Why Fox Canceled Rescue HI-Surf

"Rescue: HI-Surf" built a loyal following during its brief run on Fox, raising the question of why the action drama series was canceled. Created by Matt Kester, a writer who previously contributed to WGN's "Outsiders" and ABC's "Forever," "Rescue: HI-Surf" followed a team of lifeguards working on the North Shore of O'ahu, Hawaii. This dangerous stretch of beach provided all the drama one could want, especially when you factor in all the lifeguard's personal dramas, which were showcased throughout the first and only season of the show. Getting to the point where the writers could actually tell this story, however, proved tricky.

Back in 2020, The Wrap reported that HBO Max was developing a "Hawaii-set drama" entitled "Ke Nui Road," before a pilot was ordered in 2021. However, it seems HBO Max chose not to move forward with the series, and in 2023 Fox greenlit what was essentially the same series with a new name: "Rescue: HI-Surf." At the time, it looked as though Kester's show had been saved from being prematurely canned but it ultimately wouldn't stick around for long even after Fox ordered a series.

"Rescue" starred Robbie Magasiva as Harlan "Sonny" Jennings, an Ocean Safety Lifeguard Captain, alongside Arielle Kebbel as Emily Wright, an Ocean Safety Lifeguard Lieutenant. Adam Demos and Kekoa Scott Kekumano played Ocean Safety Lifeguards Will Ready and Laka Hanohano respectively, but the show also featured K​​aipo Dudoit, a relative newcomer who showed up in a couple of episodes and who was also part of the "Lilo and Stitch" cast. Shawn Hatosy, who has a recurring role as Dr. Jack Abbott on HBO Max's "The Pitt" and appeared in that series' best scene, also had a recurring role on "Rescue: HI-Surf" playing City of Honolulu Mayor Clayton Emerson. That's not the only link between the Fox series and "The Pitt," either. "Rescue: HI-Surf" also had former "ER" showrunner and executive producer John Wells on executive producing duties. Wells would go on to serve the same function on "The Pitt" — which is definitely not an "ER" spin-off despite what a lawsuit alleged. Nobody could make the same accusation of "Rescue: HI-Surf," and not only because it was completely unrelated to the subject matter of both medical dramas, but because unlike "ER" it lasted for just a single season.

When "Rescue: HI-Surf" debuted, Fox clearly had high hopes for the series, extending its episode order to 19 in April 2024. The network also gave the show a post-Super Bowl slot and a series premiere date that followed an NFL double-header. This approach seemed to work at first, with the series drawing 4.7 million Live and Same Day viewers for its premiere episode. During the show's run, however, there were signs that it might not be living up to the network's expectations, such as when Fox hastily switched out "Rescue: HI-Surf" as the Super Bowl lead-out program for the season 3 premiere of game show "The Floor." That would prove to be a grim portent of things to come.

The season 1 finale of "Rescue: HI-Surf" aired March 31, 2025 and less than two months later, the show had been axed. On May 7, 2025 Deadline reported that Fox had canceled the series, citing less than impressive ratings as the main reason. According to the outlet, the show had finished its first season with "steady but modest ratings." 1.4 million people watched the season finale live or on the same day, with Deadline noting that while streaming viewership on Hulu helped somewhat, it wasn't enough to secure "Rescue: HI-Surf" a second season. 

Indeed, a quick look at the ratings across season 1's 19 episodes reveals a stark drop in viewership even after just one episode. Episode 2, "Mauka to Makai," drew just 2.35 million viewers as opposed to the 4.7 million who'd watched the premiere. By episode four, that number had fallen below 2 million, and the show would never manage to crack the 2 million mark again, ultimately seeing its lowest viewership with episode 18, "Flowback," which drew just 1.21 million viewers. As beloved as it was among its fans, then, "Rescue: HI-Surf" was hardly one of the best TV shows of 2024/25, and its declining viewership spoke to that fact.

Just why "Rescue: HI-Surf" didn't become the hit Fox was expecting remains unclear, but there are a few possible explanations. For one, there was a distinct lack of star-power to the series, leaving Fox with the job of marketing a series with no recognizable faces in the cast. What's more, according to Deadline, the show was perhaps a tad too pricey to justify its ongoing existence. While it didn't break the network's per-episode budget, it was thought to have been one of the more expensive series to produce, largely due to the setting. Hawaii, it seems, was both the series' big draw and one of the main reasons the show was ultimately canceled, with the on-location shooting not making for the most cost-effective approach. That said, Deadline did report that "Rescue: HI-Surf" was "seriously considered" for a second season, mostly due to the fact John Wells was involved. Sadly, this wasn't enough to save it in the end.

There was also speculation about whether Fox was looking to axe "Rescue: HI-Surf" due to its planned "Baywatch" reboot (which at the time of writing still hasn't materialized). However, Deadline claimed that this other lifeguard-centric show didn't play a "significant part" in the decision to cancel "Rescue: HI-Surf," with Fox at one point supposedly considering running both shows simultaneously. That was backed up by Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade, who in May 2025 told reporters (via TVLine) "It certainly wasn't the locale or the budget. [The show] just didn't quite grab the audience."  Michael Thorn, President of Fox Television Network and Fox Entertainment, added, "We went all in on two shows last season — 'HI-Surf' and 'Doc' and we're so proud of the success of 'Doc.' Unfortunately, 'HI-Surf' just didn't catch on like we had hoped."

Perhaps if the series had performed better critically, we might have got a second season. The show has a 50% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, which isn't the worst, but certainly wasn't enough to make up for the declining viewership. As such, "Rescue" remains one of what is actually quite a respectable array of TV shows that were canceled after just one season.