Why Some Longtime Fans Can't Stand Deadliest Catch: Bloodline

There are very few reality TV shows that have run as long as "Deadliest Catch" has but didn't end up spawning a few spin-offs along the way. The popular crab fishing series has two sister shows. The first, a series titled "Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove," saw several crews crab hunting off the Oregon coast instead of the Bering Sea and only lasted a single season. The second spin-off, however, has a little more meat on its bones.

"Deadliest Catch: Bloodline" centers on "Deadliest Catch" stars Josh Harris and Casey McManus as they serve as co-captains of the F/V Cornelia Marie and use the fishing charts of the late captain Phil Harris, who tragically passed away on "Deadliest Catch" in 2010, in order to follow in his footsteps and start a tuna catching business in Hawaii. Unlike some other reality TV spin-offs, "Deadliest Catch: Bloodline" shares a lot of DNA with "Deadliest Catch" itself, featuring several veteran characters from the original series. Unfortunately, some longtime fans of the original "Deadliest Catch" have some major issues with the spin-off that hinder their enjoyment.

According to some "Deadliest Catch" fans, the biggest issue with "Deadliest Catch: Bloodline" is that the point of the show is unclear. "Is it an exploration of grief?" u/Inevitable_Towel_444 wrote in a thread on the r/deadliestcatch subreddit discussing the series. "Expanding business pursuits? Restoring family ties? Sportfishing in Hawaii? All of the above? None of it makes sense."

Some commenters also noted that the show's premise feels unrealistic and underdeveloped. "Phil's notes and coordinates might have meant something in the pre-internet 80's, but not now," u/MagnificentFloof42 commented. "Maps, Google and information at your fingertips make those old charts and coordinates irrelevant."

If some viewers feel the show isn't thought-out enough, it may have something to do with the speed at which it went from a simple idea to full-fledged series. In an interview Josh Harris did with TV Shows Ace, the series star said that the idea for the show was a "joke in the beginning" and rapidly gained traction until he, McManus, and a filming crew were flying to Hawaii just five days later. "We didn't anticipate that we were going to shoot for this, it just kind of happened," Harris said in the interview.

"Deadliest Catch: Bloodline" may have glaring issues according to fans, but the series has obviously seen success with three seasons to date and likely more to come. Perhaps future outings will draw in more longtime fans of "Deadliest Catch," but for now, this spin-off remains a wash for many.