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Season 1 – Surface

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Surface Sep 2005 Drama Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
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20% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Ever wonder what life would be like if a new form of sea life began to appear in locales all over the planet? In this expansive drama, those who are about to find out include some naval officers in the South Antarctic Sea, a family in San Diego, scientists from the Oceanographic Institute in Monterey, and fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico. The seemingly innocent creatures they find are beautiful, and kids may even want to play with them -- but is there something more to them? One thing's for sure: They're full of surprises.
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Surface — Season 1

Surface — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

Surface fishes for comparisons to Hollywood blockbusters, but sinks to the deepest trench of mediocrity thanks to its uninspired nautical creatures and unmemorable array of characters.

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Critics Reviews

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Neal Justin Minneapolis Star Tribune Aug 14, 2025
1.5/4
If there are aliens underwater, threatening to come up for air, all they have to do is watch five minutes of [Lake Bell's] performance in this humorless drama. We'll never hear from them again. Go to Full Review Robert Lloyd Los Angeles Times Dec 13, 2018
It is a Spielberg pastiche through and through but it is an excellent one, and an improvement in some ways on that tired master: less sentimental, more authentically down to earth, not so darn big. Go to Full Review Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Dec 13, 2018
The government wants to hush up what's going on. Whatever. Surface tells the mystery in such a scattershot way that viewers might not care about the answer. Go to Full Review Kyndall Cunningham The Daily Beast Aug 5, 2022
While not the sexiest crime drama, it is an engaging game of Clue. Go to Full Review Roger Catlin Hartford Courant Dec 13, 2018
This one is the soggiest of several open-ended mystery sagas this year. Go to Full Review David Gurney Common Sense Media Dec 13, 2018
3/5
While the pilot is careful not to reveal too much about the creature(s), the human characters seem engaging enough. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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S G @Sean123456789 Dec 20, 2024 A lovely little show, a bit like an episode of the x -files over a season , one story done well, good effects , good cast , great story. See more Taryn W @RT98042751 Dec 29, 2023 This was a great show! Was sad when they didn't continue it. The creatures were so well designed, and Nimrod was so cute! They left us on a cliff hanger. See more Aug 8, 2021 I loved this show. Very entertaining and quite funny at times. Why do networks start a science fiction story that ends abruptly after one season. Include here Invasion and Threshold which were also excellent stories and well told and with very competent acting. See more Jan 31, 2020 Here is an unpopular opinion: I liked the characters, and I think Lake Bell stood out with a great performance. I watched this as a kid, and even that the visual effects aren't the best and that there is a lack of inspiration in here I found it intriguing and I binge watched it. See more Jan 13, 2020 One of my favorite shows sadly it didnt get another season See more Sep 3, 2019 A really great show with a good deal of suspense and character development in each episode. Too bad it only had a one season run. See more Read all reviews
Surface — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Lake Bell

Dr. Laura Daughtery "Dee"

Rade Serbedzija

Dr. Aleksander Cirko

Jay R. Ferguson

Rich Connelly

Carter Jenkins

Miles Bennett

Leighton Meester

Guest Star

Eddie Hassell

Guest Star

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 19, 2005 Episode 1 A government scientist tries to keep secret the discovery of a sea creature by a young oceanographer. Details Episode 2 Aired Sep 26, 2005 Episode 2 Miles tries to form a bond with the new species; Laura and Rich try to get onto Sullivan's Island to learn about the mysterious carcass that washed ashore. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 3, 2005 Episode 3 Lee and Cirko begin to theorize that the unidentified species is causing global warming by digging beneath the ocean bed. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 10, 2005 Episode 4 When Daughtery and Jackson encounter one of the unidentified species at sea, Daughtery fires a GPS tracking device into it in an effort to track it. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 17, 2005 Episode 5 Animal control officers question good friends Miles and Phil, the keepers of Nimrod, when a neighbor's dog is reported missing. Details Episode 6 Aired Oct 24, 2005 Episode 6 Cirko discerns the origin of the creatures while studying a sea orchid; when Laura returns home, she finds that her house has been ransacked by the government. Details Episode 7 Aired Nov 7, 2005 Episode 7 Dr. Lee explains to his superiors that Cirko's death was necessary in the long run before revealing a clue in the investigation. Details Episode 8 Aired Nov 14, 2005 Episode 8 Rich and Daughtery descend in a submersible vehicle and see the creatures spawning, but a system failure causes the craft to free-fall into the ocean's depths. Details Episode 9 Aired Nov 21, 2005 Episode 9 As Laura and Rich explore the ocean in a submersible vehicle, they learn the unidentified species are laying thousands of eggs on the ocean floor. Details Episode 10 Aired Nov 28, 2005 Episode 10 When Laura and Rich return to the surface from the ocean floor, they realize that the boat that took them out to sea is nowhere to be found. Details Episode 11 Aired Jan 2, 2006 Episode 11 Rich and Laura sneak out of the hospital with the footage of the creature before Lee and his men can catch them. Details Episode 12 Aired Jan 9, 2006 Episode 12 While hiding from Lee and his legion of secret agents, Laura has a bizarre Internet exchange with a person who claims to have information regarding the origin of the creatures. Details Episode 13 Aired Jan 23, 2006 Episode 13 Laura learns that a group of top scientists created the new species, and she searches for the corporation funding the research. Details Episode 14 Aired Jan 30, 2006 Episode 14 Rich and Laura go to see Lee for answers, and Lee winds up learning more than he ever would have expected. Details Episode 15 Aired Feb 6, 2006 Episode 15 The residents of Wilmington must evacuate as a tsunami approaches the coast; Laura searches for Rich, whom the military police arrested at the mysterious lab. Details

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Surface — Season 1

Surface Surface Surface Surface View more photos

Season Info

Executive Producer
Joshua Pate, Jonas Pate
Network
NBC
Rating
TV-PG
Genre
Drama, Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date
Sep 19, 2005
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