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**AssholeVictim: [[RunningGag Pod 6 are jerks]].
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--> '''Quinn''':Listen man, you're missing the point. What if everyone started calling you 'White Stormy'?
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--> '''Quinn''':Listen '''Quinn''': Listen man, you're missing the point. What if everyone started calling you 'White Stormy'?"White Stormy"?
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--> '''Stormy''': Man, don't go out there. That Black chick is crazy!
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--> '''Stormy''': Man, don't go out there. That Black black chick is crazy!
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** Taken UpToEleven in the former when Stormy will ''not'' stop tossing electrified objects into it while attempting to help Quinn.
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** Taken UpToEleven in the former when Stormy will ''not'' stop tossing electrified objects into it while attempting to help Quinn. Complete with XRaySparks.
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Rename.
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The show's pilot -- and several episodes from the first couple of seasons -- was made using StockFootage from ''Sealab 2020'', with the original [[GreenAesop banal environmentalist plot lines]] replaced by DeadBabyComedy and other weirdness. The show's producers began branching out into original animation based on the character models from the original show (with even weirder stories to go with the new animation). A notable exception is the episode "7211", which was a direct remake of an original ''Sealab 2020'' episode which was played completely straight -- but there's a clue to the viewers that something is up with this remake: after the captain of the sub [[EnemyMine decides to team up with Murphy despite holding a grudge against him]], a '70s-era title card which says "PLACE COMMERCIAL HERE" is displayed. (During the end credits of the episode, Sealab explodes. Again.)
to:
The show's pilot -- and several episodes from the first couple of seasons -- was made using StockFootage from ''Sealab 2020'', with the original [[GreenAesop banal environmentalist plot lines]] replaced by DeadBabyComedy BlackComedy and other weirdness. The show's producers began branching out into original animation based on the character models from the original show (with even weirder stories to go with the new animation). A notable exception is the episode "7211", which was a direct remake of an original ''Sealab 2020'' episode which was played completely straight -- but there's a clue to the viewers that something is up with this remake: after the captain of the sub [[EnemyMine decides to team up with Murphy despite holding a grudge against him]], a '70s-era title card which says "PLACE COMMERCIAL HERE" is displayed. (During the end credits of the episode, Sealab explodes. Again.)
* BlackComedy: Not usually, but it visited there from time to time.
--> '''Narrator''': Dead African child indeed! ...''[laughter]''...[[HilariousOuttakes I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just so fucking awful...]]
** ''[[CrowningMomentOfFunny Rrribs! Drrripping with sauce! Falling off the bone!]]''
--> '''Narrator''': Dead African child indeed! ...''[laughter]''...[[HilariousOuttakes I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just so fucking awful...]]
** ''[[CrowningMomentOfFunny Rrribs! Drrripping with sauce! Falling off the bone!]]''
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* DeadBabyComedy: Not usually, but it visited there from time to time.
--> '''Narrator''': Dead African child indeed! ...''[laughter]''...[[HilariousOuttakes I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just so fucking awful...]]
** ''[[CrowningMomentOfFunny Rrribs! Drrripping with sauce! Falling off the bone!]]''
--> '''Narrator''': Dead African child indeed! ...''[laughter]''...[[HilariousOuttakes I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just so fucking awful...]]
** ''[[CrowningMomentOfFunny Rrribs! Drrripping with sauce! Falling off the bone!]]''
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* InstantAwesomeJustAddNinjas: Two words: scuba ninjas.
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* RidiculouslyHumanRobot: Other than the show occasionally mentioning it, and Quinn showing off a chest plate full of lights in one of the first episodes, you'd almost forget that Quinn is a robot.
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* FailOSuckyname: Fatass [=McBlobbicus=]
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* FailOSuckyname: Fatass [=McBlobbicus=][=McBlobbicus=]. Quinn doesn't even believe it's a real name, and the other kids are just insulting him when they say it until his name is pointed out on the roster.
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* TheOner: Of sorts. The episode Fusebox has only shot showing the outside of Sealab for the whole episode. The only thing that changes visibly is when [[RunningGag Sealab explodes at the end.]]
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* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The Feast of Alvis episode seems like they just decided to get away with a religiously-charged episode full of religious slurs by just making up brand new religions for everyone to follow instead.
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* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The entire Feast of Alvis episode seems like they just decided to get away with a religiously-charged episode full of religious slurs by just making up brand new religions for everyone to follow instead.(see ExecutiveMeddling)
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* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The Feast of Alvis episode seems like they just decided to get away with a religiously-charged episode full of religious slurs by just making up brand new religions for everyone to follow instead.
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* ClusterFBomb: The FCC agent that shut down Murphy's pirate radio station in "Radio Free Sealab". Ironically, Murphy made a point to run a profanity-free show, his violation was all about broadcasting without a license.
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* {{Gaslighting}}: In "Happy Cake" Sparks reveals that he has been enacting a secret plan to drive Captain Murphy crazy. As part of this he threw his [[BlandNameProduct Happy Cake Oven]] into the ocean and was having the orphans pee in Murphy's bed.
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'''''Sealab 2021''''' is a 15-minute long AdultSwim original show which parodies the 1970s animated series ''Sealab 2020'' (and, to a lesser extent, the entire genre of [[LimitedAnimation crudely-animated]] [[TheSixties 60s]] and [[TheSeventies 70s]] cartoons produced by HannaBarbera). The show lasted from November 2000 to April 2005. A total of 52 episodes in four seasons.
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'''''Sealab 2021''''' is a 15-minute long AdultSwim Creator/AdultSwim original show which parodies the 1970s animated series ''Sealab 2020'' (and, to a lesser extent, the entire genre of [[LimitedAnimation crudely-animated]] [[TheSixties 60s]] and [[TheSeventies 70s]] cartoons produced by HannaBarbera). The show lasted from November 2000 to April 2005. A total of 52 episodes in four seasons.
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* PromotedFanboy: mcheshpants420, a member of the AdultSwim message board, who wound up writing "Fusebox" and "Dearly Beloved Seed." It's generally theorized that this is mc chris, one of the writers on the show and the voice of Hesh, simply mocking the fans.
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* PromotedFanboy: mcheshpants420, a member of the AdultSwim Creator/AdultSwim message board, who wound up writing "Fusebox" and "Dearly Beloved Seed." It's generally theorized that this is mc chris, one of the writers on the show and the voice of Hesh, simply mocking the fans.
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see discussion
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* [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?]]: "Where'd you get those kickass pipes?!"
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* WorthIt: Stormy making a [[MenustralMenace period]] joke in front of Debbie was worth getting thrown into a dungeon.
