Big Blue (TV series)

Big Blue is a Canadian animated television series for children ages 5 to 9 created by Gyimah Gariba and produced by Guru Studio. The series debuted on CBC Kids on December 4, 2021, in Canada, on Nicktoons on January 10, 2022, in the United Kingdom and on The Roku Channel on October 1, 2024, in the United States. The series follows Lettie, and her crew as the Calypso in United Current, with her brother, Lemo, pals Freddie and Phil and Bacon Berry, who might just be the one who can save the Big Blue. They go on missions and explore the ocean and must stop the splat of pollution, the Blegh, who can only be defeated by Bacon Berry, and discover why and how they can care for each other around any predicament.

Plot

Set in an underwater world where humans live alongside anthropomorphic sea creatures, the show is about the crew of the United Current submarine Calypso, composed of the Sibling Team Lettie and Lemo (who are the crew's captain and science officer, respectively), a laidback turtle named Freddie (the ship's mechanic), a nervous dolphin named Phil (the resident medic), and Bacon Berry, a childlike magical guardian of mysterious origin and power. Under the command of the diminutive Admiral Krill and his number two Commander Plink, they explore the seas and take on missions to defend the ocean from various threats, most prominently a sapient mass of pollution known as The Blegh that seeks to corrupt all of the Big Blue, while helping to redefine what a family means and how caring for one another is the most important thing of all.

Characters

Main characters

Lettie (voiced by Bahia Watson) - the captain of the Calypso Crew. She takes her job and responsibility in a serious manner, therefore she can be irritated at the stuff Lemo does, but she knows how to get her team out of bad situations. She also has a soft side on Bacon Berry and is best friends with Commander Plink.
Lemo (voiced by Kevin Duhaney) - the chief scientist and Lettie's little brother. He invents things that are not needed at times, and they usually either are not liked or they miserably fail, and Lettie does not like that, but he can also get the job done.
Phil (voiced by Jeremy Harris) - an anthropomorphic medic bottlenose dolphin of the Calypso Crew, who sometimes gets nervous about missions, but he is loyal whenever he helps his crew mates. In the episode, "Fraidy Phil", it is revealed that he has a huge fear of sea spiders, and in "Captain Bossy Fins" his parents are seen for the first time, making him the only crew member who has parents.
Freddie (voiced by Tal Shulman) - an anthropomorphic mechanical engineer sea turtle of the Calypso Crew who is laid back and a bit kooky, but he can help fix anything in the Calypso when it goes wrong. In the episode "Dodge Bubble", it is revealed that he used to play dodgeball (or dodge bubble in this instance). He is also the only sea turtle in the series.
Bacon Berry or BB (voiced by Tianna Macduff-Gibson) - the newborn guardian of the Big Blue and the Calypso Crew who has powers of the ocean. She sacrifices herself in order to save the Big Blue from the evil Blegh in the series finale "Return of the Blegh", which leads to the result of her transformation into flowers, and a new orb that she was born in appears at the end of the series finale with her eyes in it.

Supporting characters

Admiral Krill (voiced by A.C. Peterson) - an anthropomorphic krill who is in charge of United Current.
Commander Plink (voiced by Ana Sani) - Admiral Krill's number two of United Current and Lettie's best friend. In "Revenge of the Sibs", she has an adoptive family of angelfish.
Mira Clearwater (voiced by Shannon Hamilton) - an anthropomorphic manta ray captain and rival of Lettie since they were cadets.
King Puffypants (voiced by Jonathan Wilson) - an anthropomorphic pufferfish who is king of Pufferia; a kingdom with pufferfish.
Remo (voiced by Jeremy Harris) - An anthropomorphic sardine who is a very serious science officer.
Lea Lionfish (voiced by Mouna TraorÃÂ©) - an anthropomorphic lionfish who is a famous television actor and singer.

Villains

The Blegh (voiced by Ron Rubin) - A sentient piece of ooze and Bacon Berry's arch-enemy whose goal is to pollute the Big Blue and take over the world. He was destroyed by Bacon Berry's sacrifice in the series finale "Return of the Blegh".
Captain No Beard (voiced by Neil Crone) - a lemon shark pirate.
Spoony (voiced by Neil Crone) - A piranha who is No Beard's henchmen.
Cuddles (voiced by Brandon McGibbon) - An octopus thief.

Broadcast

Big Blue first premiered on CBC Kids on December 4, 2021, at 10:15 AM EST, airing the first two episodes "Goo in the Loo" and "Let's Get Kraken".

Shortly after, the series would premiere on Nicktoons in the United Kingdom and Ireland on January 10, 2022, at 8:00 AM BST on weekdays, with repeats being shown at 6:00 PM BST on weekends. It should also be noted that a sneak peek of the series aired in December, a month prior to the premiere in the United Kingdom.

On February 14, 2022, the series premiered on ABC Me at 4:20pm AEDT.

The series premiered on Cartoon Network in Africa on March 7, 2022, at 7:30 AM CAT.

The series subsequently aired on EBS 1 (South Korea), Boing and Boomerang (France), NRK Super (Norway), CTC Kids (Russia), Panda Kids (Portugal), Clan (Spain), RTS 1 (Switzerland), MBC 3 (Middle East), and Cartoon Network (Latin America).

Nickelodeon acquired the European broadcasting rights of this show with exception with France, Spain, Latin America, Germany and Russia.

Streaming

The series was made available of CBC's CBC Gem service shortly after the premier of the series in Canada.

In the United Kingdom, the series is available to watch on Sky Kids, Sky Go and Now.

In Australia, the series is available to stream on ABC iview.

In China, the series is available to stream on Youku.

The series is available on The Roku Channel in the United States as of October 1, 2024, after Guru Studio and Roku struck a deal to distribute the series on the streaming service back in late 2023.