Mark Defriest

Stormworld is an Australian-Canadian television drama series aired on the Nine Network in 2009 in Australia and first aired on Space March 2009 in Canada with a repeat broadcast in August 2009. The show follows two boys, Jason and Lee, after they are transported to an alien world with three suns, through a vortex while on a boat trip that started in Vancouver, Canada. The boys receive help from Flees a seasoned veteran of living on Stormworld who has a special boat named Stormrider. The boys, as new arrivals or "access crashers" as the local inhabitants call them, find shelter at The Settlement. Stormworld is the destination for people and objects from many different worlds. Transport to Stormworld happens when a vortex is created between Stormworld and another world by large beetle-like insects. The surface of Stormworld is a salt water ocean with many islands that have a generally a hot climate. Fresh water is a scarce resource that is central to the survival of all inhabitants. This leads to everyone constantly searching for fresh water, including the fabled Great Water. Trade and barter of the objects brought through the vortices operate as the basis of the inhabitants economy.

6.2/10

The Saddle Club is a children's television series based on the books written by Bonnie Bryant Like the book series, the scripted live action series follows the lives of three teenage girls in training to compete in equestrian competitions at the fictional Pine Hollow Stables, while dealing with problems in their personal lives. Throughout the series, The Saddle Club navigates their rivalry with Veronica, training for competitions, horse shows, and the quotidian dramas that arise between friends and staff in the fictional Pine Hollow Stables. In each show, The Saddle Club prevails over its adversities, usually sending a message emphasizing the importance of friendship and teamwork.

6/10

The year is 2020. Fifteen-year-old Noah lives with his family in the futuristic underground community of North Col. The world above is a frozen wasteland after a massive comet strike destroyed all other life in the world including the animals. One night, he accidentally time travels to the future and finds himself trapped in the year 2085 in a desolate desert place called Haven with a group of children, the Nomads, led by Arushka.

7.4/10

Flipper, is an American revival television series of the original 1964 Flipper television series. The first two seasons aired in first-run syndication; seasons 3 and 4 aired on the PAX network. The 1995 version brought back Bud Ricks as a scientist doing marine research in Florida. The dolphin Flipper was one with whom Dr. Ricks was working. This TV show is available for online viewing on hulu in the United States and at Rogers On Demand in Canada. Although the show was set in Bal Harbour, Florida, it was largely filmed in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. However three episodes during the first season, including the pilot, were filmed in Pigeon Key, Florida and at the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida.

5.4/10

Chances was an Australian evening soap opera, produced from 1991 to 1992. It told the story of the average middle-class Taylor family whose lives are transformed by winning $3 million in the lottery. The series was broadcast by the Nine Network, initially as two one-hour episodes each week. Principal cast members included John Sheerin and Brenda Addie as Dan and Barbara Taylor, Jeremy Sims as their mischievous son Alex, Deborah Kennedy as Dan's sister Connie Reynolds, Tim Robertson as Dan's brother Jack, Anne Grigg as his wife Sarah, and Michael Caton as neighbourhood friend Bill Anderson. Originally, creator Lynn Bayonas pitched the show as a family-oriented drama; however to help ensure the program's success, Channel Nine asked for nude scenes and risqué elements to also be included in the series. Initial publicity for the show focused on the sex angle, and it was for this that Chances was chiefly known.

6/10

The Flying Doctors is an Australian drama series produced by Crawford Productions that revolved around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the real Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. It was initially a 1985 mini-series based in the fictional outback town of Cooper's Crossing starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. Tom Callaghan. The success of the mini series led to its return the following year as an on-going series with McFarlane being joined by a new doctor, Chris Randall, played by Liz Burch. McFarlane left during the first season and actor Robert Grubb came in as new doctor Geoff Standish. The series' episodes were mostly self-contained but also featured ongoing storylines, such as Dr. Standish's romance with Sister Kate Wellings. Other major characters included pilot Sam Patterson, mechanic Emma Plimpton, local policeman Sgt. Jack Carruthers and Vic and Nancy Buckley, who ran the local pub/hotel, The Majestic. Andrew McFarlane also later returned to the series, resuming his role as Dr. Callaghan. The popular series ran for nine seasons and was successfully screened internationally.

6.8/10