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'''Murphy''':Hey, only for revenge! 'Vengeance is mine', quoth Alvis, and then he shot that guy right in the freakin' face!.\\
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'''Murphy''':Hey, only for revenge! 'Vengeance is mine', quoth Alvis, and then he shot that guy right in the freakin' face!.\\
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* ShoutOut: ''Film/ApocalyspeNow''. There's a scene that copies the dialog between Kurtz and Willard line for line. Right up until the wet wily. The entire episode was inspired by ''WakingLife''. The show has frequent pop culture references, of a more subtle variety than those usually seen on ''FamilyGuy'' or ''TheSimpsons''.
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* ShoutOut: ''Film/ApocalyspeNow''.''Film/ApocalypseNow''. There's a scene that copies the dialog between Kurtz and Willard line for line. Right up until the wet wily. The entire episode was inspired by ''WakingLife''. The show has frequent pop culture references, of a more subtle variety than those usually seen on ''FamilyGuy'' or ''TheSimpsons''.
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* FailOSuckyname: Fatass McBlobbicus
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* FailOSuckyname: Fatass McBlobbicus[=McBlobbicus=]
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* ShoutOut: ''ApocalyspeNow''. There's a scene that copies the dialog between Kurtz and Willard line for line. Right up until the wet wily. The entire episode was inspired by ''WakingLife''. The show has frequent pop culture references, of a more subtle variety than those usually seen on ''FamilyGuy'' or ''TheSimpsons''.
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* ShoutOut: ''ApocalyspeNow''.''Film/ApocalyspeNow''. There's a scene that copies the dialog between Kurtz and Willard line for line. Right up until the wet wily. The entire episode was inspired by ''WakingLife''. The show has frequent pop culture references, of a more subtle variety than those usually seen on ''FamilyGuy'' or ''TheSimpsons''.
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--> '''Stormy''': You mean... there's a Black Stormy? [[hottip: *: [[SubvertedTrope, in that there really is a Black Stormy, namely [[RecycledInSpace Space Stormy]]]]
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--> '''Stormy''': You mean... there's a Black Stormy? [[hottip: *: [[SubvertedTrope, [[note]]SubvertedTrope, in that there really is a Black Stormy, namely [[RecycledInSpace Space Stormy]]]]Stormy]][[/note]]
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** Taken UpToEleven in the former when Stormy will ''not'' stop tossing electrified objects into it while attempting to help Quinn.
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* ShoutOut: [[ApocalypseNow Apocalyspe Now]]. There's a scene that copies the dialog between Kurtz and Willard line for line. Right up until the wet wily. The show has frequent pop culture references, of a more subtle variety than those usually seen on ''FamilyGuy'' or ''TheSimpsons''.
to:
* ShoutOut: [[ApocalypseNow Apocalyspe Now]].''ApocalyspeNow''. There's a scene that copies the dialog between Kurtz and Willard line for line. Right up until the wet wily. The entire episode was inspired by ''WakingLife''. The show has frequent pop culture references, of a more subtle variety than those usually seen on ''FamilyGuy'' or ''TheSimpsons''.
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* HomePornMovie: Not quite home, but when Stormy asked the ASHDTV to show him porno bloopers, it showed him one featuring Debbie and, based on context clues, Hesh. Debbie is more offended that they don't believe that her breasts are real.
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* DirtyCommunists: The episode "Red Dawn" as a whole.
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* OnlySixFaces: It's pretty obvious that all the background characters tend to have reused faces, hair, etc.
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* TheVoiceless: The drummer in Virjay's band.
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--> '''Stormy''': You mean... there's a Black Stormy? [[hottip: *: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], in that there really is a Black Stormy]]
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--> '''Stormy''': You mean... there's a Black Stormy? [[hottip: *: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], [[SubvertedTrope, in that there really is a Black Stormy]]Stormy, namely [[RecycledInSpace Space Stormy]]]]
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-->'''Whale''': Ah... mercury. Sweetest of the transition metals.
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* ShoutOut: [[ApocalypseNow Apocalyspe Now]]. There's a scene that copies the dialog between Kurtz and Willard line for line. Right up until the wet wily. The show has grequent pop culture references, of a more subtle variety than those usually seen on ''FamilyGuy'' or ''TheSimpsons''.
to:
* ShoutOut: [[ApocalypseNow Apocalyspe Now]]. There's a scene that copies the dialog between Kurtz and Willard line for line. Right up until the wet wily. The show has grequent frequent pop culture references, of a more subtle variety than those usually seen on ''FamilyGuy'' or ''TheSimpsons''.''TheSimpsons''.
** The avatars series creators Adam Reed and Matt Thompson use for themselves in the faux behind the scenes episodes are actually from the 70's ''ScoobyDoo'' clone ''ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKids''.
** One episode references the short story "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Ibis The Scarlet Ibis]]".
** The avatars series creators Adam Reed and Matt Thompson use for themselves in the faux behind the scenes episodes are actually from the 70's ''ScoobyDoo'' clone ''ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKids''.
** One episode references the short story "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Ibis The Scarlet Ibis]]".
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The creator of this show, Adam Reed, went on to helm ''FriskyDingo'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}''.
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The creator of this show, Adam Reed, went on to helm ''FriskyDingo'' ''WesternAnimation/FriskyDingo'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}''.
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!!''{{Sealab 2021}}'' provides examples of:
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-->''"If you're looking for me,\\
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[[quoteright:320:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sealab.jpg]]
-->''"If you're looking for me,\\
You'd better check under the sea,\\
Cause that is where you'll find me...\\
Underneath the sealab\\
Underneath the water\\
Sealab...\\
At the bottom of the sea..."''
'''''Sealab 2021''''' is a 15-minute long AdultSwim original show which parodies the 1970s animated series ''Sealab 2020'' (and, to a lesser extent, the entire genre of [[LimitedAnimation crudely-animated]] [[TheSixties 60s]] and [[TheSeventies 70s]] cartoons produced by HannaBarbera). The show lasted from November 2000 to April 2005. A total of 52 episodes in four seasons.
Set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, the series recasts the crew of the titular undersea colony as a group of extremely unstable individuals, all of whom are too crazy or TooDumbToLive. Several episodes end with the destruction of Sealab as a result of the crew's hijinks (directly or indirectly).
Major characters include:
* '''Captain Hazel "Hank" Murphy''', the unhinged leader of Sealab, who has the mentality of a six-year-old. After voice actor Harry Goz died, Murphy was replaced with:
* '''Captain Bellerophon "Tornado" Shanks''', an overbearing former football coach (voiced by Harry Goz's son, Michael Goz).
