Sealab 2020

Did You Know?

• The pilot episode 'Deep Threat' is included in the Warner Bros. Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970s Vol. 2 DVD set.
• On May 22, 2012, Warner Archive released Sealab 2020: The Complete Series on DVD as a manufacture-on-demand release.
• The fanzine Lancelot Link Fan World, published by Cornell Kimball, often covered Sealab 2020.

Plot

In 2020, Captain Michael Murphy commanded Sealab, an underwater research base on the Challenger seamount. Home to 250 people, the facility focused on ocean exploration and protecting marine life. Dr. Paul Williams, a Chinook oceanographer, headed the scientific team. The crew battled shark and giant squid attacks, environmental disasters, and threats from shipping.

Production

Sealab 2020 marked Hanna-Barbera's first return to the action-adventure genre after most action programming was removed from Saturday-morning slots by 1972 due to pressure from groups like Action for Children's Television. The series took a somber, serious approach, drawing tonal inspiration from Star Trek and focusing on characters responding to environmental or oceanographic crises rather than defeating villains. Alex Toth designed all aspects of the series, including vehicles and characters, but felt Hanna-Barbera's frugal animation hampered the underwater portrayal. Pamelyn Ferdin, who voiced Sally, praised the series for addressing issues such as commercial fishing, oil spills, and radioactive waste.

Broadcast

NBC ordered 13 episodes to run four times over the year, covering the 52-week schedule. The series ran until September 1, 1973, when it was dropped from the 1973–74 Saturday morning schedule. It was rebroadcast on Cartoon Network from December 6, 1992 to March 14, 1993 as part of the Boomerang block.