As an Adult, I Still Love This Forgotten 2006 Teen Fantasy Show

In the golden age of mid 00s teen television, one little Australian series quietly captured hearts worldwide with its unique mixture of friendship drama, romance, and fantasy.

H2O: Just Add Water premiered in 2006, and nearly two decades later, I'm not ashamed to admit it remains my ultimate guilty pleasure watch.

What Is ‘H2O: Just Add Water’ About?

The premise of the show may sound ridiculous on paper: three teenage girls discover they can transform into mermaids after getting stranded on mysterious Mako Island during a full moon. Cleo, Emma, and Rikki each develop distinct water-based powers: Cleo can manipulate water, Emma can freeze it and Rikki can heat it to boiling point.

What follows is three seasons of the girls going through typical teenage drama while hiding their supernatural secret from family, friends, and potential love interests. And sometimes it was really hard to accomplish.

Why it’s special: What made H2O unique for me wasn't its groundbreaking special effects (though the underwater cinematography was surprisingly beautiful for a teen show's budget) or its revolutionary storytelling (which there is none).

It was the genuine friendship at its core that made it so special. The dynamic between the three leads felt authentic and the fantastical circumstances only made it better.

What Do Fans and Critics Think About the Show?

“As a 22 years old guy, I just started to re-watch the show. I don’t know why, though I used to be a huge fan of this show as a kid. It’s fun, cute and I love those mermaid tails. I remember Cleo used to be my favorite character and Rikki least favorite, but as of now, Rikki is easily the best character of the show,” Redditor prolelol said.

• On Rotten Tomatoes, H2O: Just Add Water has 75% from viewers.
• On IMDb, H2O: Just Add Water has 7.3/10.