‘Rescue HI-Surf’ Review: Fox’s Hawaii-Set Lifeguarding Drama

By no means let it’s stated that Fox’s Rescue HI-Surf doesn’t attempt to ship what’s anticipated of it. The motion drama recurrently metes out harmful rescues of the lifeguarding selection, plunging deep into the Pacific or zipping round on a succession of jet skis. When its hard-bodied heroes aren’t saving one another’s necks or bickering over workplace politics, they’re dutifully making eyes at each other.

The collection capabilities concurrently as a security warning (the currents round Oahu’s North Shore could be intense, apparently!) and a tourism advert (… however don’t they nonetheless look so fairly and enjoyable to splash round in?). Most of all, it goals to execute on the reliable method of life-and-death stakes plus interpersonal intrigue plus enticing stars. There’s just one downside: It’s simply … not that enjoyable.

As diligently as creator Matt Kester checks off all these narrative containers, he struggles to shade them in with any specificity or originality. Throughout the 4 hours despatched to critics, a lot of the leads stay broad, bland archetypes: Laka, the celebration boy (The White Lotus’ Kekoa Kekumano); Kainalu, the wealthy child rookie (Alex Aiono); Em, the hyper-competent woman badass excelling in a principally male subject (Arielle Kebbel); and so forth. Although every has been assigned the broad define of a backstory, none has demonstrated quirks extra distinctive than “likes fairly ladies” (that’d be the celebration boy) or hobbies extra notable than sneaker amassing (that’d be the wealthy child, as talked about in a single throwaway line). None of them is dour sufficient to tug the present down, however none demonstrates any specific humorousness, both.

The need-they-won’t-they pairings that ought to gentle up these characters really feel equally perfunctory. We all know Em and her ex, extravagantly Australian lifeguard Will (Adam Demos), nonetheless have emotions for one another as a result of Will’s present fiancée is so jealous about it, not as a result of Kebbel and Demos show any notable chemistry. Kainalu halfheartedly hits on fellow beginner Hina (Zoe Cipres) as a result of there are not any different obtainable younger ladies within the forged, and he or she halfheartedly rejects him as a result of the drama must stretch this flirtation out over a season. Laka has precisely the identical dynamic with a cute recurring EMT, Jenn (Sea Shimooka), as a result of this collection has someway already run out of concepts for romantic subplots.

The present is considerably more proficient at developing with new ways in which beachgoers (usually vacationers, however not at all times) may run into bother. There are the standard circumstances of an inexperienced surfer getting pulled in by a powerful tide, or a snorkeler getting clipped by a passing boat. However there’s additionally one episode that opens with a household mountaineering in a mountain, and one other that begins with a bunch of younger folks leaping round a sand pit; in each circumstances, a part of the amusement is questioning what collection of catastrophes may befall these visitor stars to necessitate emergency help. Simply don’t anticipate something too bonkers. Even within the face of a horrific shark assault, Rescue HI-Surf resists sensationalism.

For that matter, the collection faces just about every part with a good keel and a straight face. It’s not completely allergic to frivolous enjoyable — whereas Rescue HI-Surf eschews the blatant ogling of its most evident predecessor, Baywatch, it’s not above making Will and Laka raise weights shirtless whereas making expository small speak. However it’s far much less invested in serving up juicy drama or splashy journey than in reminding you of its characters’ stalwart heroism.

Generally, this works within the present’s favor. Station chief Sonny emerges because the collection’ most compelling lead partly as a result of actor Robbie Magasiva is sweet at exuding a heat however quiet gravitas, but in addition as a result of, although he’s probably not written with that rather more nuance than any of his colleagues, he’s been given the present’s most bittersweet arc: He blames himself for the demise, one month earlier, of a beloved nephew. If he comes throughout as completely too affordable, even in his extra heated moments, to justify Em’s issues that he’s develop into unmoored, the pair’s rapport advantages from a straightforward mutual respect that eludes the collection’ extra strained romances.

Rescue HI-Surf additionally makes some extent of confronting much less glamorous issues within the space, a lot of them brought on by the rising circulation of outsiders. (Although you may nonetheless be tempted to ebook a aircraft ticket — coastlines this naturally attractive will do this.) The characters, most of whom have been residing on the North Shore for years if not many years, bemoan the altering instances. Extra guests imply extra folks stumbling obliviously into hazard, taxing emergency providers’ already restricted assets. Extra new residents imply rising rents pricing out lifelong locals like Hina. On the identical time, foreigners like Will nonetheless battle to seek out their footing in an insular neighborhood constructed round longstanding familial connections. But with out characters charismatic sufficient to construct a bridge to the viewers, these legitimate issues nonetheless really feel distant. There’s a distinction between understanding intellectually that one thing is unhappy or necessary, and feeling heartbroken or fired up whereas watching it.

In equity, the 4 installments I’ve seen comprise solely a small slice of a deliberate 19-episode season. There’s loads of room but for the characters to evolve past these focus-group-friendly tropes into sharper variations of themselves, for his or her chemistry to warmth up, for the storylines to let themselves get wilder or weirder. I hope for its personal sake that Rescue HI-Surf may ultimately float itself towards a humorousness, or a style for drama, or a tolerance for messiness. However for now, it’s the TV equal of a kind of huge waves that lose steam earlier than hitting the shore. It merely seems to be prefer it guarantees pleasure from afar. Up shut, it’s so gentle it barely makes a splash.