Cleo: Emma's always really prepared.Rikki: I'm so happy for her.
Miriam: Sick people make me feel... well, sick.
[After vaporizing Miriam's pool]Rikki: I never liked pool parties anyway!
Lewis: [to Emma and Rikki about Cleo going to Miriam's pool party] I am not some lackey, I am not some all purpose-servant. You really think you can tell me what to do and I'll jump...her phone's off.
H2O: Just Add Water, also known as
H2O, is an Australian television programme for children, pre-teens and teenagers, that is filmed on location at
Sea WorldSea World is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and theme park located on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It includes rides, animal exhibits and other attractions, and promotes conservation through education and through the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. The...
and other locations on the
Gold CoastGold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
. It first screened on Australia's
Network TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
and later on
Disney Channel AustraliaFor the Disney Channel in other countries, see Disney Channel . For the original Disney Channel, see Disney Channel.Disney Channel Australia is a television channel that is broadcast in Australia and New Zealand...
, and runs in syndication on channels in over 120 countries and has a worldwide audience of more than 250 million. The show's premise revolves around three
teenageAdolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
girls facing everyday teen problems with an added twist: they're
mermaidA mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
s with powers over water. The theme song "No Ordinary Girl" is performed by Ellie Henderson in series one, by
Kate AlexaKate Alexa Gudinski is an Australian pop singer and the daughter of Australian music promoter Michael Gudinski, AM. Alexa first hit the spotlight in 2004 when her song "Always There" was featured in the Channel 7 series Home & Away...
in series two and by
Indiana EvansIndiana Rose Evans is an Australian actress and singer best known for her role as Matilda Hunter in the soap opera Home and Away and as Isabella "Bella" Hartley in the children's show H2O: Just Add Water.-Early life:...
in series three.
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.
In July 2011 the production of a 26-episode
spin-offIn media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
was announced. The new series,
Mako: Island of SecretsMako: Island of Secrets is an upcoming Australian television programme for children, pre-teens and teenagers, and is a spin-off of H2O: Just Add Water. The series, announced in July 2011, is produced by Jonathan M. Shiff in association with Nickelodeon Australia.- Plot :...
, follows the adventures of 15-year-old Zac and mermaids Sirena, Nixie and Lyla.
Plot
Emma Gilbert, Cleo Sertori and Rikki Chadwick are three sixteen-year-old Australian teenage girls who find themselves stranded on the mysterious Mako Island. They eventually find themselves in a pool under a dormant volcano just as a full moon appears overhead, bathing the pool in light. The girls are rescued and return to "normal life", but soon discover their lives have become anything but normal: ten seconds after contact with water, they transform into
mermaidA mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
s with supernatural powers over water. The trio enlist the help of Cleo's friend Lewis McCartney, who attempts to discover the secret behind their transformations.
Everyday situations, such as bathing and rain, become tricky as the girls struggle to cope with their newfound abilities, which have many advantages and disadvantages, while also trying to keep them a secret from everyone else.
Series two introduces Charlotte Watsford, who eventually gains mermaid powers as well and becomes the villain of the show. Series three sees the arrival of Bella Hartley, who has been a mermaid since the age of nine.
Cast
| Actor | Character | Main cast
series | Recurring cast
series |
| Claire Holt Claire Holt is an Australian actress, best known for her role as Emma Gilbert on the television show H2O: Just Add Water.- Early life :...
|
Emma Gilbert |
1–2 |
|
| Phoebe Tonkin Phoebe Jane Elizabeth Tonkin is an Australian actress and model. She is best known for portraying Cleo Sertori in H2O: Just Add Water and Fiona Maxwell in Tomorrow, When the War Began...
|
Cleo Sertori |
1–3 |
|
| Cariba Heine Cariba Heine is an Australian actress and dancer. She is best known for her roles as Rikki Chadwick in the Network Ten show H2O: Just Add Water, Bridget Sanchez in Blue Water High, and as Caroline Byrne in A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne.Heine has attended The UK Nickelodeon...
