Surface (TV series)

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Surface
There's Something in the water
Genre	Drama/Science Fiction
Running time	43 minutes
Creator(s)	Josh and Jonas Pate
Starring	Lake Bell Carter Jenkins Jay R. Ferguson Rade Šerbedžija
Country of origin	USA
Original channel	NBC
Original run	September 19, 2005–February 6, 2006
No. of episodes	15
IMDb profile

Surface (originally titled Fathom) was a science fiction television series that premiered on NBC on September 19, 2005. The program aired fifteen episodes (its full first season) until February 6, 2006 before going on hiatus due to the coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics and awaiting word on whether it would be renewed for a second season. On May 15, 2006, NBC officially announced the series' cancellation, despite average ratings, leaving the outcome of the plot as a cliffhanger ending. The program was also broadcast in Canada on CH, as well as ITV2 in the UK, TV3 in Malaysia, Network Ten in Australia, and on LaSexta and Calle 13 in Spain. During the summer of 2006, the series was also broadcast on ProSieben in Germany, by Fox on Portuguese and Brazilian cable networks, by Yes on Israeli satellite TV and on the canal plus in Finland. During the show's inital airing, Surface was also broadcast in syndication on the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States, which still holds broadcast rights.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Synopsis
2 Cast and characters
3 Episode guide
4 DVD releases
5 Broadcasters
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Synopsis

During a routine submersible dive in the North Pacific Ocean, California oceanographer Laura Daughtery (Lake Bell) is attacked by an unknown life form that appears out of a field of craters on the ocean's floor. Miles Barnett (Carter Jenkins), a North Carolina teen, finds himself face to face with the strange sea creature after falling off his water ski during a nighttime outing with his friends. Meanwhile, Richard Connelly (Jay R. Ferguson), a Louisiana man on a fishing trip, loses his brother in a suspicious diving accident when the creature drags him to the depths of the Gulf of Mexico.

All around the world, strange things are occurring in the world's oceans. Stars fall from the sky and into the water; a horrific howl tears apart a South African lighthouse. In South Carolina, an unknown carcass washes up on a public beach, prompting the government to evacuate and cordon off the area, claiming it as a beached whale killed by red tide poisoning.

Meanwhile, Daughtery's research is seized by government officials led by Dr. Aleksander Cirko (Rade Šerbedžija); after attempting to confront them, she is fired. Curious as to what he's seen, Miles ventures back to the area where he first spotted the creature only to find the water covered in strange pods he classifies as "eggs"; he takes one home and places it in his parents' fish tank. Unable to cope with his brother's disappearance, Connely ventures to South Carolina to see the creature for himself. Connelly meets Daughtery upon arrival after they are both taken into custody due to asking too many questions. When the fish in Miles' tank disappear and the tank breaks, Miles discovers that something has hatched from the egg; he attempts to conceal it but it escapes and causes havoc at his sister's pool party. Daughtery and Connelly sneak onto the beach and bring back a hagfish that had been feeding on the carcass. Each returns to his home, and Daughtery sends the fish's stomach contents to be tested. As they wait for the results, reports of strange creatures beaching themselves around the world begin to surface. These three strangers may have stumbled upon the greatest secret in human history.

The creature that hatched from the "egg" that Miles found appears to be some kind of iguana-like animal. It has the ability to zap objects with a green electrical charge. Miles's friend Phil names the creature Nimrod, "Nim" for short.

Tagline: The fate of the world is in their hands; they just don't know it yet

Dr. Cirko discovers the origins of the creature, but is murdered before he can tell anyone. His assistant gives his research to Daughtery who teamed up with Connelly.

[edit] Cast and characters

Primary cast left-to-right: Rich, Laura, Aleksander, & Miles

Actor	Role	Notes
Lake Bell	Laura Daughtery	Marine biologist
Carter Jenkins	Miles James ^[1] Barnett
Jay R. Ferguson	Richard Connelly
Rade Šerbedžija	Dr. Aleksander Cirko
Ian Anthony Dale	Davis Lee	Government Official
Leighton Meester	Savannah Barnett	Miles' sister
Eddie Hassell	Phil	Miles' best friend
Linsey Godfrey	Caitlin Blum	Miles' friend
Bobby Coleman	Jesse	Laura's son
Connor Ross	Zack	Miles' friend
John Banks	Milliard	Savannah's Boyfriend

[edit] Episode guide

Main article: List of Surface episodes

Surface ran for only one season:

#	Airdate	Tagline
101	September 19, 2005	There's something strange going on in the worlds oceans
102	September 26, 2005	The mystery of the ocean is now on land
103	October 3, 2005	Things are heating up under the ocean
104	October 10, 2005	It is time to track these unidentified species
105	October 17, 2005	Who turned out the lights
106	October 24, 2005	Another one bites the dust
107	November 7, 2005
108	November 14, 2005	Submersible Setback
109	November 21, 2005	Race against time
110	November 28, 2005	Laura and Rich return from plunge to the ocean floor - with no boat in sight
111	January 2, 2006
112	January 9, 2006	Fugitives on the run
113	January 23, 2006	Experiment gone awry
114	January 30, 2006	Fears are rising
115	February 6, 2006	Who will be left behind?

[edit] DVD releases

On May 1, 2006 tvshowsondvd.com ^[2] announced that Universal would be releasing Surface - Season 1 DVD set on August 15, 2006. The DVD set was released with the title of Surface The Complete Series.