History WesternAnimation / Sealab2021

* AsideGlance: In the "Happy Cake" episode, Marco does a very obvious one to the audience when Captain Murphy says he can't see the squid on the radar.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The entire Feast of Alvis episode (see ExecutiveMeddling).

* '''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, Film/{{Shaft}}). As established in two episodes, [[spoiler:he's a cyborg]].

* 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.

* 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.

* 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.

* 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.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

* SkintoneSclerae: In [[OffModel most of]] the WesternAnimation/{{Sealab 2020}} footage, everyone (except Captain Murphy, oddly) has these. As the series used more and more new, Flash-animated footage, it became less and less common.
* SpiritualSuccessor: ''WesternAnimation/FriskyDingo'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Frisky Dingo and Archer.

* AdmiringTheAbomination: Dr. Virjay calls the predator that attacks Sealab in one episode "a perfect killing machine" and is honoured to be one of its victims.

* BlackComedy: Not usually, but it visited there from time to time.

* 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,

* JiveTurkey: Name dropped by Kid in "Return to Oblivion"

** 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.

* ParodySue: Hesh in Dearly Beloved Seed. Even moreso by the end, when the whole episode is revealed to be some kid's (possibly mcheshpants420, the writer of the episode, who may or may not be Hesh's VA mc chris) fanfiction.

** Some see ''{{VideoGame/SpaceStation13}}'' as a videogame version of Sealab 2021 IN SPACE!

* '''Debbie Dupree''', an easily offended, slutty blonde marine biologist who later becomes Quinn's on-again off-again girlfriend.

* '''Jodene Sparks''', the scheming radio operator who never leaves his chair, even when scuba-diving. It's not entirely clear if he's actually chair-bound, just really lazy or pulling off a scam by claiming a disability. He plays the OnlySaneMan from time to time, but being criminally insane stops him from doing so as frequently as Quinn.

Adam Reed went on to helm ''WesternAnimation/FriskyDingo'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}''.

%%* AmnesiaDanger: "In the Closet"

%%* AnimatedActors

%%* BackToFront: "Shrabster"

%%* BottleEpisode: "Fusebox"
%%* BuildingOfAdventure: The Sealab colony itself.
%%* BumblingSidekick: Hesh
%%* BystanderSyndrome: Parodied in several episodes.

%%* ChekhovsGun: Stormy's Douché watch in "Lost in Time"

** 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.

%%* DirtyCommunists: The episode "Red Dawn" as a whole.
%%* DomesticOnlyCartoon

%%* ExpositoryThemeTune: Quoted above.

%%* FantasticVoyagePlot: Parodied in "Craptastic Voyage".

%%* GrandFinale: "Legacy of Laughter"

%%* HandshakeSubstitute: Respek Knuckles!
%%* HardWorkMontage: Parodied in "Sharko's Machine"

%%* JiveTurkey: Name dropped.

%%* MyBiologicalClockIsTicking: Debbie Dupree's motivation in "Chickmate".
%%* NPlusOneSequelTitle

%%* NoEnding

%%* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: "The Policy"
%%* PowerGlows: "You want some of the glowing?"

%%* PropertyLine: Parodied in "Let 'Em Eat Corn".
%%* QuarterHourShort

%%* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Squishface

%%* RidingTheBomb: Quinn: "Nobody shucks my corn but ''meeeee''!!"
%%* RuleOfFunny: Justification is for pussies.

%%* SadistShow
%%* ScarySurpriseParty: "Der Dieb"

%%* SnapBack: One of the series' central tropes.
%%* SomethingCompletelyDifferent
%%* SoundEffectBleep

%%* TheVoiceless: The drummer in Virjay's band.

%%* TrustBuildingBlunder: "Isla de Chupacabra"
%%* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture
%%* UnderwaterBase: The Sealab colony itself.

%%* WildlifeCommentarySpoof

* 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.

* AmnesiaDanger: "In the Closet"

* AnimatedActors

* BackToFront: "Shrabster"

* BottleEpisode: "Fusebox"
* BuildingOfAdventure: The Sealab colony itself.
* BumblingSidekick: Hesh
* BystanderSyndrome: Parodied in several episodes.

* ChekhovsGun: Stormy's Douché watch in "Lost in Time"

* CreditCardPlot: Played straight, but everyone dies.

* DirtyCommunists: The episode "Red Dawn" as a whole.
* DomesticOnlyCartoon

* ExpositoryThemeTune: Quoted above.

* FantasticVoyagePlot: Parodied in "Craptastic Voyage".

* GrandFinale: "Legacy of Laughter"

* HandshakeSubstitute: Respek Knuckles!
* HardWorkMontage: Parodied in "Sharko's Machine"

* JiveTurkey: Name dropped.

* MyBiologicalClockIsTicking: Debbie Dupree's motivation in "Chickmate".
* NPlusOneSequelTitle

* NoEnding

* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: "The Policy"
* PowerGlows: "You want some of the glowing?"

* PropertyLine: Parodied in "Let 'Em Eat Corn".
* QuarterHourShort

* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Squishface

* RidingTheBomb: Quinn: "Nobody shucks my corn but ''meeeee''!!"
* RuleOfFunny: Justification is for pussies.

* SadistShow
* ScarySurpriseParty: "Der Dieb"

* SnapBack: One of the series' central tropes.
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent
* SoundEffectBleep

* TheVoiceless: The drummer in Virjay's band.

* TrustBuildingBlunder: "Isla de Chupacabra"
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture
* UnderwaterBase: The Sealab colony itself.

* WildlifeCommentarySpoof

'''''Sealab 2021''''' is one of the first Creator/AdultSwim original shows, which parodies the 1970s animated series ''WesternAnimation/{{Sealab 2020}}'' (and, to a lesser extent, the entire genre of [[LimitedAnimation crudely-animated]] [[TheSixties 60s]] and [[TheSeventies 70s]] cartoons produced by Creator/HannaBarbera) through combining recycled footage and animations with a GagDub. The show lasted from November 2000 to April 2005 with a total of fifty-two 15-minute-long episodes over four seasons.

* FantasticVoyagePlot: Parodied in "Craptastic Voyage"

* 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...!"

-->'''Marco:''' No, no! He’s watching TJHooker.

-->'''Marco:''' No, he’s watching TJ Hooker. On television.

* TakeThat: A brief one toward Series/StargateSG1, when Quinn suggests that having your only black character be a primitive alien outsider who carries a "space spear" is racist.

* InstantAwesomeJustAddNinjas: Two words: scuba ninjas.

* FailOSuckyname: Fatass [=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.

* SelfDeprecation: The Season 1 Finale combines this with WhoWritesThisCrap and AllJustADream at the end:

* ShoutOut: The show has frequent pop culture references. Among them:

* SkintoneSclera: Everyone except Captain Murphy, oddly.

* TakeOverTheWorld: The side story to "Happy Cake" has Sparks secretly building an army for this. He tries to recruit Marco as a henchman and Hesh unsuccessfully tries to volunteer for the same position.

'''''Sealab 2021''''' is an Creator/AdultSwim original show, which parodies the 1970s animated series ''WesternAnimation/{{Sealab 2020}}'' (and, to a lesser extent, the entire genre of [[LimitedAnimation crudely-animated]] [[TheSixties 60s]] and [[TheSeventies 70s]] cartoons produced by Creator/HannaBarbera) through combining recycled footage and animations with a GagDub. The show lasted from November 2000 to April 2005 with a total of fifty-two 15-minute-long episodes over four seasons.