|
Rikki Chadwick |
1–3 |
|
Indiana EvansIndiana Rose Evans is an Australian actress and singer best known for her role as Matilda Hunter in the soap opera Home and Away and as Isabella "Bella" Hartley in the children's show H2O: Just Add Water.-Early life:...
|
Isabella "Bella" Hartley |
3 |
|
Angus McLarenAngus McLaren is an Australian actor who is best known for his roles in the television series, Packed To The Rafters as Nathan Rafter and H2O: Just Add Water as Lewis McCartney.-Personal life:...
|
Lewis McCartney |
1–3 |
3 |
| Luke Mitchell -External links:...
|
Will Benjamin |
3 |
|
| Burgess Abernethy |
Zane Bennett |
|
1–3 |
Brittany ByrnesBrittany Byrnes is an Australian actress. Her most notable acting role was Natasha Green in the 2005 TV film Little Oberon.- Personal life :...
|
Charlotte Watsford |
|
2 |
Craig HornerCraig Horner is an Australian actor who first appeared in the Australian television program Cybergirl. He is best known for his role as Richard Cypher on the television series Legend of the Seeker.-Biography:...
|
Ash Dove |
|
2 |
Main characters
- Claire Holt
Claire Holt is an Australian actress, best known for her role as Emma Gilbert on the television show H2O: Just Add Water.- Early life :...
as Emma Gilbert, who has a confident and responsible, if somewhat controlling, personality. She has the ability to freeze water, and later develops the ability to manipulate clouds, ice and snow. Holt appears in series one and two, but left the show to film Messengers 2: The Scarecrow.
- Phoebe Tonkin
Phoebe Jane Elizabeth Tonkin is an Australian actress and model. She is best known for portraying Cleo Sertori in H2O: Just Add Water and Fiona Maxwell in Tomorrow, When the War Began...
as Cleo Sertori, who at first is shy and a little awkward, but eventually becomes outgoing and personable. She is able to manipulate and mould the form of water, as well as increase or decrease the amount of water present. She is later able to control the wind. Tonkin appears in all series of the show.
- Cariba Heine
Cariba Heine is an Australian actress and dancer. She is best known for her roles as Rikki Chadwick in the Network Ten show H2O: Just Add Water, Bridget Sanchez in Blue Water High, and as Caroline Byrne in A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne.Heine has attended The UK Nickelodeon...
as Rikki Chadwick, the new girl in town at the start of the show, who tends to be aloof and rebellious. Her power is the ability to manipulate heat in water, ranging from warming to boiling, which eventually grows to allow control over fire and lightning. Heine appears in all series of the show.
- Angus McLaren
Angus McLaren is an Australian actor who is best known for his roles in the television series, Packed To The Rafters as Nathan Rafter and H2O: Just Add Water as Lewis McCartney.-Personal life:...
as Lewis McCartney, Cleo's childhood friend who is academically gifted and thinks of himself as a scientist. He finds out their secret and he works to understand why the transformations occur. After appearing in both series one and two, McLaren left the show during the third series to begin filming Packed to the RaftersPacked to the Rafters is an Australian family-orientated television series which premiered on the Seven Network on Tuesday 26 August 2008 at 8:30 pm. The drama series features a mix of lighthearted comedy woven through the plot. It revolves around the Rafter family facing work pressures and...
.
- Brittany Byrnes
Brittany Byrnes is an Australian actress. Her most notable acting role was Natasha Green in the 2005 TV film Little Oberon.- Personal life :...
as Charlotte Watsford, the main antagonist of series two who enjoys the arts and sciences, but is controlling and manipulative. She causes conflict amongst the girls and steals Cleo's boyfriend. Upon transforming into a mermaid, she obtains all of the girls' collective powers, but permanently loses her abilities after a confrontation with the trio and does not return in series three.
- Indiana Evans
Indiana Rose Evans is an Australian actress and singer best known for her role as Matilda Hunter in the soap opera Home and Away and as Isabella "Bella" Hartley in the children's show H2O: Just Add Water.-Early life:...
as Isabella "Bella" Hartley, the new girl in series three. She is a singer and performs at the juice bar. She became a mermaid in the sea caves of Ireland when she was nine, and has the power to change water into gelatinGelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
e and a crystalline substance. During the series, she and Will develop feelings for each other, and eventually become a couple.
