The Running Man & Seaquest DSV (2024)

SeaQuest Season 2 is probably the hardest downturn in terms of writing quality I've ever seen from a television show. It flat out sucks. But the one thing that really improved was the music: Debney and Davis really brought a lot of fire to that show. I distinctly remember an episode where the crew is attacked by some sort of squid or tentacle monster and Davis has a roaring action cue that predates his score to The Beast by a year or two.

I get reminded of Battlestar Galactica when I hear the BEASTMASTER theme, honestly.

I vaguely remember that plot (my goodness, it's been so many years!), but, yeah, the stories started to really get ridiculous. The last two episodes in particular just really jumped the shark in terms of the aliens and the water planet.

I was just reading an old article from 1994 where Roy Scheider had rather blunt, colorful, and critical words to describe that second season ("childish trash"). I guess when he successfully jumped ship (no pun intended), they realized they needed to course correct for Season 3--except instead of going back to the show's roots of being more rooted in science-fact rather than fantasy, they went for all-out militaristic and ended up crash-and-burning hard.

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The article, in case anyone is interested: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1994-09-13-9409130211-story.html

I get reminded of Battlestar Galactica when I hear the BEASTMASTER theme, honestly.

SeaQuest's theme always sounds like The Abyss to me?

I vaguely remember that plot (my goodness, it's been so many years!), but, yeah, the stories started to really get ridiculous. The last two episodes in particular just really jumped the shark in terms of the aliens and the water planet.

I was just reading an old article from 1994 where Roy Scheider had rather blunt, colorful, and critical words to describe that second season ("childish trash"). I guess when he successfully jumped ship (no pun intended), they realized they needed to course correct for Season 3--except instead of going back to the show's roots of being more rooted in science-fact rather than fantasy, they went for all-out militaristic and ended up crash-and-burning hard.

To say Roy was unhappy with Season 2 is a pretty vast understatement. Terrific actor, don't get me wrong, but Lord was he wound tight. All you need to know is his blow ups over this and Jaws 2 to see the guy was extremely (over)serious about quality control in terms of his projects.

I remember the Alien subplot stuff as being bad but not nearly as bad as the crew finding Neptune or an underwater black hole(?!). Thats what happens when you replace your producers midstream (Mind you, the replacement producers also made other fine television shows - just SeaQuest Season 2 is not on that list!)

I remember checking out of the show when S3 started but have since heard that most people said it was the best in the series. Couldn't get past that godawful MIDI music for the title card, absolutely ghastly, even for its time

The third season premiere had the unenviable job of changing course and wrapping that up, and it was awkward, but still a good episode. The series got more mature and less ridiculous as it went on.

Sadly, giant undersea monster stories wokred well in the 60's and in Sam Raimi produced syndicated shows (which were tongue in cheek at best), but were an ill fit for SeaQuest. The show really got bizzare that season.

A little more about this missing track (from youtube): ICS Network theme song unofficially known as "We Bring You Joy, We Bring You Strife" but it has been dubbed "Paula's Theme" because Paula Abdul choreographed all the dancing in the scene for the movie.

(BackToTheFutureFan previously posted the link to youtube of the missing track earlier in the thread)

I used to have some episodes on a VHS tape that I'd taped - they were the finales for season 1 Higher power and the S2 finale Splashdown (which was pretty devastating, but also a really weird episode all around).

Debney wrote some good music for the finale of season 1 I'd love to see released someday in Higher Power for the destruction of the seaQuest.

You've got a good point there. In fact, I think "wound tight" might be an understatement! For Jaws 2, Universal had to twist his arm and enforce his contractual obligation to return.

I remember checking out of the show when S3 started but have since heard that most people said it was the best in the series. Couldn't get past that godawful MIDI music for the title card, absolutely ghastly, even for its time

Again, many years since I've seen it, so I just pulled it up on YouTube. UGH!!! That truly is horrible!! Honestly, I only remembered the Debney theme. Please tell me the rest of the Season 3 music isn't that caliber

X-Files wasn't a hit until late in its second or early third season. The show was expected to be canned (hence the S1 finale being such an obvious "bookend"). SeaQuest was - in mercenary terms - Spielberg wanting some of that Star Trek money. His clout at the time was absurd and basically pushed a ton of programing out (mostly cartoons) with his name on it

Please tell me the rest of the Season 3 music isn't that caliber

I have the vaguest memory that the composer did all that season himself.

Again, many years since I've seen it, so I just pulled it up on YouTube. UGH!!! That truly is horrible!! Honestly, I only remembered the Debney theme. Please tell me the rest of the Season 3 music isn't that caliber

While I honestly liked the season 3 theme, it wasn't nearly in the same league as the original. The music by Russ Landau was awful in the second season but a little bolder in year 3. However, it was primarily synth driven (or sounded that way). When David and Debney left the series, they took the musical soul with it.

For which I am forever grateful because that gave us ANIMANIACS!

For which I am forever grateful because that gave us ANIMANIACS!

https://www.facebook.com/100006660976050/videos/2790850471146958/

...Tell us how you really feel Roy

What was in the link? It comes up "Content Not Available"

"It's not even good fantasy. I mean Star Trek does this stuff much better than we can do it. To me the show is now 21 Jump Street meets Star Dreck."

...Tell us how you really feel Roy

Yeah, he was pretty descriptive in his criticism, wasn't he? I wonder if Capt. Bridger's introduction in the pilot episode was a dramatization of Spielberg try to hire Roy Scheider. Go out to Roy's hermit hut and cajole the grizzled old man into being on TV.

The notes make reference to a ' hologram butler '.There was a holo display in Bridgers quarters but it was no holgram butler.It was an image of an old Professor mentor of Bridgers that he nicknamed ' The Old man '.Bridger sometimes used this interface to seek council.

What was in the link? It comes up "Content Not Available"

It's a 30 second clip from Tiny Toons where Babs and Buster enter a marine park, and an animated seaQuest & Captain Bridger make a cameo in a shark tank. It may not work if you're not part of this seaQuest Group on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2210357213

I took some screenshots:

"I think we need a bigger boat."

It's all good. The entire series is on Hulu. Based on your description, I found it in Tiny Toons Spring Break Special and just watched it. That was funny! LOL

And thank you for supplying the screenshots

Stills from season 2.

Doh!

I can assure you there weren't many photos to use for this. Studios give labels a group of approved stills. Anything outside of that means getting actor/estate approvals which can take forever to approve for a show that is off the air. Not making excuses but just educating.

Stills from season 2.

Doh!

I can assure you there weren't many photos to use for this. Studios give labels a group of approved stills. Anything outside of that means getting actor/estate approvals which can take forever to approve for a show that is off the air. Not making excuses but just educating.

Thanks for the update Bryon, this makes sense. I hope it's selling well! Happy to see it get coverage on The Second Disc yesterday too!

https://theseconddisc.com/2020/06/25/soundtrack-watch-quartets-new-thing-varese-dives-deep-with-seaquest-dsv-and-the-running-man/