Review: H20 - Just Add Water (2006-2010)

H20: Just Add Water (2006-2010) is an Australian fantasy television series about three teenage girls, who discover their lives are anything but normal: they have become mermaids! In addition, they have supernatural powers over water. To keep their new abilities a secret from people, they enlist the help of a close friend, who attempts to discover the secret behind their transformations. As a children's show, the girls also encounter different life challenges. The series spans three seasons and contains 78 episodes.

The location is the Gold Coast, Queensland. The three girls -- Emma Gilbert, Cleo Sertori and Rikki Chadwick -- become stranded on Mako Island when their boat stops working. They eventually stumbled upon a pool inside a dormant volcano. When they jump into the pool, a full moon appears overhead and magically transforms them. After becoming mermaids, their new lifestyles have some disadvantages: ten seconds after contact with water, they transform into mermaids. When Lewis McCartney discovers their secret, he promises to help them by unlocking the secrets behind Mako Island.

It is rare that I watch live mermaid shows. I stumbled upon this Australian TV series when I was conducting research on mermaids. Surprisingly, there are not many books, movies or shows about mermaids. Since I am becoming more open-minded to television dramas outside the United States, I could not pass up this opportunity. I watched a few episodes, and instantly became hooked. Due to popular demand, the show spanned three seasons. The primary audience is kids and teens.

I enjoyed this show. The special effects are great. The girls look like real mermaids. I kept watching because I wanted to see the girls in action underwater and they did not disappoint. Each episode followed a typical teen situation which got repetitive at times (then again, I am not a teen). However, I thought the third season was lacking suspense and drama. The first two seasons were much better.

Only two series with a total of 52 episodes were originally planned, but due to popular demand, a third series was filmed. Series one premiered in July 2006, followed by series two in September 2007. Series three first aired in the United Kingdom in October 2009, with the Australian premiere occurring in May 2010. The theme song is "No Ordinary Girl"

This series is available to buy on DVD. You can watch the trailer below:


Theme Music: "No Ordinary Girl"