As far as first-responder dramas go, the new Fox series “Rescue: HI-Surf” is pretty by-the-book. The respected leader is haunted by trauma beneath his stoic surface; the plucky newcomer serves as the viewer’s entry point into a tight-knit crew; not a single cast member has an ounce of extraneous body fat.
What distinguishes the show, besides the involvement of storied producer and pilot director John Wells (“The West Wing,” “ER”), is its setting. The lifeguards who serve as our heroes are stationed on the North Shore of O’ahu, a place with stunning scenery and, more intriguingly, a host of knotty local issues specific to a geographically remote tourism hotspot.
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