* '''Quentin Q. Quinn''', a black TokenMinority scientist who is usually the only character with [[OnlySaneMan half a brain]] (though he isn't above picking up the IdiotBall and/or inexplicably becoming a MadScientist... or, um, {{Shaft}}). As established in two episodes, [[spoiler:he's a cyborg]].
* '''Debbie Dupree''', an easily offended, slutty blonde who later becomes Quinn's on-again off-again girlfriend.
* '''Debbie Love''' (or "Black Debbie", as she's called in [[strike:one]] every episode), the schoolteacher, and the only other black person on Sealab.
* '''Jodene Sparks''', the scheming radio operator who never leaves his chair, even when scuba-diving (he occasionally explains that he's just really lazy, though he uses the habit in "The Policy" to get himself promoted after claiming to be wheelchair bound). He plays the OnlySaneMan from time to time, but being criminally insane stops him from doing so as frequently as Quinn.
* '''Marco Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar Gabriel Garcia Marquez''' (voiced by Erik Estrada), a Latin lothario. He was originally the OnlySaneMan, but this was quickly dropped.
* '''Derek "Stormy" Waters''', a [[TheBrainlessBeauty boyishly handsome idiot]].
Minor characters include Hesh Hepplewhite, a sarcastic engineer and aspiring rap artist who frequently speaks in ghetto-slang and/or refers to himself in the third person; Dolphin-boy, a rotund human child who only speaks dolphin; Dr. Ilad Virjay, medical doctor and Hindu-rock icon; and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Ted]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin from Accounting]].
The show's pilot -- and several episodes from the first couple of seasons -- was made using StockFootage from ''Sealab 2020'', with the original [[GreenAesop banal environmentalist plot lines]] replaced by DeadBabyComedy and other weirdness. The show's producers began branching out into original animation based on the character models from the original show (with even weirder stories to go with the new animation). A notable exception is the episode "7211", which was a direct remake of an original ''Sealab 2020'' episode which was played completely straight -- but there's a clue to the viewers that something is up with this remake: after the captain of the sub [[EnemyMine decides to team up with Murphy despite holding a grudge against him]], a '70s-era title card which says "PLACE COMMERCIAL HERE" is displayed. (During the end credits of the episode, Sealab explodes. Again.)
Midway through the show's run, Harry Goz (the voice actor for Captain Murphy) died, which caused a major change in tone for the entire series. The one-off crazy elements of the earlier episodes were dropped, and after Captain Murphy [[PutOnABus left Sealab to fight in the spice wars]], he was replaced with the slightly-more-sane Captain Shanks (who, as noted above, was portrayed by Harry Goz's son). The series retained its trademark surrealism while experimenting with long-form storylines (including as Debbie's relationship with Quinn, the saga of Marco's apparent death, and the introduction of Sharko, Marco's half-shark/half-human son). These episodes featured more original animation than stock footage, and it's easy to see the shift in tone from earlier seasons.
The series was canceled after a fifty-three episode run; in typical surreal fashion, the last episode featured a series of fourth-wall-breaking scenes involving the characters as actors who know Sealab is a TV show, and the show faded to black with the promise of airing a trailer for a new horror film starring the characters.
Expressing just how deliciously ''wrong'' this show is can be difficult -- but this line should give you an idea:
->'''Sparks:''' (describing Swift's ''Literature/AModestProposal'') "Like veal... only babies."
The creator of this show, Adam Reed, went on to helm ''FriskyDingo'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}''.
----
!!''{{Sealab 2021}}'' provides examples of:
* AbridgedSeries: This series can be seen as a prototypical example of the concept, although it was produced with the permission of the owners of the original show.
* ActorExistenceFailure: Harry Goz, the voice of Captain Murphy, died after two seasons. The character was PutOnABus out of respect.
* AmnesiaDanger: "In the Closet"
* AncientConspiracy: The Exalted and Supreme Brotherhood of Neptune, keepers of the Infinity Trident. Also, for a given value of "ancient," the [[GreedyJew five Jew bankers]] that control international finance.
* AnimatedActors
* BackToFront: "Shrabster"
* BilingualBonus: Some of Marco's lines, where he speaks Spanish.
* BizarroUniverse: Which in this series, is a universe where everyone shouts [[VerbalTic "Bizarro!"]] a lot and is even weirder and more insane than the main cast.
* BottleEpisode: "Fusebox"
* BuildingOfAdventure: The Sealab colony itself.
* BumblingSidekick: Hesh
* CharacterOutlivesActor: Technically, Captain Murphy didn't die; he just left the station to lead the rebels in [[{{Dune}} "The Great Spice Wars"]].
* ChekhovsGun: Stormy's Douché watch in "Lost in Time"
* ChestBlaster: Robot Murphy's "D-cups...full of justice!" in "I, Robot, Really."
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Captain Murphy
* ColdWar: Parodied in "Red Dawn"
* ComicallyMissingThePoint : Stormy manages to do it twice in one conversation, when the others try explaining why calling someone "Black Debbie" isn't a good thing,
--> '''Quinn''':Listen man, you're missing the point. What if everyone started calling you 'White Stormy'?
--> '''Stormy''': You mean... there's a Black Stormy? [[hottip: *: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], in that there really is a Black Stormy]]
** And a 3rd time five minutes later, after driving said Debbie into an angry rant with his unwitting racism.
--> '''Stormy''': Man, don't go out there. That Black chick is crazy!
* ConcussionsGetYouHigh: In one episode, the crew is trapped in a malfunctioning storage closet. Beard Guy comes in to fix the problem but Captain Murphy beats his head in. Upon breifly regaining consciousness, he displays this trope.
-->'''Beard Guy:''' I got my think a concussion. Now must remember not fix stuff. Gonna lay down back, cuz our concussion have us sleepy.\\
'''Debbie:''' Uh, should Beard Guy be asleep with a concussion?\\
'''Quinn:''' No, absolutely not.
* CouchGag: When the second zero in the ''Sealab 2020'' logo turns into a one at the end of the opening, a different sound effect accompanies the change every episode
* CousinOliver: Parodied with "Sharko", introduced in season 4 as the product of Marco's illicit love affair with a shark, repeatedly summarized as "He put his human penis in her shark-gina".
** It was probably one of the few times in which this trope was purposefully invoked. Sharko left a few episodes later.
* CreditCardPlot: Played straight, but everyone dies.
* CreditsGag: Mike Lazzo's name is anagrammed.
* CrossoverPunchline: "Murphy Murph and the Feng Shui Bunch" ends with the entire episode revealed as a video game--and the players are [[WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce Meatwad and Master Shake]].
* {{Cyborg}}: Quinn reveals himself as one in "I, Robot". A later episode, "I, Robot, Really", has most of the cast getting robot bodies.