Supporting characters
- Burgess Abernethy as Zane Bennett, who is the vain and arrogant local bad boy. In series one, he becomes obsessed with discovering the identity of the mermaids after catching a glimpse of one. Later, he develops an on-again, off-again relationship with Rikki that is permanently broken in series three.
- Luke Mitchell
-External links:...
as Will Benjamin, a skilled swimmer and free-diver who is introduced in series three. While exploring Mako Island, he finds the moon pool and is attacked by the water, causing him to hunt for the cause of the strange event. He is Bella's love interest, becomes closer to the girls once he discovers they are mermaids.
- Craig Horner
Craig Horner is an Australian actor who first appeared in the Australian television program Cybergirl. He is best known for his role as Richard Cypher on the television series Legend of the Seeker.-Biography:...
as Ash Dove, a keen equestrianEquestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
and riding coach who appears during series two. He forms a relationship with Emma, but does not learn of her being a mermaid until the series finale. Horner does not appear in series three due to filming Legend of the SeekerLegend of the Seeker is a television series based on The Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind. Distributed in U.S. by Disney-ABC Domestic Television, ABC Studios produced the series, which was its first foray into broadcast syndication, with Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Joshua Donen, Ned Nalle and...
.
Episode list
Production
There are three different types of mermaid tails used on the show: custom-fitted tails that the girls swim in, a "floppy tail" used for stationary shots, and a "hard tail" for stunts. The custom costumes took six months to build, with the tails and tops made from body casts and comprising individually hand-crafted scales. The finished product weighs between 12 and 15 kg (26.5 and 33.1 ). Inside the tail are leg straps where the girls are strapped up and then zipped up. Once in costume, the girls have to be lifted into the water. Attempts were made to minimise the on-screen visibility of the zips on the tails, such as adding extra scales and crafting a ridge of material around the length of the zip. The tail fin itself was designed with a foot pedal to assist the actresses with swimming. This, along with the fin, adds some 60 centimetres (2 ft) to the length of the costume.
DVD releases
Series one and series two have been released on DVD in Region 4
PALPAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
format. Series one comprises six individual DVD sets released between September 2007 and November 2008, and a complete series compilation released in June 2009. Series two comprises three individual sets released between February and September 2009, and a complete series compilation released in November 2009.
| Title |
Release Date |
Episodes |
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series One: Volume 1 |
12 September 2007 |
1."Metamorphosis", 2."Pool Party", 3."Catch of the Day", 4."Party Girls"
- Special features: series one trailer, profiles of main characters
|
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series One: Volume 2 |
12 September 2007 |
5."Something Fishy", 6."Young Love", 7."Moon Spell", 8."The Denman Affair"
Special features: photo gallery of series one |
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series One: Volume 3 |
5 March 2008 |
9."Dangerous Waters", 10."Sink or Swim", 11."The Camera Never Lies", 12."The Siren Effect"
Special features: character profiles of Emma, Cleo, Rikki, Lewis and Zane |
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series One: Volume 4 |
7 May 2008 |
13."Shipwrecked", 14."Surprise!", 15."The Big Chill", 16."Lovesick"
Special feature: H2O quiz game |
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series One: Volume 5 |
9 July 2008 |
17."Under the Weather", 18."Bad Moon Rising", 19."Hurricane Angela", 20."Hook, Line and Sinker", 21."Red Herring" |
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series One: Volume 6 |
5 November 2008 |
22."Fish Out of Water", 23."In Too Deep", 24."Love Potion #9", 25."Dr Danger", 26."A Twist in the Tail" |
H2O: Just Add Water:
Complete Series One |
2 June 2009 |
All episodes of series one
Special features: H2O quiz game; character profiles of Emma, Cleo, Rikki, Lewis and Zane; photo gallery of series one |
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series 2: Volume 1 |
8 February 2009 |
1."Stormy Weather", 2."Control", 3."The One That Got Away", 4."Fire and Ice", 5."Hocus Pocus", 6."Pressure Cooker", 7."In Hot Water", 8."Wrong Side of the Tracks"
Special features: series one telemovie, series two trailer |
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series 2: Volume 2 |
2 June 2009 |
9."Riding For a Fall", 10."Missed the Boat", 11."In Over Our Heads", 12."Fish Fever", 13."Moonwalker", 14."Get Off My Tail", 15."Irresistible", 16."Double Trouble", 17."Moonstruck"
Special features: photo gallery |
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series 2: Volume 3 |
2 September 2009 |
18."The Heat is On", 19."The Gracie Code (Part 1)", 20."The Gracie Code (Part 2)", 21."And Then There Were Four", 22."Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble", 23."Reckless", 24."Three's Company", 25."Sea Change", 26."Unfathomable"
Special features: behind the scenes special |
H2O: Just Add Water:
Complete Series Two |
4 November 2009 |
All episodes of series two
Special features: series one telemovie, series two trailer, photo gallery, behind-the-scenes special |
Soundtracks
An official soundtrack for series two of the show, titled
H2O: Just Add Water and recorded by singer
Kate AlexaKate Alexa Gudinski is an Australian pop singer and the daughter of Australian music promoter Michael Gudinski, AM. Alexa first hit the spotlight in 2004 when her song "Always There" was featured in the Channel 7 series Home & Away...
