''Sealab 2020'' is an American

animated television series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

produced by

Hanna-Barbera Productions Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

and broadcast on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

from September 9 to December 2, 1972, on Saturday mornings. The series was created by

Alex Toth Alexander Toth (; June 25, 1928 – May 27, 2006) was an American cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but he is also known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera through ...

, who also created such other Hanna-Barbera cartoons as '' Space Ghost'' and '' Birdman and the Galaxy Trio''. A total of 15 episodes were produced, 13 aired and two remaining unaired. A parody follow-up series, entitled ''

Sealab 2021 ''Sealab 2021'' is an American adult animated television series created by Adam Reed and Matt Thompson for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. Cartoon Network aired the show's first three episodes in December 2000 befor ...

'', originally aired on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

in December 2000, then on

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

from September 2, 2001 to April 24, 2005.

Plot

The series took place in the year 2020 at Sealab, an underwater research base on the Challenger

seamount A seamount is a large submarine landform that rises from the ocean floor without reaching the water surface (sea level), and thus is not an island, islet, or cliff-rock. Seamounts are typically formed from extinct volcanoes that rise abruptly a ...

. Commanded by Captain Michael Murphy, Sealab was home to 250 people, and was dedicated to the exploration of the seas and the protection of marine life. Dr. Paul Williams, a Chinook oceanographer, led the scientific research team. Among other things, the crew of Sealab faced such challenges as attacks from sharks and

giant squid The giant squid (''Architeuthis dux'') is a species of deep-ocean dwelling squid A squid (: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight cephalopod limb, arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, ...

s, potential environmental disasters, and threats to Sealab and marine life from shipping.

Cast

* John Stephenson as Captain Michael "Mike" Murphy, Quincy Jones *

Ross Martin Ross Martin (born Martin Rosenblatt, March 22, 1920 – July 3, 1981) was an American radio, voice, stage, film, and television actor. Martin was best known for portraying Artemus Gordon on the CBS Western series '' The Wild Wild West'', which ...

as Paul Williams *

Jerry Dexter Jerry Dexter (April 18, 1935 – June 21, 2013) was an American actor and radio presenter best known for playing teenage boys and young men in animated television series for Hanna-Barbera Productions from the late 1960s to the 1980s. Early life, ...

as Hal Bryant * Ann Jillian as Gail Adams *

Ron Pinkard Ronald F. Pinkard (born January 22, 1941, in Denver, Colorado) is an American actor best known for his role as Dr. Mike Morton in the Jack Webb produced television series ''Emergency!'' Early life Pinkard was raised in Denver, Colorado. He attend ...

as Ed Thomas, Mrs. Thomas's son * William Callaway as Lieutenant Sparks * Josh Albee as Bobby Murphy *

Pamelyn Ferdin Pamelyn Ferdin (born February 4, 1959) is an American animal rights activist and former actress. Ferdin's acting career was primarily during the 1960s and 1970s, though she appeared in projects sporadically in the 1980s and later years. She beg ...

as Sally *

Gary Shapiro Gary Shapiro could refer to: * Gary J. Shapiro, American business executive * Gary Shapiro (journalist), American newspaper writer See also * Gerald Shapiro (disambiguation) {{hndis, Shaprio, Gary ...

as Jamie * Olga James as Mrs. Thomas, Ed Thomas's mother * Mike Road as Matthew Mills *

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio presenter who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40'', as well as the weekly syndicated televi ...

as Craig Bracken *

Don Messick Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor, known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. His best-remembered voice roles include Scooby-Doo; Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ''The Flintsto ...

as Lawrence Cummings

Episodes

Parody follow-up

''Sealab 2020'' was parodied by the

show ''

'', which aired from December 21, 2000 to April 24, 2005.

Home media

On May 22, 2012,

Warner Archive The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the int ...

released ''Sealab 2020: The Complete Series'' on DVD in region 1 as part of their Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection. Although promoted as 'The Complete Series', the DVD consists only of the thirteen aired episodes and does not include Episodes 14 and 15 that were unaired. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com. The pilot episode "Deep Threat" is included in the

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

''Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970s Vol. 2'' DVD set.

Print media

The fanzine Lancelot Link Fan World, published by Cornell Kimball, often covered ''Sealab 2020''.

References

External links

* * {{Children's programming on NBC in the 1970s 1972 American animated television series debuts 1972 American television series endings 1970s American animated television series 1970s American children's television series 1970s American science fiction television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated science fiction television series American English-language television shows Television series by Hanna-Barbera Nautical television series Underwater civilizations in fiction NBC animated television series