* DeadBabyComedy: Not usually, but it visited there from time to time.
--> '''Narrator''': Dead African child indeed! ...''[laughter]''...[[HilariousOuttakes I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just so fucking awful...]]
** ''[[CrowningMomentOfFunny Rrribs! Drrripping with sauce! Falling off the bone!]]''
* DeathWorld: The titular "Isla de Chupacabra".
** I believe you mean Happy Funtime Island.
-->Quinn: Who the hell named it that?
-->Shanks: Rambo.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment:
--> '''Marco''':"I have the energy of a bear that has the energy of two bears!"
* DiabolicalMastermind: Sparks has the rather frequent tendency to hatch evil schemes, including (but not limited to) making millions in life insurance by killing the Sealab crew, addicting them to a medicine made from a deadly neurotoxin, and blackmailing Quinn into turning him into 'Sparkimus Prime,' the chainsaw-handed robot. Also, in what turned out to [[OnlyADream only have been a daydream]] of Captain Murphy's Sparks has a secret mountain stronghold, complete with a veritable army of henchmen.
* TheDitz: Stormy.
* ElectrifiedBathtub: Quinn encounters one in "Waking Quinn"; one is used to off Captain Murphy in "Policy".
* EverythingExplodesEnding: Every episode ends with Sealab exploding. Sometimes it's justified by the plot, but sometimes it's just RuleOfFunny.
* ExecutiveMeddling: The episode "Feast of Alvis" was supposed to be a straight-up ChristmasEpisode... until the executives rejected it. Jesus was then replaced with Alvis, the worship of whom served to make Murphy look that much crazier.
-->'''Sparks''': Your "lord"? It's a baby ''with a freaking gun, roasting over a flood light!''
* ExpositoryThemeTune: Quoted above.
* EyeCatch: Parodied in "7211", with the "Place Commercial Here" title card
* FantasticVoyagePlot: Parodied in "Craptastic Voyage"
* FiveManBand:
** TheHero: Captain Murphy/Captain Shanks
** TheLancer: Sparks
** TheBigGuy: Stormy and Marco
** TheSmartGuy: Quinn
** TheChick: Debbie
** GuestStarPartyMember: Hesh
** TagalongKid: Dolphin Boy
** TheSixthRanger(In the later seasons): Shanks, Sharko and Hesh.
* FreakyFridayFlip: "Brainswitch"
** Played with in that it's clear to the audience pretty much from the start that Quinn and Stormy have not switched brains but everyone up to and including Stormy seems convinced because he used a few big words and said he felt smarter.
* GagDub: The early episodes are constructed from entire scenes of ''Sealab 2020'', just dubbed over with new dialog.
** Flipflopped in "7211", which was a word-for-word redub of a ''Sealab 2020'' story, told totally straight. Until midway. Then back immediately after. And again at the end, anyway.
* GrandFinale: "Legacy of Laughter"
* HandshakeSubstitute: Respek Knuckles!
* HardWorkMontage: Parodied in "Sharko's Machine"
* HeadDesk: One episode has Sparks performing this while Captain Murphy rambles on about a video game.
* IControlMyMinionsThrough: Sparks reveals his minions to Marcos and tries to recruit him.
* IdenticalStranger: In addition to the Bizarros, there are the folks on Spacelab, who are identical in name, personality, and, except for skin tone differences, appearance.
** Also, for some reason, they all have breasts.
* IgnoredExpert: Quinn.
* InMediasRes: Many episodes. Lampshaded in the late series episode "Shrabster", which plays out like the movie Film/{{Memento}}, with the announcer from SuperFriends cutting in frequently with "Earlier...!"
* InsaneTrollLogic
-->'''Stormy''': ''I'm blind!'' \\
'''Quinn''':You're not blind, the lights just went out.\\
'''Sparks''': Maybe he went blind ''independently'' of the lights going out.\\
'''Stormy''': I'm blind!
** Then again, Sparks was clearly being sarcastic. Not that Stormy would realize that, or that he cared, but still.
* JiveTurkey: Name dropped.
* JudgeJuryAndExecutioner: The Knights of Mars, a "cadre" of "knights" charged with enforcing [[{{Malaproper}} Martian law]], seem to uphold the laws of the "sacred red planet" primarily by beating the asses of suspected thieves.
* KillEmAll: For the first season, it happened OnceAnEpisode. They dropped that particular RunningGag but a few later episodes would still end with everyone dying or just one or two characters dying.
* KillerRabbit: The Gloops, by way of constant farting.
-->'''Quinn:''' Methane Sulfate. Apparently they release it when they're angry. Or threatened. Or just whenever.
** Although they can also attack on command.
* LittlestCancerPatient: Subverted in "Little Orphan Angry", where the character turns out to be a ConMan.
* MachineMonotone: The Bebop Cola machine from "All That Jazz".
--> '''Bebop Cola Machine''': (singing, but in monotone) And I say to myself, I need exact change.
* MayContainEvil: The addictive titular "herbal dietary supplements" in "Stimutacs".
* ManipulativeBastard: Sparks, often.
-->'''Marco:''' Sparks, any idea what happened to [Hank's] happy-cake oven thing?
-->'''Sparks:''' Uhh, yeah. I stole it and dumped it out in the ocean.
-->'''Marco:''' What!? Why did you do that?!
-->'''Sparks:''' Just part of a larger plan to drive him insane. Oh, I also have the orphans wet his bed while he's asleep.
* MockCousteau: One episode had such a character who seemed to like to compare things to wombs.
* MushroomSamba: Brought on by multiple near-death experiences via electrocution. This particular episode is probably the strangest episode of the entire series... which says a lot.
* MyBiologicalClockIsTicking: Debbie Dupree's motivation in "Chickmate."
* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Besides "Marco," Marco's name consists of the names of two famous Spanish speakers smushed together: Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar being 13th-century nobleman and soldier El Cid, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a famous Colombian author.
* NegativeContinuity: Pretty much every episode ends with the destruction of Sealab and the death of her crew. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the first episode.
--->'''Marco:''' Once again your stupidity has killed us all!
** As the series went on, [[ContinuityCreep more and more episodes would be referenced]] (including episodes in which everyone died) or they would show a ContinuityCavalcade every now and then. The last few episodes had the closest thing to a linear continuity as the series got. For instance, Sharko was the focal point of the one and only storyarc in the entire series.
* NoEnding
* NotNowKiddo: In "No Waterworld", Debbie Dupree is repeatedly silenced by being told "The men are talking!" as a RunningGag.
