H2O: Just Add Water

TV Kids Weekly, October 30, 2007

ORIGIN: Based on an original idea by Jonathan Shiff, whose other production credits include Wicked Science, Ocean Girl and Pirate Islands.

DISTRIBUTORS: ZDF Enterprises (Europe, U.S.); Wild Pumpkin (Australia, Asia)

CREATOR: Jonathan M. Shiff

TV SHOW: There are 52 26-minute live-action episodes available, along with two TV movies. A third season is currently in the works.

SYNOPSIS: H2O—Just Add Water is an adventure-drama about how to stay ‘normal’ when you’re a part-time mermaid.

Emma, Cleo and Rikki are 16-year-old girls growing up on the sun-drenched beaches of the Gold Coast. Emma is confident and athletic, Cleo is slightly insecure and awkward and Rikki is ‘different’—the new girl who is aloof and smart. For the heroines, life revolves around clothes, the beach and boys—with school as a minor distraction.

One day, the girls find themselves accidentally stranded at sea, floating towards the mysterious Mako Island. The three urban girls find themselves exploring the eerie jungle-covered island before becoming trapped in an ancient cave under a volcano. Discovering an underwater channel, they decide to swim to safety. As they enter the pool, the light from the full moon illuminates the water, creating a mysterious glow. Emma, Cleo and Rikki get off the island as fast as they can and back to “normal” life. One by one, however, the girls find out that life is never going to be normal again.

It’s Emma who discovers it first when she goes for a morning training swim alone; contact with water makes her grow a fish tail. The others find exactly the same thing; Cleo, while in the bath, and Rikki when she is hit by a garden sprinkler. It seems if water touches them they have seconds to dry off before long, elegant tails appear and they’re mermaids. But the surprises aren’t over. As the girls experiment they find they’ve got extraordinary magical powers over water. Emma can freeze it. Cleo can turn a drop into a bucketful and mould it into any shape. And Rikki can boil water with a gesture.

Everyday situations have now turned tricky: the morning shower, swimming sports, rainstorms—all create profound problems. However, together with their loyal friend Lewis, the girls resolve to resume their normal teenage lives. But it’s hard to be normal when you’re a part-time mermaid.

The girls enter a wonderful, underwater world, but the nature of their powers draws them into wild adventures. And when local bad boy, Zane Bennett, is rescued from a sinking boat by Emma, he turns out to be the biggest threat of all. Having seen “something” under the water, Zane embarks on a hunt for the mysterious creature lurking out at sea.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jonathan M. Shiff

COMMISSIONING BROADCASTERS: ZDF and KIKA in Germany; Network Ten in Australia.

TV SALES: Deals have been concluded in over 100 territories. Broadcast partners include ORF, VRT, Nickelodeon UK, Nickelodeon France, Nickelodeon Spain, Viasat, YLE, France 2, Skai TV, Icelandic TV, TG4 Ireland, KBS Korea, TROS, Markiza TV and Antena 3.

PRODUCTS: DVDs by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Germany. Presented at Licensing Show in New York this year, other key categories for the girl-skewing series include apparel, accessories and publishing. In Australia, the Target department store has launched an extensive range of clothing based on the series. ZDF Enterprises is working with the Australian agency Wild Pumpkin on the worldwide marketing of the show.

STRATEGY FOR ROLLOUT: For the target group of girls 8 to 11, this lifestyle brand rollout begins in the categories of apparel and accessories, where it is much stronger than in the toys and games areas. The basic platform is the release of DVDs, tie-in books and music related to the soundtrack, with a title song sung by Katie Alexa, a well-known Australian singer. In a second cycle, the merchandising and licensing strategy for this live-action TV series will focus on the rollout of teen girl products such as stationery, cosmetics and related merchandise.