Rescue Hi-Surf Can’t Beat This Wave: FOX Drama Canceled After One Season

We’ve been shocked by sudden cancellations this season, but FOX may have just taken the cake.

According to Deadline, Rescue Hi-Surf has been canceled after its freshman season.

While the decision comes as a shock given that its numbers were pretty respectable for a show on the network, it seems the decision was more about money than anything else.

In recent years, new shows have featured one or two A-list leads as the draws, but it seems FOX wanted to get Rescue Hi-Surf off the ground, err, shore, within a strict budget.

When all was said and done, Rescue Hi-Surf Season 1 averaged 1.8 million viewers and a 0.22 rating among adults 18-49.

It ranked as FOX’s third highest-rated drama in live + same-day results, with numbers lifting quite a bit after a week of DVR and streaming was factored in.

Rescue Hi-Surf Had Much More Potential

Rescue Hi-Surf Season 1 Episode 19 — the season finale — aired March 31 on FOX and didn’t leave too much up in the air, so the cancellation won’t be as hard for the show’s fan base.

Rescue Hi-Surf starred Arielle Kebbell, Adam Demos, Robbie Magasiva, Kekoa Scott, Kekumano, Zoe Cipres, and Alex Aiono.

The series focused on a group of lifeguards in the North Shore of O’ahu, Hawaii.

FOX initially envisioned Rescue Hi-Surf as the beginning of a franchise akin to the 9-1-1s and One Chicago, but there will be no more shows in this franchise.

Sadly, the series didn’t break domestically and internationally as initially thought, which is never good.

The show’s filming location, Hawaii, is thought to have contributed to the cancellation, with filming in the state anticipated to be extremely successful.

Last season, NCIS: Hawai’i was canceled despite pulling in almost eight million viewers per week, with costs being a significant factor.

As broadcast TV networks get scrappier, we very well may see fewer shows produced in Hawaii going forward, and it’s a damn shame.

Hawaii May Have Killed the Show

The setting added to the allure of Rescue Hi-Surf, and even if the network considered shifting locations to reduce the budget, it wouldn’t have been the same show.

The series becomes FOX’s second cancellation this season after 9-1-1: Lone Star got its marching orders ahead of its fifth season, despite decent ratings.

Fellow freshman dramas Doc and Murder in a Small Town have both been renewed for the 2025-26 season, along with animated series Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy, Krapopolis, and The Simpsons.

Bubble shows are Animal Control, Going Dutch, Grumsburg, Accused, The Great North, Alert Missing Persons Unit, and The Cleaning Lady.

Anything can happen in a season where CBS has gutted the FBI universe and canceled The Equalizer and S.W.A.T.

It’s a turbulent time, and with upfronts beginning this week, more cancellations are expected, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, what are your thoughts on the demise of Rescue Hi-Surf?

Hit the comments.

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