1964’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea represented many of the excesses of the genre and has since been relegated to the list of worst sci fi TV shows of all time, but it still offers a fun, 60s retro-watch.
What Is It?
Taking place in the then near-future of the 1970s, this series follows the adventures of the crew of the nuclear submarine S.S.R.N. Seaview–commanded by Admiral Harriman Nelson and Commander Lee Crane–as it explores the oceans and also defends against threats to the planet.
Aired: ABC, 1964-68, 4 Seasons Totaling 110 Episodes
Cast: Richard Basehart, David Hedison, Robert Dowdell, Henry Kulky, Terry Becker
Crew: Irwin Allen (Creator/Executive Producer)
Legacy:
While this series started out with a more serious action-adventure tone, it descended into high camp by its second season and would go on to represent all of the excesses of the genre , eventually turning into a parody of itself.
The Skinny:
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea started out as a 1961 feature film–also created and produced by Irwin Allen–that proved quite successful at the Box Office. Allen took the property to the small screen in 1964 and began his reign as the king of schlock sci fi TV for the rest of the decade, following this one up with Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants. Voyage actually launched as more of a serious action-adventure show in its first season with Cold War-themed espionage stories as well as some sci fi oriented tales. But it still threw in the sea monsters, aliens, and other creatures for the crew of the Seaview to tangle with from time to time. By the show’s second season, ABC demanded a lighter tone and Voyage shifted mostly to monster/villain of the week tales for the rest of its four-year run. Admiral Nelson and his crew had to tangle with werewolves, mummies, evil leprechauns, fossil man, killer robots, and increasingly more ridiculous enemies as the show matched the high-camp of Batman but without the self-mocking tone.
Richard Basehart and David Hedison played along as the scripts got increasingly more ridiculous, though they did not seem to be in on the jokes. They acted as the straight men to the antagonists of the the week and never seemed to acknowledge the absurdity of things like leprechauns and lobster men onboard a high-tech, nuclear submarine. Meanwhile, the guest stars would typically ham it up through each of the episodes, some striving for the over-the-top performances so commonly delivered by Batman villains.
Still, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea did have its moments during its four-year run and the underwater scenes depicting the Seaview, the flying sub, and the other submersible vehicles looked pretty good for a 1960s television sfx. Many of us have fond memories of watching this show in our younger years (I caught it in reruns on the UHF channels), but this is one that does not quite hold up well to a re-watch. Sure, some of the early episodes are not bad, just like the early eps of Lost in Space, as they deliver mostly straightforward action-adventure with a sci fi twist. But by the time that the crew of the Seaview was fighting seaweed men, killer toys, and traveling back in time to the American Revolution, the retro-appeal for this one starts to wear thin. The show regularly lands on lists of the worst sci fi TV had to offer, and deservedly so. But it has achieved some cult notoriety, and it can be worth catching a few episodes for some good, ’60s cheesy fun.
Cancelled Too Soon?
No. Sure, it could have produced more episodes full of crazy monsters and over-the-top villains, but at 110 eps it had more than enough for a syndication run and Irwin Allen had already turned his attention to Lost in Space and The Time Tunnel with Land of the Giants not far away. Plus, Voyage was expensive to produce and it was never a huge hit in the ratings.
Almost Had a Sequel?
Irwin Allen’s 1971 pilot City Beneath the Sea appeared to take place in the near-future of the same world as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (read more about the pilot at CancelledSciFi.com), but a direct link was never established, and I can find nothing the proves it was intended as a sequel series. Richard Basehart did appear in the TV movie, but he was not playing the character Admiral Nelson. And the flying sub is featured, but that may have just been a cost-cutting measure giving them the opportunity to re-use old sfx shots. If City had gone on to series, though, perhaps there would have been a cross-over with a future Seaview at some point.
Should It Be Rebooted?
Pretty much all of the Irwin Allen 60s TV shows are ripe for a reboot, and a return to the Seaview could take a more serious approach along the lines of Netflix’s Lost in Space. And the fact is that a revival is currently in the works, bringing back this show, Land of the Giants, and Time Tunnel and setting those in a linked universe. Star Trek’s Akiva Goldsman is currently attached, working with Legendary Television on “crafting a unified vision for these stories, bringing modern sensibilities to their appeal”. Not much information is available beyond that, and to my knowledge, nothing has moved into production yet. But at some point, it appears that the Seaview will set sail again on the small screen.
Interesting Facts:
The Seaview was frequently attacked by some ocean-going menace and the bridge scenes would be shown with the camera shaking from side-to-side while the crew members act like they are being tossed around even though the set is not moving. This came to be known as “Seaview Rock and Roll” and was seen on other shows as well like Lost in Space and Star Trek.
The Seaview‘s crew was all male–which would have been accurate for the time–and there were no female regulars on the show, only guest stars.
Where Can You Watch It?
The entire series has been released on DVD, though not Blu-ray yet. It is currently not available for streaming, but you can track down episodes on YouTube. And with the reboot in the works, I would expect the original to show up at some point.
Read More About the Show:
Wikipedia
IMDb.com
Also of Interest: Irwin Allen Television Productions, 1964-1970: A Critical History of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants
