# Water Rats (1996)

> An Australian police procedural following a water police unit as its officers patrol and investigate crimes on the harbour.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/4636

## Facts

- Seasons: 6
- Episodes: 177
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama
- Created by: Tony Morphett
- Network: Nine Network
- Cast: Peter Bensley, Toni Scanlan, Raelee Hill, Catherine McClements, Jay Laga'aia, Scott Burgess, Colin Friels, Aaron Jeffery
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115417/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: sincere, gritty, grounded

## Synopsis

Water Rats (1996-2001) is an Australian police procedural series created by Tony Morphett for the Nine Network. Peter Bensley plays Jeff Hawker and Toni Scanlan plays Helen Blakemore, with Raelee Hill, Catherine McClements, Jay Laga'aia, Scott Burgess and Colin Friels among the principal officers of a water police unit. The engine of the series is the everyday work of officers who patrol harbour waters and respond to crimes committed on and around the water, with each episode built around a case that needs to be solved while the team's personal lives play out alongside it. Running six seasons across 177 episodes of roughly an hour each, the show is a case-of-the-week format rather than a single continuing arc, giving it a steady, procedural rhythm. Set in contemporary Australia, its harbour setting gives the stories a distinctive maritime texture that separates it from the city-street police dramas of its era. Its tone is grounded and sincere, with an undercurrent of camaraderie among colleagues. Fans of Homicide: Life on the Street and Wentworth will find some resonance in its ensemble procedural approach and Australian crime drama tradition.

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