* ObfuscatingDisability: Sparks when he tries to claim he is paralyzed from the waist down, hence why he is always sitting. Debbie tests this by ''jamming a battle axe'' into his legs. He eventually admits that he is just really lazy.
* OneSteveLimit: An AvertedTrope, thanks to "Debbie" and "Black Debbie". They {{Lampshade}} the fact that "Debbie" is not called "White Debbie" for laughs.
* OnlySaneMan: Quinn. To a lesser degree, Sparks, who is fairly smart but too lazy and greedy to be a responsible employee.
* OverlyLongGag:
** "UH-OH", which goes on for what feels like several minutes. Twice. And almost a third time if not for direct intervention. On two separate occasions.
** "It is... Bizarro!"
* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: "The Policy"
* PowerGlows: "You want some of the glowing?"
* PrecisionFStrike: Subverted in the episode "7211", which is a redub of an episode of the original ''Sealab 2020'', and thus doesn't contain any swearing from the characters. When the CreditsGag comes up, you'd expect the ObligatorySwearing to come up, but all that is said is Captain Murphy going, "Hmmmmmmmm, m'kay."
* ProductPlacement: Parodied in some episodes that feature constant and intrusive advertisements for the fictional "Grizzlebee's" restaurant chain.
** The Bebop Cola episode was revealed at the end to just be a commercial pitch.
* PromotedFanboy: mcheshpants420, a member of the AdultSwim message board, who wound up writing "Fusebox" and "Dearly Beloved Seed." It's generally theorized that this is mc chris, one of the writers on the show and the voice of Hesh, simply mocking the fans.
* PropertyLine: Parodied in "Let 'Em Eat Corn"
* QuarterHourShort
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The replacement of Murphy by Shanks, as noted above.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Squishface
* RidingTheBomb: Quinn: "Nobody shucks my corn but ''meeeee''!!"
* RuleOfFunny: Justification is for pussies.
* RunningGag: [[StuffBlowingUp Sealab blows up.]] [[OnceAnEpisode A lot.]]
* SadistShow
* ScarySurpriseParty: "Der Dieb"
* SeeYouInHell: Used surprisingly calmly and straight when Captain Murphy realizes that he is about to be murdered by Sparks in "Policy". He then proceeds to bring down Sparks with him. And Sparks even admits to it being a distinct probability. And they do in fact meet in hell.
* SeinfeldianConversation: "I, Robot" is about Quinn rushing to prevent Sealab's imminent destruction, while literally everyone else is busy talking about the implications of a baboon's brain being successfully transplanted into a robot body. For the record, Murphy would like his robot body to have chainsaw hands.
** He also wants it to resemble Adrienne Barbeau.
* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: "Lost in Time" Combined with GroundhogDayLoop in the same episode because, naturally, they kept not setting it right.
* ShoutOut: [[ApocalypseNow Apocalyspe Now]]. There's a scene that copies the dialog between Kurtz and Willard line for line. Right up until the wet wily. The show has grequent pop culture references, of a more subtle variety than those usually seen on ''FamilyGuy'' or ''TheSimpsons''.
* SnapBack: One of the series' central tropes.
* SomebodyElsesProblem: Parodied in several episodes.
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent
* SoundEffectBleep
* SpiritualSuccessor: Frisky Dingo and Archer
* SubvertedKidsShow: Especially in the early episodes.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Captain Shanks.
* TakeOurWordForIt: Parodied when Shanks fights a Kraken offscreen in "Neptunati."
* TakeThatAudience: Captain Shanks' fourth wall-breaking rant against the predicted fan backlash against his character, culminating in "And if you don't like it... you can go watch anime."
* ThatCameOutWrong: Subverted in "Vacation." Marco leaves some tamales outside Quinn's door and tells Debbie that they should leave without bothering him because he'll probably be "busy with that hooker for awhile." Cue Debbie's outraged "WHAT?!? A HOOKER?!??" and several minutes of people going "Uh-oh!" Finally:
-->'''Debbie:''' I can’t believe he’s with a hooker!
-->'''Marco:''' No, no! He’s watching TJHooker.
-->'''Debbie:''' I thought you said he was with a hooker.
-->'''Marco:''' No, he’s watching TJ Hooker. On television.
-->'''Marco:''' (laughs)
-->'''Debbie:''' (laughs)
-->'''Marco:''' (laughs)
-->'''Debbie:''' (laughs)
-->'''Marco:''' (laughs) ... with a prostitute.
-->'''Debbie:''' WHAT!?!
* TheChewToy: Dolphin Boy and all of Pod 6. Especially all of Pod 6.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Hesh
* TooDumbToLive: Pretty much everyone except Quinn. Although even he is not always immune.
* TrustBuildingBlunder: "Isla de Chupacabra"
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture
* UnderwaterBase: The Sealab colony itself.
* UnderwaterCity: The Sealab colony [[ForeignerForADay declared itself a sovereign state]] in the episode "Let 'Em Eat Corn". Blame Shanks, or better yet, Sparks!
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Once again, everyone except Quinn.
* [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?]]: "Where'd you get those kickass pipes?!"
* WhenTreesAttack: The Stormy-eating tree in "Isla de Chupacabra".
* WildlifeCommentarySpoof
* YouMeanXmas: "Feast of Alvis" is a parody of {{Christmas Episode}}s. Due to ExecutiveMeddling, every religion was replaced by a fictional equivalent. For example, Jesus was replaced with Alvis, a cowboy whose total dissimilarity to Jesus just makes the obvious parallel all the funnier.
-->'''Sparks''':How can you worship that guy! He killed a man!\\
'''Murphy''':Hey, only for revenge! 'Vengeance is mine', quoth Alvis, and then he shot that guy right in the freakin' face!.\\
** Celebrated of course with an over-abundance of the traditional gifts of ham, firearms and whiskey.
*** The offices of 7030 are located in Atlanta, which is smack in the Bible Belt. "Alvistide" isn't so far around the bend in some parts of the country.
----
::[-''Do you want the mustache on, or off?''-]\\
[-''Off, please.''-]\\
[-''Too bad.''-]
----
-->''"If you're looking for me,\\
You'd better check under the sea,\\
Cause that is where you'll find me...\\
Underneath the sealab\\
Underneath the water\\
Sealab...\\
At the bottom of the sea..."''
'''''Sealab 2021''''' is a 15-minute long AdultSwim original show which parodies the 1970s animated series ''Sealab 2020'' (and, to a lesser extent, the entire genre of [[LimitedAnimation crudely-animated]] [[TheSixties 60s]] and [[TheSeventies 70s]] cartoons produced by HannaBarbera). The show lasted from November 2000 to April 2005. A total of 52 episodes in four seasons.
