Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Ship To Shore (1993-1996)

An open letter to the current head of the ABC Kids programming department:

Dear Sirs/Madams,

I wish to draw your attention to the following picture:


Now this is quality children's entertainment. In fact, I think you'll find that anything Paul Barron created/was involved in pretty much set the standard for kids' TV. I suggest you call him up and beg him to bail you out of the immense hole you've dug for yourself in recent years. Because Paul Barron is a god among men. And you know it.

Set in the coastal town of Circe Island, it followed the lives of a handful of local kids varying in age who caused mischief about as well as they managed to clean it up. As usual, they had their share of evil adults to contend with -- in this case, the ruthless Hermes Endakis, always ready to make a quick buck using some doomed-from-the-start, get-rich-quick scheme.

Each kid had their own unique personality, from the nerd Gavin to the do-gooder Julie to the cheeky older boy Kelvin. They rode around the island on their bikes, spying on Hermes and trying to work out whose side Kelvin was on once and for all. They respected their parents but managed to do the exact opposite of what they were told. It was typically Aussie, typically kiddy, but totally unforgettable. Great theme song, too.

Following this open letter will be a longer, more detailed recap of a specific episode, with the appropriate links so you yourselves may watch it and bask in the wonder that was Ship To Shore, as it (hopefully) fills you with inspiration to get cracking on a similarly high-quality television program. If it helps, I'll happily start you off -- in a typical Aussie town where it was always sunny, there lived a bunch of kids who rode around on bikes all day doing whatever they felt like...

Yours faithfully (sometimes),

Lorelai

No comments:

Post a Comment