, was first released on 10 September 2007 in Australia on
Liberation RecordsLiberation Records is a Southern California record company. It was formed by 16-year-old David Taba in 1994. The label notably discovered and released the debut album of Home Grown and, in 1994, released the classic Punk Sucks compilation...
and has since been made available worldwide. Its lead track, "No Ordinary Girl", is the theme song for the show.
A second soundtrack, featuring music from series three, was first released on
iTunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on 17 February 2011 and later worldwide during March 2011. It is also titled
H2O: Just Add WaterH2O: Just Add Water is the television soundtrack for series three of the children's television show of the same name. It is sung by actress Indiana Evans and features twelve tracks. The album was first released on iTunes on 17 February 2011, and worldwide in March 2011. It is the second soundtrack...
and was recorded by actress Indiana Evans.
Books
Several children's books have been released by Nickelodeon UK:
- No Ordinary Girl – 2 February 2009
- Living with Secrets – 2 February 2009
- Fishy Business – 5 May 2009
- A Sleepover Tail – 6 July 2009
- Sequins for Sea Queens – 7 January 2010
- First Crush – 29 April 2010
- Moon Spell – 5 August 2010
- Testing Times – 6 January 2011
- Hot Stuff – 9 June 2011
- In Too Deep – 4 August 2011
- Mermaid Emotions – 27 October 2011
- Siren Status - 2 February 2012
Awards
- 2008 Nickelodeon Australia
Nickelodeon is the Australian counterpart of the Nickelodeon network in the United States. It is operated by a joint venture of XYZnetworks and MTV Networks Australia.-History:...
Kids' Choice AwardThe 6th annual Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards were held on 11 October 2008 at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne. John Cena has been picked to host the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards alongside Natalie Bassingthwaighte.-So Hot Right Now:* Short Stack...
for "Best TV Drama Show"
- 2009 Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
for "Most Outstanding Children's Program"
Nominations
- 2007 Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
for "Most Outstanding Children's Program"
- 2007 Nickelodeon UK
Nickelodeon is a children's television channel available on Sky, Virgin Media, Smallworld Cable, TalkTalk TV and UPC Ireland in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including on demand on BT Vision. The channel was launched on 1 September 1993...
Kids' Choice AwardThe Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids Choice Awards, is an annual awards show that airs on the Nickelodeon cable channel, which airs live and is usually held and telecast live on a...
for "Best TV Show"
- 2008 Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
for "Most Outstanding Children's Program"
- 2009 Nickelodeon Australia
Nickelodeon is the Australian counterpart of the Nickelodeon network in the United States. It is operated by a joint venture of XYZnetworks and MTV Networks Australia.-History:...
Kids' Choice AwardThe 7th annual Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on 13 November 2009 at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne and was broadcast as LIVE in Australia at 7.00pm on Nickelodeon . The nominees for 2009 were announced on 20 September 2009....
for "Fave Drama Show"
External links