Set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, the series recasts the crew of the titular undersea colony as a group of extremely unstable individuals, all of whom are too crazy or TooDumbToLive. Several episodes end with the destruction of Sealab as a result of the crew's hijinks (directly or indirectly).
Major characters include:
* '''Captain Hazel "Hank" Murphy''', the unhinged leader of Sealab, who has the mentality of a six-year-old. After voice actor Harry Goz died, Murphy was replaced with:
* '''Captain Bellerophon "Tornado" Shanks''', an overbearing former football coach (voiced by Harry Goz's son, Michael Goz).
* '''Quentin Q. Quinn''', a black TokenMinority scientist who is usually the only character with [[OnlySaneMan half a brain]] (though he isn't above picking up the IdiotBall and/or inexplicably becoming a MadScientist... or, um, {{Shaft}}). As established in two episodes, [[spoiler:he's a cyborg]].
* '''Debbie Dupree''', an easily offended, slutty blonde who later becomes Quinn's on-again off-again girlfriend.
* '''Debbie Love''' (or "Black Debbie", as she's called in [[strike:one]] every episode), the schoolteacher, and the only other black person on Sealab.
* '''Jodene Sparks''', the scheming radio operator who never leaves his chair, even when scuba-diving (he occasionally explains that he's just really lazy, though he uses the habit in "The Policy" to get himself promoted after claiming to be wheelchair bound). He plays the OnlySaneMan from time to time, but being criminally insane stops him from doing so as frequently as Quinn.
* '''Marco Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar Gabriel Garcia Marquez''' (voiced by Erik Estrada), a Latin lothario. He was originally the OnlySaneMan, but this was quickly dropped.
* '''Derek "Stormy" Waters''', a [[TheBrainlessBeauty boyishly handsome idiot]].
Minor characters include Hesh Hepplewhite, a sarcastic engineer and aspiring rap artist who frequently speaks in ghetto-slang and/or refers to himself in the third person; Dolphin-boy, a rotund human child who only speaks dolphin; Dr. Ilad Virjay, medical doctor and Hindu-rock icon; and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Ted]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin from Accounting]].
The show's pilot -- and several episodes from the first couple of seasons -- was made using StockFootage from ''Sealab 2020'', with the original [[GreenAesop banal environmentalist plot lines]] replaced by DeadBabyComedy and other weirdness. The show's producers began branching out into original animation based on the character models from the original show (with even weirder stories to go with the new animation). A notable exception is the episode "7211", which was a direct remake of an original ''Sealab 2020'' episode which was played completely straight -- but there's a clue to the viewers that something is up with this remake: after the captain of the sub [[EnemyMine decides to team up with Murphy despite holding a grudge against him]], a '70s-era title card which says "PLACE COMMERCIAL HERE" is displayed. (During the end credits of the episode, Sealab explodes. Again.)
Midway through the show's run, Harry Goz (the voice actor for Captain Murphy) died, which caused a major change in tone for the entire series. The one-off crazy elements of the earlier episodes were dropped, and after Captain Murphy [[PutOnABus left Sealab to fight in the spice wars]], he was replaced with the slightly-more-sane Captain Shanks (who, as noted above, was portrayed by Harry Goz's son). The series retained its trademark surrealism while experimenting with long-form storylines (including as Debbie's relationship with Quinn, the saga of Marco's apparent death, and the introduction of Sharko, Marco's half-shark/half-human son). These episodes featured more original animation than stock footage, and it's easy to see the shift in tone from earlier seasons.
The series was canceled after a fifty-three episode run; in typical surreal fashion, the last episode featured a series of fourth-wall-breaking scenes involving the characters as actors who know Sealab is a TV show, and the show faded to black with the promise of airing a trailer for a new horror film starring the characters.
Expressing just how deliciously ''wrong'' this show is can be difficult -- but this line should give you an idea:
->'''Sparks:''' (describing Swift's ''Literature/AModestProposal'') "Like veal... only babies."
The creator of this show, Adam Reed, went on to helm ''FriskyDingo'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}''.
----
!!''{{Sealab 2021}}'' provides examples of:
* AbridgedSeries: This series can be seen as a prototypical example of the concept, although it was produced with the permission of the owners of the original show.
* ActorExistenceFailure: Harry Goz, the voice of Captain Murphy, died after two seasons. The character was PutOnABus out of respect.
* AmnesiaDanger: "In the Closet"
* AncientConspiracy: The Exalted and Supreme Brotherhood of Neptune, keepers of the Infinity Trident. Also, for a given value of "ancient," the [[GreedyJew five Jew bankers]] that control international finance.
* AnimatedActors
* BackToFront: "Shrabster"
* BilingualBonus: Some of Marco's lines, where he speaks Spanish.
* BizarroUniverse: Which in this series, is a universe where everyone shouts [[VerbalTic "Bizarro!"]] a lot and is even weirder and more insane than the main cast.
* BottleEpisode: "Fusebox"
* BuildingOfAdventure: The Sealab colony itself.
* BumblingSidekick: Hesh
* CharacterOutlivesActor: Technically, Captain Murphy didn't die; he just left the station to lead the rebels in [[{{Dune}} "The Great Spice Wars"]].
* ChekhovsGun: Stormy's Douché watch in "Lost in Time"
* ChestBlaster: Robot Murphy's "D-cups...full of justice!" in "I, Robot, Really."
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Captain Murphy
* ColdWar: Parodied in "Red Dawn"
* ComicallyMissingThePoint : Stormy manages to do it twice in one conversation, when the others try explaining why calling someone "Black Debbie" isn't a good thing,
--> '''Quinn''':Listen man, you're missing the point. What if everyone started calling you 'White Stormy'?
--> '''Stormy''': You mean... there's a Black Stormy? [[hottip: *: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], in that there really is a Black Stormy]]
** And a 3rd time five minutes later, after driving said Debbie into an angry rant with his unwitting racism.
--> '''Stormy''': Man, don't go out there. That Black chick is crazy!
* ConcussionsGetYouHigh: In one episode, the crew is trapped in a malfunctioning storage closet. Beard Guy comes in to fix the problem but Captain Murphy beats his head in. Upon breifly regaining consciousness, he displays this trope.
-->'''Beard Guy:''' I got my think a concussion. Now must remember not fix stuff. Gonna lay down back, cuz our concussion have us sleepy.\\
'''Debbie:''' Uh, should Beard Guy be asleep with a concussion?\\
'''Quinn:''' No, absolutely not.
* CouchGag: When the second zero in the ''Sealab 2020'' logo turns into a one at the end of the opening, a different sound effect accompanies the change every episode
* CousinOliver: Parodied with "Sharko", introduced in season 4 as the product of Marco's illicit love affair with a shark, repeatedly summarized as "He put his human penis in her shark-gina".
