share - or if you have questions relating to ``Star Trek'' - write to Ian Spelling, in care of the features department, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491. Be sure to enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you would like a reply.
by CNB