Water Rats (TV series)
| Water Rats | |
|---|---|
| Created by | John Hugginson Tony Morphett |
| Starring |
Colin Friels Catherine McClements Mouche Phillips Toni Scanlan Steve Bisley Peter Bensley Aaron Pedersen Jay Laga'aia. For other cast members, see Cast below |
| Theme music composer |
Les Gock Song Zu |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 177 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Hal McElroy Ted Roberts |
| Location(s) |
Sydney The Rocks Goat Island Balmain |
| Running time | 43-45 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Nine Films and Television Southern Star Group |
| Distributor | Southern Star |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nine Network |
| Picture format | |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 12 February 1996 – 7 August 2001 |
| Water Rats: Dead in the Water | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Tim Burstall |
| Written by | Tony Morphett |
|
Release date
|
12 February 1996 |
|
Running time
|
90 mins |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
Water Rats is an Australian TV police procedural broadcast on the Nine Network from 1996 to 2001. The series was based on work of the men and women of the Sydney Water Police who fight crime around Sydney Harbour and surrounding locales. The show was set on and around Goat Island in Sydney Harbour.
Water Rats premiered on 12 February 1996, and ran for six seasons and 177 episodes. Colin Friels and Catherine McClements were the original stars of the series and were instrumental in the show's early success. They both departed the show in 1999. In later seasons, Steve Bisley, Aaron Pedersen and Dee Smart became the show's main stars.
For the sixth and final season in 2001, the show concentrated more on the cops' personal lives rather than just focusing on the crimes committed. The Nine Network cancelled the show after six seasons. Executive Producer Kris Noble blamed escalating costs for the cancellation. However, Bisley and Smart had also just quit the show, and the series had already been suffering a ratings battle following the departure of Friels and McClements in 1999.
The final episode was broadcast in Australia on 7 August 2001.
The first episode of Water Rats screened in Australia at 8.30 pm on Monday, 12 February 1996. It was entitled Dead in the Water and was a two-part episode. Dead in the Water introduced viewers to Detective Senior Constable's Frank Holloway and Rachel Goldstein.
Along with:
and
The pilot plot concerned a divorced man, deranged over the death of his daughter, who captures a Sydney harbour ferry and holds the city to ransom.
Season one ran for 26 episodes and major storylines included:
The second season of Water Rats ran, again, for 26 episodes and began airing on Monday, 10 February 1997. Season two also took the detectives to Melbourne, a change from Sydney harbour. It also introduced a new character, Constable Tayler Johnson, as well as a few minor ones, including:
...
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