** It was probably one of the few times in which this trope was purposefully invoked. Sharko left a few episodes later.
* CreditCardPlot: Played straight, but everyone dies.
* CreditsGag: Mike Lazzo's name is anagrammed.
* CrossoverPunchline: "Murphy Murph and the Feng Shui Bunch" ends with the entire episode revealed as a video game--and the players are [[WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce Meatwad and Master Shake]].
* {{Cyborg}}: Quinn reveals himself as one in "I, Robot". A later episode, "I, Robot, Really", has most of the cast getting robot bodies.
* DeadBabyComedy: Not usually, but it visited there from time to time.
--> '''Narrator''': Dead African child indeed! ...''[laughter]''...[[HilariousOuttakes I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just so fucking awful...]]
** ''[[CrowningMomentOfFunny Rrribs! Drrripping with sauce! Falling off the bone!]]''
* DeathWorld: The titular "Isla de Chupacabra".
** I believe you mean Happy Funtime Island.
-->Quinn: Who the hell named it that?
-->Shanks: Rambo.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment:
--> '''Marco''':"I have the energy of a bear that has the energy of two bears!"
* DiabolicalMastermind: Sparks has the rather frequent tendency to hatch evil schemes, including (but not limited to) making millions in life insurance by killing the Sealab crew, addicting them to a medicine made from a deadly neurotoxin, and blackmailing Quinn into turning him into 'Sparkimus Prime,' the chainsaw-handed robot. Also, in what turned out to [[OnlyADream only have been a daydream]] of Captain Murphy's Sparks has a secret mountain stronghold, complete with a veritable army of henchmen.
* TheDitz: Stormy.
* ElectrifiedBathtub: Quinn encounters one in "Waking Quinn"; one is used to off Captain Murphy in "Policy".
* EverythingExplodesEnding: Every episode ends with Sealab exploding. Sometimes it's justified by the plot, but sometimes it's just RuleOfFunny.
* ExecutiveMeddling: The episode "Feast of Alvis" was supposed to be a straight-up ChristmasEpisode... until the executives rejected it. Jesus was then replaced with Alvis, the worship of whom served to make Murphy look that much crazier.
-->'''Sparks''': Your "lord"? It's a baby ''with a freaking gun, roasting over a flood light!''
* ExpositoryThemeTune: Quoted above.
* EyeCatch: Parodied in "7211", with the "Place Commercial Here" title card
* FantasticVoyagePlot: Parodied in "Craptastic Voyage"
* FiveManBand:
** TheHero: Captain Murphy/Captain Shanks
** TheLancer: Sparks
** TheBigGuy: Stormy and Marco
** TheSmartGuy: Quinn
** TheChick: Debbie
** GuestStarPartyMember: Hesh
** TagalongKid: Dolphin Boy
** TheSixthRanger(In the later seasons): Shanks, Sharko and Hesh.
* FreakyFridayFlip: "Brainswitch"
** Played with in that it's clear to the audience pretty much from the start that Quinn and Stormy have not switched brains but everyone up to and including Stormy seems convinced because he used a few big words and said he felt smarter.
* GagDub: The early episodes are constructed from entire scenes of ''Sealab 2020'', just dubbed over with new dialog.
** Flipflopped in "7211", which was a word-for-word redub of a ''Sealab 2020'' story, told totally straight. Until midway. Then back immediately after. And again at the end, anyway.
* GrandFinale: "Legacy of Laughter"
* HandshakeSubstitute: Respek Knuckles!
* HardWorkMontage: Parodied in "Sharko's Machine"
* HeadDesk: One episode has Sparks performing this while Captain Murphy rambles on about a video game.
* IControlMyMinionsThrough: Sparks reveals his minions to Marcos and tries to recruit him.
* IdenticalStranger: In addition to the Bizarros, there are the folks on Spacelab, who are identical in name, personality, and, except for skin tone differences, appearance.
** Also, for some reason, they all have breasts.
* IgnoredExpert: Quinn.
* InMediasRes: Many episodes. Lampshaded in the late series episode "Shrabster", which plays out like the movie Film/{{Memento}}, with the announcer from SuperFriends cutting in frequently with "Earlier...!"
* InsaneTrollLogic
-->'''Stormy''': ''I'm blind!'' \\
'''Quinn''':You're not blind, the lights just went out.\\
'''Sparks''': Maybe he went blind ''independently'' of the lights going out.\\
'''Stormy''': I'm blind!
** Then again, Sparks was clearly being sarcastic. Not that Stormy would realize that, or that he cared, but still.
* JiveTurkey: Name dropped.
* JudgeJuryAndExecutioner: The Knights of Mars, a "cadre" of "knights" charged with enforcing [[{{Malaproper}} Martian law]], seem to uphold the laws of the "sacred red planet" primarily by beating the asses of suspected thieves.
* KillEmAll: For the first season, it happened OnceAnEpisode. They dropped that particular RunningGag but a few later episodes would still end with everyone dying or just one or two characters dying.
* KillerRabbit: The Gloops, by way of constant farting.
-->'''Quinn:''' Methane Sulfate. Apparently they release it when they're angry. Or threatened. Or just whenever.
** Although they can also attack on command.
* LittlestCancerPatient: Subverted in "Little Orphan Angry", where the character turns out to be a ConMan.
* MachineMonotone: The Bebop Cola machine from "All That Jazz".
--> '''Bebop Cola Machine''': (singing, but in monotone) And I say to myself, I need exact change.
* MayContainEvil: The addictive titular "herbal dietary supplements" in "Stimutacs".
* ManipulativeBastard: Sparks, often.
-->'''Marco:''' Sparks, any idea what happened to [Hank's] happy-cake oven thing?
-->'''Sparks:''' Uhh, yeah. I stole it and dumped it out in the ocean.
-->'''Marco:''' What!? Why did you do that?!
-->'''Sparks:''' Just part of a larger plan to drive him insane. Oh, I also have the orphans wet his bed while he's asleep.
* MockCousteau: One episode had such a character who seemed to like to compare things to wombs.
* MushroomSamba: Brought on by multiple near-death experiences via electrocution. This particular episode is probably the strangest episode of the entire series... which says a lot.
* MyBiologicalClockIsTicking: Debbie Dupree's motivation in "Chickmate."
* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Besides "Marco," Marco's name consists of the names of two famous Spanish speakers smushed together: Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar being 13th-century nobleman and soldier El Cid, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a famous Colombian author.
* NegativeContinuity: Pretty much every episode ends with the destruction of Sealab and the death of her crew. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the first episode.
