No one asked for a prequel series to Disney’s famed 1954 sci-fi adventure, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea … well, maybe except this writer.
Yet, 71 years later, we’re presented with Nautilus – a high gloss historical sci-fi adventure series that calls Sunday nights on AMC its port of call.
The series has been beleaguered in production hell for years. It was originally intended to be a Disney+ series but was cut from the schedule and then eventually licensed out to AMC back in late 2023. On paper, these behind-the-scenes developments and the decision to launch the series in the summer on a Sunday night might scream “abandon ship” to potential viewers. However, you’d be sorely mistaken to pass up on this incredibly fun, high seas adventure.
Nautilus, as stated previously, tells the origin story of Captain Nemo and his famed submersible ship, The Nautilus. The series finds the future Captain, portrayed by Star Trek: Discovery’s Shazad Latif (who’s fantastic in the role), not only as a prisoner of the East Indian Mercantile Company but as one of the geniuses behind the creation of the company’s new weapon – The Nautilus.
Nemo, ever the planner, has devised an elaborate plan to liberate the ship and a crew of fellow prisoners – all of whom have been trained to crew the sub. However, the timeline is radically changed and Nemo must take whomever’s on the sub (mostly a rag tag, untrained crew) and hit the high seas. The Nautilus, shortly after its thrilling escape from the Company’s clutches, wrecks one of its ships and ends up taking on some of its passengers, including Humility Lucas (Georgia Flood, Tangle), a woman engaged to a powerful Lord and someone who knows her way around science and engineering. The series takes the crew on high adventure – avoiding the warships of The Company, and the clutches of a seemingly benevolent but ultimately malevolent Brit (Richard E. Grant, Too Much) – on both land and sea.
Nautilus works on multiple levels. Despite airing in 2025, the series has found a way to maintain the majesty and mystery of both the Nautilus itself and all the creatures they run into under the sea. It feels as awe-inspiring and fantastical as if you were watching the film for the first time 70+ years ago. The set piece of the Nautilus is a visual delight with each space brimming with wondrous detail but also presenting its own atmospheres for drama, suspense, and levity. The engine room, for example, becomes a major source of suspense in the two-episode premiere as the entire crew must figure out how to fix the engine before air runs out in the entire sub. Director Michael Matthews (Love and Monsters) does a fantastic job of making this scene suspenseful and making us forget that we know the cast is going to survive (it’s the premiere, after all).
The weakness of Nautilus lies in the relationship between Nemo and Humility Lucas. The series seems to be forcing a will they/won’t they, “Oh these two stubborn kids are gonna end up together” storyline. In the first three episodes this arc has just not worked. Their bickering feels forced. Nemo’s frustrations with Lucas feel more immature for such an intelligent and charismatic character. One could chalk this up to infatuation, but it comes off more crowbarred in than cute. Lucas’ allegiance constantly flipping is reminiscent of the weakest parts of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels – confusing “turns” with character development. It’s a tired trope, and once this gets ironed out (which the ending of episode three suggests), the series will be better for it, as both Latif and Flood, when not in these scenes, do a fantastic job with their roles.
Flood has natural comedic time and, again, when not in the forced romance storyline, her humor hits at the necessary times. She is also able to convey the struggle Humility has with trying to conform with the societal norms foisted upon her and suppressing her natural acumen for science and engineering. Latif, meanwhile, is able to channel the stoicism and inner turmoil James Mason created, while also putting his own signature on the role.
Nautilus is the equivalent of making s’mores on a summer Sunday night. It’s a wonderful, easy to digest piece of television that makes for a sweet end to the weekend. The series has terrific scenes of action and adventures, wonderfully crafted suspense and a leading performance that does justice to a legendary character.
Nautilus airs Sunday nights on AMC and is now streaming on AMC+.
