Surface
The fate of the world is in their hands; they just don't know it yet.
Surface was originally titled Fathomand first on NBC on September 19, 2005. The program aired fifteen episodes, its full first season, until February 6, 2006, before going on hiatus due to the coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics and awaiting word on whether it would be renewed for a second season. On May 15, 2006, NBC officially announced the series' cancellation, leaving the outcome of the plot as a cliffhanger ending.
It was originally intended to be a mini-series composed of fewer episodes, centering around three people, but positive ratings led to it being extended, and including an additional central character. With the end of the season being called a "season finale," it left impressions that it would continue for at least one more season.
During a routine submersible dive in the North Pacific Ocean, California oceanographer Laura Daughtery (Lake Bell) is attacked by an unknown life form that appears out of a field of craters on the ocean's floor. Miles Barnett (Carter Jenkins), a North Carolina teen, finds himself face to face with the strange sea creature after falling off his wakeboard during a nighttime outing with his friends. Meanwhile, Richard Connelly (Jay R. Ferguson), a Louisiana man on a fishing trip, loses his brother in a suspicious diving accident when the creature drags him to the depths of the Gulf of Mexico.
All around the world, strange things are occurring in the world's oceans. Stars fall from the sky and into the water; a horrific howl tears apart a South African lighthouse. In South Carolina, an unknown carcass washes up on a public beach, prompting the government to evacuate and cordon off the area, claiming it as a beached whale killed by red tide poisoning.
Meanwhile, Daughtery's research is seized by government officials led by a mysterious Serbian scientist, Dr. Aleksander Cirko (Rade Šerbedžija); after attempting to confront them, she is fired. Curious as to what he's seen, Miles ventures back to the area where he first spotted the creature only to find the water covered in strange pods he classifies as "eggs"; he takes one home and places it in his parents' fish tank. Unable to cope with his brother's disappearance, Connelly ventures to South Carolina to see the creature for himself. Connelly meets Daughtery upon arrival after they are both taken into custody due to asking too many questions. When the fish in Miles' tank disappear and the tank breaks, Miles discovers that something has hatched from the egg; he attempts to conceal it but it escapes and causes havoc at his sister's pool party. Daughtery and Connelly sneak onto the beach and bring back a hagfish that had been feeding on the carcass. Each returns to his home, and Daughtery sends the fish's stomach contents to be tested. As they wait for the results, reports of strange creatures beaching themselves around the world begin to surface.
These three strangers may have stumbled upon the greatest secret in human history.
The creature that hatched from the "egg" that Miles found appears to be some kind of iguana-like animal. It has the ability to zap objects with a green electrical charge. Miles's friend Phil names the creature Nimrod, "Nim" for short.
Dr. Cirko discovers the origins of the creature, but is murdered before he can tell anyone. His assistant gives his research to Daughtery who has already teamed up with Connelly