The format focused on physical action—boat chases, storms, rising tides, various rites of passage, a long-distance swim, taming a wild dog, a vision quest—but violence was largely confined to physical objects that break up or blow up or somehow threaten the characters. Comedy was part of almost every episode, and there was often a documentary flavor to the scenes of fishing, logging, and beachcombing. The show also used Canada’s multicultural diversity. Germans, Italians, Japanese, Dutch, East Indians, Swedes, and even a Colonel Blimp from England, all provided opportunities for new plot developments.

Well-loved characters from the early seasons included the two children, Margaret and her older brother Hughie, and their “gran” who owned “Molly’s Reach.” As Jesse matured, he was joined by a younger sister, Sara, who also grew up on the show. He then married a widow, Laurel, whose son, Tommy, became the series’ resident child. In Beachcombers, children of oth sexes were respected as human beings who had much to learn and to share. Other running characters were Gus McLoskey, Captain Joe, and teenage homeless lad, Pat O’Gorman. Constable John, the well-meaning, slightly klutzy member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was one of the most popular of the continuing characters. He very seldom pulled a gun or even made an arrest.

The basic premise of The Beachcombers demanded that Nick remain a volatile Greek, unattached and available for many interesting women. Relic was his clever and unscrupulous antagonist for 19 years. Early on, his misanthropy was given a context in one of the best episodes, “Runt o’ the Litter,” written by Merv Campone. Born to a loveless Welsh coal-mining family, Relic is despised by his father—the father for whom he has nevertheless built fantasies of wealth in letters home. In this episode, Relic’s “Da” is present, and in some sort of doomed attempt to win back the family’s honor, he challenges Nick, 30 years younger, to an anchor pull. Others look on in horror as “Da” collapses in the sand, humiliated by yet another “failure.” Relic, full of hatred and contempt, yet disappointed (every emotion to be read on the actor’s face) grabs the rope, hauls the anchor across the line, and says bitterly to his father “go home.” The old man weeps. The episode is a miniature tragedy. Such ambiguity and ambivalence appeared regularly in the show’s early years, and writers and producers occasionally used noncomedic endings, resisting genre conventions.

The best episodes of the later years used two narrative strategies. The first was to continue the introduction of topical issues: the recurring issue of the confiscation of Japanese fishing boats during World War II, clear-cutting logging practices, or First Nations’ land claims. This last topic was treated primarily in stories involving “The Reach,” enabling writers to focus the issue in familiar terms using Laurel and Jesse, characters whom viewers knew well. Nick’s fictional surrogate family and the show’s viewers were disturbed—and informed. The second narrative strategy of the series’ later period continued to revolve around conflicts between Relic and various other characters. As the 1980s brought increasing awareness of cultural appropriation and rising political tensions, however, this distinctive thread almost disappeared.

In a late attempt to boost ratings, a displaced urban mom, Dana, and her son, Sam, took over “The Reach.” But conflicts constructed around urban vs. small-town, or capable Westerner vs. effete Easterner seemed not to interest the audience. The writing became tired, and the plots heavily reliant on action sequences. The series ended with an elegiac but rather lifeless one-hour special. To this day, however, the reruns and worldwide syndication of Beachcombers represent Canada and Canadians to millions of viewers around the world.