User reviews

This Baywatch spin off falls short in almost every aspect of good TV. The acting is painful at times. I would not recommend this show. David Hasselhoff would even cringe. Cape Town looks beautiful. I wish i had more positive things to say about the show but i cant think of any off hand. Filling up five lines for a review has never been so hard. Thanks for reading

On my first draft of the review I felt like I was ripping the whole episode to shreds on soundtrack, camera-work, overacting and poor acting and even continuity and makeup issues. I know professionals put huge amounts of effort to get a show on air and viewer support and reviews are their lifeblood.

I often prefer television dramas and I hope that most of these issues smooth out so we can accept the world they are attempting to bring the viewer into. A premier episode should try to be a best foot forward and this feels more like an unaired pilot episode for those that have seen them and know what I'm referring to - These Pilots are often unpolished and are often trying different aspects of production to see what does and does not work. Up to this point I believed most went through trial viewings with audience reaction reviews which I have participated in a fair number of times over the years. The goal being to get the responses needed to take the show from a concept to a more polished work. To make the best possible product or in many cases, whether to go forward with production at all. I have previewed many that seemed stronger than this yet never were produced.

I made it to minute 18. I wasn't surprised to read that it was taking its inspiration from Baywatch - but presumably that meant the rather poor later seasons rather than the earlier and better ones.

The acting is so wooden I was genuinely worried that they would all spontaneously combust when getting to close to the fires that they are supposed to fight. Lundgren and Lyster are clearly too old to be in the rescue services on the front line, and the rest of the cast all look far too young. Everything about these first 18 minutes tells me that I'm only going to regret it if I carry on watching. Like a car crash, I might not be able to resist it though.

My favorite episodes of the series so far are Faces and Adrift. What I liked about the storyline in Faces is what the Alfonso character was going through as he realized how much of his body was burned, and how his life would never be the same. Having to accept this, and know that nothing would ever be "normal" again was quite powerful. When Lily tries to help in and he pushes her away because he's in so much pain, that felt so real. I can only imagine what it must have been like for him to have to go through this in real life. What I liked about Adrift was all the stuff with Graciela and Jared's memories of childhood. When Graciela remembers her grandmother singing to her, that was incredibly touching, and then when she dreams of her dead brother and he reaches out to take her hand, as if to take her with him to heaven, I got goosebumps. I'll keep watching to see what other hurdles they will all have to overcome.

Without the hype, of many similar shows, it holds promise. I think it is continually getting better. The plot is developing at a good pace.

Love JR Martinez!

I was an EMT in Alaska and ER Tech in California, while there are some discrepancies, (aren't there always with TV scripts?) it is better than most. The interaction between the team members is good and they are building true relationships working together as in real life.

If you are tired of all the trite poorly written sensational junk out there, give it a try.

My only real complaint is the theme song. It is pretty bad. Give us some bagpipes and Amazing Grace or something.

Chill out everyone. It's a television show, not the opening negotiations for disarming nuclear armed North Korea. Good looking guys (who cares), hot women in bikinis (I care), in beautiful surroundings. Dolph Lundgren is a known going in. He brings what he always brings. J.R. Martinez grows as an actor with every outing. Fresh new faces fill out the show and present the creators with chances for growth and creativity. I anticipate that season two will benefit from the growth in season one and that new story lines will break this show open. Face it, in a world where Brooklyn Nine-Nine can win a Golden Globe as Best Sitcom, SAF3 is a sure bet to be around for a long time.

I watched the show specifically for Dolph and Texas Battle, I'm a fan of both. J.R. Martinez is pretty good in this, despite the weak material given to him and his fellow actors. The latino lady comes off as stereotypical spicy, but I can work with this. Most of the cast looks like they're reading directly from their script in hand, but I hope that's because they are first time actors, maybe? Texas has a great sense of humor in this and it shows, and Dolph and JR. have a slow burner storyline, but the rest of the girls and the other two guys aren't too memorable, they need some characterization and to show us their background and story, but this show is still more diverse than most shows on TV. Hopefully the acting will improve but I've been watching every episode, something won't let me stop.

First, I very much like the concept of emergency service personnel (our day-to-day heroes) although injured in the line of duty, able to return to work, albeit obviously changed human beings. JR Martinez brings his personal horror story of injury & facial derangement to his role & I sympathized greatly with not only his pain, but his social discomfort & sadness. Dolph...well...is Dolph. ...great in the typical quasi-militaristic plot but a tad sketchy in those little personal drama scenes. Texas Battle is good & believable, as is Karl Thaning. The plots have evolved nicely. (Among others, I enjoyed the container that submerged containing trafficked humans, and their rescue.). I would like to see improvement in the female role though. Why are their shoulders/arms so pitiful? Come on Lydia, Jocelyn & Katie, pick up some weights. Carry a hose pack. Work out for gods' sakes. This is not 1990 you know. I also liked Danielle Caley Anderson's playing of Kacie. She brought some fresh drama to the role of a non- emergency person/fairly abandoned kid's confused life. Inter-agency cooperation is tricky in real life with egos on the line & in the end, real life at stake. The season's second half showed much improvement in all ways and I'm looking forward to more rescue stories next year!

I have been a big fan of Dolph Lundgren since 1985 but SAF3 is making me re-think continuing on as a fan. Dolph has made plenty of garbage before, but this takes the cake.

SAF3 is very cheap and melodramatic but the biggest problem is that the show is boring. I wouldn't mind good cheesy fun but this show is no fun.

The show seems like it was shot to be a 30 minute show, but they had to stretch it to an hour. Every scene is stretched out and completely pointless.

I am sure Dolph is hoping no one watches this show, but he doesn't have much to worry about, the most anyone will watch of SAF3 is 5-10 minutes.

Why does the industry spend money on crap like this? I've seen better films created by college students with NO budget. I don't know how I made it through the first ep. Started the 2nd ep and can't get any farther. Take it back to the drawing board guys and hire a much better cast and better writers. Oh, and change the name. The backwards hacker names went out in the 80's. The acting was pathetic. Dolph Lundgren is almost as bad as hiring a pro wrestler as an actor. At least the wrestler has SOME acting experience. It is entertainment, somewhat. How is it that shows like this can make it past the first airing of the first ep? I'm amazed at how a good show can get canceled and crap like this can continue.

For those of us sick to death of smartypants post-post-modern irony, like Breaking Bad and Dexter, SAF3 comes as a breath of fresh air. Lung Dolphin is a proper leading man like Rab Butler in Gone in the Wind, not a wheezing creep like self-styled Dr Heisenberg. Give me men like this any day, men who take care of business without the pathetic need to talk everything out. I think the soundtrack by the Carpenters underscores the timber of the acting but the show also displays technical innovation, like the radar screen showing North America. We need more shows like this about the unsung heroes of everyday life. Come on writers. What about some shows about policemen? Or medical emergencies? Anyone?

I watched a few episodes in the first season and enjoyed them, then returned to tune in to the second season. I have to say, I expected a lot of mindless rescue-action sequences but the show has more layering and heart than that. TJ Martinez is great, and Dolph manages to pull off the sensitive tough guy role really well. Lots of relationship plot lines that overlap and keep it interesting. The camera-work does a great job of showing off the locations and the cast in their best light. Direction is decent, but I do think the pacing could be a little faster in places. The writing has steadily improved over the shows run and has the potential to elevate the show even more. I've definitely been drawn in to some of the character story lines. Overall this is an entertaining and thoughtful show with heart. I'll keep watching.