--->'''Marco:''' Once again your stupidity has killed us all!
** As the series went on, [[ContinuityCreep more and more episodes would be referenced]] (including episodes in which everyone died) or they would show a ContinuityCavalcade every now and then. The last few episodes had the closest thing to a linear continuity as the series got. For instance, Sharko was the focal point of the one and only storyarc in the entire series.
* NoEnding
* NotNowKiddo: In "No Waterworld", Debbie Dupree is repeatedly silenced by being told "The men are talking!" as a RunningGag.
* ObfuscatingDisability: Sparks when he tries to claim he is paralyzed from the waist down, hence why he is always sitting. Debbie tests this by ''jamming a battle axe'' into his legs. He eventually admits that he is just really lazy.
* OneSteveLimit: An AvertedTrope, thanks to "Debbie" and "Black Debbie". They {{Lampshade}} the fact that "Debbie" is not called "White Debbie" for laughs.
* OnlySaneMan: Quinn. To a lesser degree, Sparks, who is fairly smart but too lazy and greedy to be a responsible employee.
* OverlyLongGag:
** "UH-OH", which goes on for what feels like several minutes. Twice. And almost a third time if not for direct intervention. On two separate occasions.
** "It is... Bizarro!"
* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: "The Policy"
* PowerGlows: "You want some of the glowing?"
* PrecisionFStrike: Subverted in the episode "7211", which is a redub of an episode of the original ''Sealab 2020'', and thus doesn't contain any swearing from the characters. When the CreditsGag comes up, you'd expect the ObligatorySwearing to come up, but all that is said is Captain Murphy going, "Hmmmmmmmm, m'kay."
* ProductPlacement: Parodied in some episodes that feature constant and intrusive advertisements for the fictional "Grizzlebee's" restaurant chain.
** The Bebop Cola episode was revealed at the end to just be a commercial pitch.
* PromotedFanboy: mcheshpants420, a member of the AdultSwim message board, who wound up writing "Fusebox" and "Dearly Beloved Seed." It's generally theorized that this is mc chris, one of the writers on the show and the voice of Hesh, simply mocking the fans.
* PropertyLine: Parodied in "Let 'Em Eat Corn"
* QuarterHourShort
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The replacement of Murphy by Shanks, as noted above.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Squishface
* RidingTheBomb: Quinn: "Nobody shucks my corn but ''meeeee''!!"
* RuleOfFunny: Justification is for pussies.
* RunningGag: [[StuffBlowingUp Sealab blows up.]] [[OnceAnEpisode A lot.]]
* SadistShow
* ScarySurpriseParty: "Der Dieb"
* SeeYouInHell: Used surprisingly calmly and straight when Captain Murphy realizes that he is about to be murdered by Sparks in "Policy". He then proceeds to bring down Sparks with him. And Sparks even admits to it being a distinct probability. And they do in fact meet in hell.
* SeinfeldianConversation: "I, Robot" is about Quinn rushing to prevent Sealab's imminent destruction, while literally everyone else is busy talking about the implications of a baboon's brain being successfully transplanted into a robot body. For the record, Murphy would like his robot body to have chainsaw hands.
** He also wants it to resemble Adrienne Barbeau.
* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: "Lost in Time" Combined with GroundhogDayLoop in the same episode because, naturally, they kept not setting it right.
* ShoutOut: [[ApocalypseNow Apocalyspe Now]]. There's a scene that copies the dialog between Kurtz and Willard line for line. Right up until the wet wily. The show has grequent pop culture references, of a more subtle variety than those usually seen on ''FamilyGuy'' or ''TheSimpsons''.
* SnapBack: One of the series' central tropes.
* SomebodyElsesProblem: Parodied in several episodes.
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent
* SoundEffectBleep
* SpiritualSuccessor: Frisky Dingo and Archer
* SubvertedKidsShow: Especially in the early episodes.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Captain Shanks.
* TakeOurWordForIt: Parodied when Shanks fights a Kraken offscreen in "Neptunati."
* TakeThatAudience: Captain Shanks' fourth wall-breaking rant against the predicted fan backlash against his character, culminating in "And if you don't like it... you can go watch anime."
* ThatCameOutWrong: Subverted in "Vacation." Marco leaves some tamales outside Quinn's door and tells Debbie that they should leave without bothering him because he'll probably be "busy with that hooker for awhile." Cue Debbie's outraged "WHAT?!? A HOOKER?!??" and several minutes of people going "Uh-oh!" Finally:
-->'''Debbie:''' I can’t believe he’s with a hooker!
-->'''Marco:''' No, no! He’s watching TJHooker.
-->'''Debbie:''' I thought you said he was with a hooker.
-->'''Marco:''' No, he’s watching TJ Hooker. On television.
-->'''Marco:''' (laughs)
-->'''Debbie:''' (laughs)
-->'''Marco:''' (laughs)
-->'''Debbie:''' (laughs)
-->'''Marco:''' (laughs) ... with a prostitute.
-->'''Debbie:''' WHAT!?!
* TheChewToy: Dolphin Boy and all of Pod 6. Especially all of Pod 6.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Hesh
* TooDumbToLive: Pretty much everyone except Quinn. Although even he is not always immune.
* TrustBuildingBlunder: "Isla de Chupacabra"
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture
* UnderwaterBase: The Sealab colony itself.
* UnderwaterCity: The Sealab colony [[ForeignerForADay declared itself a sovereign state]] in the episode "Let 'Em Eat Corn". Blame Shanks, or better yet, Sparks!
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Once again, everyone except Quinn.
* [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?]]: "Where'd you get those kickass pipes?!"
* WhenTreesAttack: The Stormy-eating tree in "Isla de Chupacabra".
* WildlifeCommentarySpoof
* YouMeanXmas: "Feast of Alvis" is a parody of {{Christmas Episode}}s. Due to ExecutiveMeddling, every religion was replaced by a fictional equivalent. For example, Jesus was replaced with Alvis, a cowboy whose total dissimilarity to Jesus just makes the obvious parallel all the funnier.
-->'''Sparks''':How can you worship that guy! He killed a man!\\
'''Murphy''':Hey, only for revenge! 'Vengeance is mine', quoth Alvis, and then he shot that guy right in the freakin' face!.\\
** Celebrated of course with an over-abundance of the traditional gifts of ham, firearms and whiskey.
*** The offices of 7030 are located in Atlanta, which is smack in the Bible Belt. "Alvistide" isn't so far around the bend in some parts of the country.
----
::[-''Do you want the mustache on, or off?''-]\\
[-''Off, please.''-]\\
[-''Too bad.''-]
----
