Mako Mermaids to Swim to Disney Channel

Fans of the popular Austrian series H2O: Just Add Water can rejoice as the series’ first spin-off, Mako Mermaids, arrives on Disney Channel next year.

As of next year H2O will mark ten years since the world’s first meeting with the mystical mermaids as they discovered the hidden secrets of their mermaid halves and the secrets of the enchanting Mako Island. You know on top of trying to lead ordinary lives and navigate though high school.  Even with all the time that has passed since then the following for the series has remained strong.

With fans still wanting more adventures in the sea, it really was not that shocking that in 2013 a new H2O series came about, Mako Mermaids.

Back in June of this year, or past depending on when you are reading this, I only briefly mentioned Mako Mermaids back in my review of the second H2O spin-off Mermaid Adventures.  The series has always been something I have wanted to make a point to talk about, yet somehow failed to.

Despite acting as a spin-off to the original mermaid tale, Mako Mermaids takes a very different take on the world of mermaids we have seen beforehand. The series follows Zac, a rather typical teenage boy, who during a camping trip on Mako Island on a night of a full moon, finds his way to the Moon Pool and acquiring powers and a tail of his own.

Even though being in contact with water can lead to trouble with Zac, that is in fact the very least of it all. After being placed on patrol and fail their given task of keeping humans away from the island, three mermaids are cast out of their pod and strive to remove Zac’s powers. To do that, and learn of the land they have never ventured on the three mermaids move to the land and try and lead lives as normal humans.

Naturally there is a lot more about the series to dive into, and yes puns semi-intended (not very often you can use ocean and mermaid puns). But without really spoiling it all, well it is a far trying feat.

Personally I admit that I do have a very clear performance of the first H2O series over the latter two. Yet I do enjoy seeing a different side to a world that is known well.  Because they are digging deep into the secrets of the island and exploring mermaid-hood there is a level of lore added in.

The dynamics within the main cast are also very different, granted you can also possibly chalk this up to the changes within the casting.  Not only by having the main lead being male over female shifts things narratively, but the fact the mermaids have never really experienced human life. The culture shock and lack of first hand experience at the most mundane of things opens up story-lines with humor.

Again, so much to cover.

And with two full seasons and the third and final season coming out in spring there is a lot of content at hand.

From the time of the release until now Mako Mermaids has served as a Netflix original series in a large number of countries, including that of America. With a large ‘Netflix Original’ label on the cover-art it is hard to miss that detail.  Like most series there has been an iTunes release of the series as well as DVDs, yet they have come sometime after the seasons went live on the streaming service. Needless to say you can image the look that combined shock and surprise when I heard that Disney Channel was planning on airing the series in the coming year.

Strange is a very good adjective.  Add in the fact H2O: Just Add Water was aired on Nick and later TeenNick during their run and it seems all the stranger.

I must attest I have no clue what to make of exclusive streaming content being picked up by major network. Could this possibly become a more common feat- I have no clue. For that fact alone it is going to interesting to see what comes next.

Join the conversation: what do you think of a Netflix ‘original’ series airing on a network? Moreover what about Mako Mermaids?