They had enough money to create creatures out of rubber and foam, and have sparks fly in every episode during the last two years!

Watching some Season 3 & 4 episodes recently, it looks to me as though the budget for the series may have been cut considerably for the last two years - anybody know if this is true? If so, it would be interesting to know the figures. - Emeglis
I can't provide specific figures, but the excellent web resource,
Mike's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Zone
(
http://www.vttbots.com/
), notes:
The budget was reduced for (Season 3), but a great cast, crew, and music, plus two years and one movie's worth of special effects footage absorbed some of the shock.
http://www.vttbots.com/season_three_landmarks.html