Surface poster
Seen it?

Surface

TV·2005–2006·1 season, 15 episodes·NBC·Action, Adventure, Science-Fiction·1h·7.4·Created by Josh Pate, Jonas Pate

Not streaming in your region — see every region's options

During a routine submarine dive, oceanographer Laura Daughtery discovers an unknown life form and unearths a government cover-up operation led by scientist Dr. Aleksander Cirko. Meanwhile, Louisiana fisherman Richard Beck loses his brother in a suspicious diving accident, and a young boy named Miles sneaks an unusual aquatic egg into his home. From the South Antarctic Sea and the Gulf of Mexico to San Diego and Monterey, there's something lurking beneath the Surface.

Highest-rated episodes all ranked

  1. 01Surface S01E01Episode 1S01E01 · 7.3Sea mysteries surface in the series opener, spun around a bold marine biologist who has a terrifying underwater encounter with strange creatures. So does an inquisitive teen from California and a Louisiana scuba diver, whose confrontation has a deadly outcome.
  2. 02Surface S01E02Episode 2S01E02 · 7.0A sea-creature hunt bonds Laura and Rich, who link up on an isle where a beast is beached. Elsewhere, the baby critter found by Miles wreaks havoc in suburbia; and a deceased creature still poses a threat to a team performing an autopsy.
  3. 03Surface S01E03Episode 3S01E03 · 7.0Sea creatures cause disaster on a Texas lake; Laura runs afoul of the government in her probe; Rich suffers from debilitating flashbacks; Cirko makes a startling discovery that links the beings to global warming; and Miles continues to tend to a baby creature.

Cast

Carter JenkinsCarter JenkinsMiles BarnettJay R. FergusonJay R. FergusonRichard ConnellyLake BellLake BellLaura DaughteryLeighton MeesterLeighton MeesterSavannah BarnettIan Anthony DaleIan Anthony DaleDavis LeeEddie HassellEddie HassellPhil Nance

Episodes by season

Season01Episode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode15Episodes2005–06Aired 7.0Season avg
  1. S01E01Surface S01E01Season's bestEpisode 1September 19, 2005 7.3Sea mysteries surface in the series opener, spun around a bold marine biologist who has a terrifying underwater encounter with strange creat
  2. S01E02Surface S01E02Episode 2September 26, 2005 7.0A sea-creature hunt bonds Laura and Rich, who link up on an isle where a beast is beached. Elsewhere, the baby critter found by Miles wreaks
  3. S01E03Surface S01E03Episode 3October 3, 2005 7.0Sea creatures cause disaster on a Texas lake; Laura runs afoul of the government in her probe; Rich suffers from debilitating flashbacks; Ci
  4. S01E04Surface S01E04Episode 4October 10, 2005 7.0A sea hunt obsesses Laura in a quest for the creature that enlists the aid of an adventurer and old flame, who confront the monstrous specie
  5. S01E05Surface S01E05Episode 5October 17, 2005 7.0U.S. waters draw a creature, tracked by Rich and Laura via a GPS device to a California waterway, where a monster surfaces---to the astonish
  6. S01E06Surface S01E06Episode 6October 24, 2005 7.0Cover-up rogues imperil Laura and Rich, who are dogged by assassins while seeking evidence of the predatory sea creatures. Also: Niles goes
  7. S01E07Surface S01E07Episode 7November 7, 2005 7.0A cover-up imperils Laura, hiding out with Rich in a California cove, where she makes disturbing finds on the creatures from Cirko's files.
  8. S01E08Surface S01E08Episode 8November 14, 2005 7.0Laura, Rich and Jackson try to use the submersible device they built to investigate the spawning site. But when Rich and Laura begin to desc
  9. S01E09Surface S01E09Episode 9November 21, 2005 7.0As Laura and Rich struggle in their submersible, they're horrified to discover that the mysterious species is laying thousands of eggs under
  10. S01E10Surface S01E10Episode 10November 28, 2005 7.0After resurfacing from their trip to the ocean floor, Laura and Rich discover that their boat has disappeared. Meanwhile, Miles becomes ill
  11. S01E11Surface S01E11Episode 11January 2, 2006 7.0Rich and Laura escape from the hospital with footage of the creatures and plan to show it to a news station. Meanwhile, Miles has all but gi
  12. S01E12Surface S01E12Episode 12January 9, 2006 7.0Lee and his agents pursue Laura and Rich. While in hiding, Laura communicates with a mysterious stranger who may know something about the cr
  13. S01E13Surface S01E13Episode 13January 23, 2006 7.0Rich comes to Laura's rescue when she is drugged and left in a field after discovering the truth about the deadly species' origin. The pair
  14. S01E14Surface S01E14Episode 14January 30, 2006 7.0Hoping to learn more about the creatures and the experiments behind them, Rich and Laura hunt down the mysterious Davis Lee for answers. But
  15. S01E15Surface S01E15Episode 15February 6, 2006 7.0As a tsunami approaches, the Wilmington, N.C., area is evacuated, and Miles and his family join the exodus. Meanwhile, Laura searches for Ri

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

Shows like Surface all similar shows

The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.

  1. 01Action·Adventure·Science-FictionStargate SG·11997–2008·SyfyStreaming on NetflixStargate SG-1 is a science fiction series based on the original film Stargate.8.8Compare
  2. 02Action·Adventure·Science-FictionThe Mandalorian2019–2023·Disney+Streaming on Disney PlusAfter the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe.8.5Compare
  3. 03Action·Adventure·Science-FictionLoki2021–2023·Disney+Streaming on Disney PlusLoki follows the trickster and shape-shifter god who pops up throughout human history as an unlikely influencer on historical events.8.1Compare
  4. 04Action·Adventure·Science-FictionLanterns2026·HBOLanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.8.4Compare
  5. 05Action·Adventure·Science-FictionStar Trek: Strange New Worlds2022–present·Paramount+Streaming on Paramount Plus PremiumStar Trek: Strange New Worlds follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the decade before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S.7.9Compare
  6. 06Action·Adventure·Science-FictionAhsoka2023–present·Disney+Streaming on Disney PlusSet after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows the former Jedi knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.7.6Compare

Head-to-head pick any opponent

Stack Surface's full episode-rating history against a rival, on one chart.

Surface vs Stargate SG·1Full episode chartSurface vs The MandalorianFull episode chartSurface vs LokiFull episode chart

Keep exploring top shows

ShortcutThe essential episodes

Short on time? The pilot-to-finale shortcut, only the episodes that matter.

MatchupCompare with another show

Two shows' episode ratings on one chart — settle it.

NetworkBest NBC shows

More from the same network, ranked by rating.

GenreBest action shows & films

The top of the action pile, across both mediums.

GenreBest adventure shows & films

The top of the adventure pile, across both mediums.

Fandom hubThe sci-fi & fantasy hub

The whole fandom on one bookmarkable page — rankings, premieres, what's new.