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This is an Amazon Prime reboot of the Sid and Marty Krofft show from the 1970s. Brothers Johnny (Solomon Stewart) and Scotty (Kyle Breitkopf) are staying with their aunt and cousin for a summer in the touristy town of Dead Man's Cove, where they discover sea monster Sigmund. Initially afraid of him, they become the monster's friend and try to keep him from being found by adults in the town -- especially Captain Barnabas, whose life's work is to finally prove to the world that sea monsters are real by capturing one.

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Thankfully the Kroffts are back at the helm and stick with puppets rather than CGI. There are callbacks to the original, including the use of the theme song. The monsters are a highlight of the show, amusing and with perhaps more depth than the human characters. The dynamic between Johnny and Scotty read more like best friends than brothers to me, but this could be because they don't really look related.

The boys are appealing even if the acting is just OK. The dialogue and plots lend themselves to excessive emoting and in the first episode especially, the brothers are constantly left slackjawed. The story arc is rather contrived and it's unclear why Johnny and Scotty took such a strong liking to Sigmund after only getting to know him briefly. Still, it's a fun watch with good visuals.

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Aunt Maxine wants to date the bachelor Captain Barnabas, but he's not receptive to her advances. He is more interested in pursuing the sea monsters, which just happens to lead to him spending lots of time around our boy protagonists. A coincidence, surely.

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Johnny Whitaker, who starred as Johnny in the original, plays a recurring character in the new series.

Rating: 7/10