: The story was so effective that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was forced to release an official statement clarifying that no evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found .

While the storytelling in was convincing enough to break ratings records, the "evidence" it presented was entirely fictional.

: It linked the fictional discovery to the "Bloop," a real underwater sound recorded by the NOAA in 1997, which scientists have since attributed to icequakes, not marine life.

The program included a brief disclaimer in the end credits identifying it as a work of fiction, though critics argued it was too brief and easily missed by viewers.