H₂O: Just Add Water, also known as H₂O, is an Australian television programme for children, pre-teens and teenagers, that is filmed on location at Sea Worldand other locations on the Gold Coast. It first screened on Australia's Network Ten and later onDisney Channel Australia, and runs in syndication on channels in over 120 countries and has a worldwide audience of more than 250 million.^[1][2] The show's premise revolves around three teenage girls facing everyday teen problems with an added twist: they'remermaids with powers over water. The theme song "No Ordinary Girl" is performed by Ellie Henderson in series one, by Kate Alexa in series two and by Indiana Evans in series three.

Only two series with a total of 52 episodes were originally planned, but due to popular demand, a third series was filmed. Series one premiered in July 2006, followed by series two in September 2007. Series three first aired in the United Kingdom in October 2009, with an expected Australian premiere in 2010.

THE CASTS:

• Claire Holt as Emma Gilbert, who has a confident and responsible, if somewhat controlling, personality. She has the ability to freeze water, and later develops the ability to manipulate clouds, ice and snow. Holt appears in series one and two, but left the show to film Messengers 2: The Scarecrow.
• Phoebe Tonkin as Cleo Sertori, who at first is shy and a little awkward, but eventually becomes outgoing and personable. She is able to manipulate and mould the form of water, as well as increase or decrease the amount of water present. She is later able to control the wind.
• Cariba Heine as Rikki Chadwick, the new girl in town at the start of the show, who tends to be aloof and rebellious. Her power is the ability to manipulate heat in water, ranging from warming to boiling, which eventually grows to allow control over fire and lightning.
• Angus McLaren as Lewis McCartney, Cleo's childhood friend who is academically gifted and thinks of himself as a scientist. The girls tell him of their secret and he works to understand why the transformations occur. McLaren left the show during the third series to begin filming Packed to the Rafters.^[3]
• Brittany Byrnes as Charlotte Watsford, the main antagonist of series two who enjoys the arts and sciences, but is controlling and manipulative. She causes conflict amongst the girls and steals Cleo's boyfriend. Upon transforming into a mermaid, she obtains all of the girls' collective powers, but permanently loses her abilities after a confrontation with the trio.
• Indiana Evans as Isabella "Bella" Hartley, the new girl in series three. She is a singer and performs at the juice bar. She became a mermaid in the sea caves of Ireland when she was nine, and has the power to change water into gelatine and a crystalline substance.

[edit]Supporting

• Burgess Abernethy as Zane Bennett, who is the vain and arrogant local bad boy. In series one, he becomes obsessed with discovering the identity of the mermaids after catching a glimpse of one. He develops an on-again, off-again relationship with Rikki that is permanently broken in series three.
• Luke Mitchell as Will Benjamin, a skilled swimmer and free-diver who is introduced in series three. While exploring Mako Island, he finds the moon pool and is attacked by the water, causing him to hunt for the cause of the strange event. He is Bella's love interest, becomes closer to the girls once he discovers they are mermaids.
• Craig Horner as Ash Dove, a keen equestrian and riding coach who appears during series two. He forms a relationship with Emma, but does not learn of her being a mermaid until the series finale. Horner does not appear in series three due to filming Legend of the Seeker.