Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea



A 1964-68 Irwin Allen Sci Fi show starring Richard Basehart as Admiral Nelson and David Hedison as Captain Crane, and set on the experimental nuclear-powered research submarine, Seaview. The ultimate use of the Recycled Script: almost every episode can be summarized as "Monster of the Week is defeated by Laser Of The Week." A bit of a wet version of Star Trek: The Original Series (which it preceded by two years). Compare SeaQuest DSV.

Based on the 1961 film of the same name, in which our heroes defeat a global heat wave (caused by the then recently discovered Van Allen radiation belt catching on fire) through Deus Ex Nukina. No, seriously. The movie's storyline was later on recycled as a series episode titled "The Sky's On Fire", complete with copious amounts of Stock Footage from the motion picture.

Interestingly, the series switched from black and white to colour during its run, which was used as an excuse for a big dramatic storyline during the switch, and the introduction of a new version of the ship.


 * Aliens in Cardiff: Aliens invariably invade the Seaview, and only the Seaview, instead of Tokyo, New York, or other such places that aren't isolated arenas several leagues under the sea.
 * Brainwashed and Crazy: Both being brainwashed to kill your friends and being almost killed by your brainwashed friends were consistent threats on the Seaview. Practically once-an-episode consistent.
 * Body Snatcher: If it wasn't brainwashing, the other ever-present threat was having your body taken over by malevolent aliens/ghosts/etc. Captain Krueger's use of this trope is probably the show's best example, since "The Phantom Strikes" was well-received enough to warrant a rare sequel, "The Return of the Phantom".
 * Cool Boat: The flying submarine, as well as the Seaview itself.
 * Cool Plane: The flying sub, introduced in the second season.
 * Framed Face Opening: Used in the Title Sequence from the second season onwards.
 * Gag Dub: Episode "Werewolf", where one of the protagonists is infected with a germ that turns him into a werewolf with the reactor core's radiation, was famously gag-dubbed by Mexican comediant Trino into the protagonist "getting" AIDS in the hand from Captain Patterson, going to the reactor core to take a dump believing it's the restroom, and transforming into a monster from the AIDS.
 * Heroes-R-Us: The Nelson Institute of Marine Research.
 * Mildly Military: The Seaview technically belongs to the NIMR, but the crew is comprised of civilian and Navy personnel. They're at the government's beck and call, which is presumably why they're trusted to pack nuclear missiles and single-handedly guard the world from undersea Communists and space Nazis.
 * Not the Nessie: The Reveal of
 * The Remnant: One episode dealt with a Japanese holdout from World War Two.
 * Stock Footage: Lots. "Irwin Allen" is basically synonymous with this trope.
 * Twenty Minutes Into the Future: The series was set during The Seventies, roughly a decade ahead of when it was made.