Treasure Quest
By Anne Louise Bannon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Deep sea exploration show emphasizes profit over history.
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A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
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Based on 3 parent reviews
Biased review and horribly unfair.
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Odyssey has not been in trouble with the law
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What's the Story?
TREASURE QUEST follows the adventures of Odyssey Marine Exploration, a company that uses advanced science and technology to find historical shipwrecks -- with the intent of recovering lost fortunes in old coins and other valuables. The process is difficult and often frustrating, as the crew members battle bad weather and even governments in their quest to find riches left behind long ago.
Is It Any Good?
Considering that the true reality of these expeditions is that they usually involve a lot of sitting around and waiting while looking at screens, the show does an excellent job of building suspense. Some of it is inherent -- such as when the boat is buzzed illegally by a French Navy plane, or when the crew tries to temporarily recover an elephant tusk even though bad weather makes it all but impossible.
But because the show doesn't gloss over the fact that there are also far more misses than hits in these searches, it can be a little slow at times. Still, ultimately, it's more interesting than not, although younger kids might get a little antsy during the hour-long episodes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how TV's version of "reality" can be affected by things like narration and what footage producers choose to leave in and/or edit out. How does that change a show's messages and storylines? In the case of this particular show, how do you think it would be different if the narration focused more on the items being found and their historial significance, rather than what they're worth? Ultimately, does this show feel more like reality TV or an educational series? Why?
TV Details
- Premiere date: January 15, 2009
- Cast: Rob Naughton
- Network: Discovery Channel
- Genre: Reality TV
- TV rating: TV-PG
- Last updated: June 20, 2023
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