Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

FOX Orders "Rescue: Hi-Surf," New Franchise From Legendary Producer John Wells and Writer Matt Kester, Set to Debut in 2023-2024 Season

28/04/2023

FOX Orders "Rescue: Hi-Surf," New Franchise From Legendary Producer John Wells and Writer Matt Kester, Set to Debut in 2023-2024 Season

Warner Bros. Television Group

Set in Hawaii, Lifeguard Drama Comes from John Wells Productions, Warner Bros. Television and FOX Entertainment

FOX green lights the pulse-pounding Hawaii lifeguard drama Rescue: HI-Surf. The new John Wells Productions (JWP) action franchise, to be co-produced by Warner Bros. Television and FOX Entertainment, will premiere on FOX in 2023-2024.

From prolific, award-winning executive producer John Wells (Shameless, The West Wing, ER) and executive producer/writer Matt Kester (Animal Kingdom, Outsiders), Rescue: HI-Surf, is an action-packed drama that follows the personal and professional lives of the heavy-water lifeguards who patrol and protect the North Shore of Oahu-the most famous and dangerous stretch of coastline in the world. Each episode will feature these dedicated, heroic, and adrenaline-seeking first-responders saving lives in the difficult and often life-threatening conditions of Hawaiis Seven Mile Miracle. Kester will write the first episode, and Wells will direct the first two episodes.

Rescue: HI-Surf brings an edge-of-your-seat style to the North Shore of Hawaii, where lifeguards and surfers collide with visceral rescues, great character drama and all-around fun, said Michael Thorn, President of Scripted Programming, FOX Entertainment. This new franchise is pure beachfront property for FOX, especially with the powerful auspices of John, Matt and our incredible partners at Warner Bros.

Matt and I couldnt be happier to partner with FOX on this exciting opportunity to bring the best lifeguards in the world to the attention of television audiences, said Wells.

Ive lived on the North Shore of Oahu for most of my life, and these are our heroes, the most extraordinary extreme athletes anywhere, said Kester.

Warner Bros. Television has been riding a creative wave with John Wells for many years, and Rescue: HI-Surf is another thrilling project that will capture the hearts and minds of audiences everywhere, said Channing Dungey, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group. Were excited to partner with John, Matt Kester and FOX to tell the stories of heavy-water lifeguards in a way that has not been seen before. I cant wait for everyone to experience this thrilling new franchise.

Rescue: HI-Surf will be co-produced by Warner Bros. Television and FOX Entertainment. Matt Kester serves as showrunner and executive producer. John Wells will executive produce through John Wells Productions, and JWPs Erin Jontow also serves as an executive producer.

FOXs pick-up of Rescue: HI-Surf follows last weeks order of the all-new game show Snake Oil, hosted and produced by Emmy and Golden Globe Award-nominated comedian David Spade (SNL, Just Shoot Me) and executive-produced by Emmy nominee Will Arnett (LEGO Masters, Arrested Development), and the straight-to-series order of the medical procedural drama Doc, based on the globally acclaimed Italian series, Doc -- Nelle tue mani, which will be co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and FOX Entertainment. FOX recently renewed two of the networks hit dramas, Accused and Alert: Missing Persons Unit, both of which are co-productions of Sony Pictures Television and FOX Entertainment. The hit drama The Cleaning Lady, a Warner Bros. Television and FOX Entertainment co-production, was recently renewed for a third season. FOX-owned animated series Krapopolis from Dan Harmon (Rick and Morty, Community) and Grimsburg with Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Top Gun: Maverick) will also debut next season. Additional new and returning series will be announced soon.

About John Wells Productions

John Wells Productions (JWP) is the production company of writer, producer, and director John Wells. Most recently, Wells executive produced and directed the Emmy-nominated Maid for Netflix; Showtimes Emmy-nominated Shameless; and the TNT drama series Animal Kingdom. Past television projects include NBCs hit series ER, The West Wing and Third Watch; the critically acclaimed Southland for TNT; the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning Mildred Pierce for HBO; and the Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated China Beach.

In addition to Rescue: HI-Surf, JWPs current slate of television projects includes the upcoming series Emperor of Ocean Park, a new drama for MGM+ with Sherman Payne writing and Damian Marcano directing, based on Stephen L. Carters best-selling novel; The Accident, with Wells writing and directing; the psychological thriller series Doll, with renowned theatre and opera director Ivo van Hove; and an adaptation of the critically acclaimed suspense thriller Notes on an Execution, by Danya Kukafka, with Kate Fodor writing.

The company currently has an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television.

Films produced by Wells include The Company Men, which was his feature directorial debut; Todd Haynes Far from Heaven and Im Not There; Mark Romaneks One Hour Photo; Todd Graffs Camp; Fenton Baileys Party Monster; Robert Altmans The Company; John Waters A Dirty Shame; Mary Harrons The Notorious Bettie Page; Phyllis Nagys Mrs. Harris; Tom Kalins Savage Grace; Douglas McGraths Infamous; Jordan Scotts Cracks; Andrew Neels Goat; Burnt, which he also directed; Bill Pohlads Love & Mercy; Carroll Ballards Duma; Peter Kominskys White Oleander; Neil Jordans The Good Thief; Andrzej Bartkowiaks Doom; Tony Giglios Doom: Annihilation; Michael Mayers A Home at the End of the World; and Oscar-nominated August: Osage County, which Wells also directed, based on Tracy Letts Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name.

About Warner Bros. Television

One of the entertainment industrys most-respected providers of original programming since its founding in 1955, Warner Bros. Television delivers scripted dramas, comedies, limited series, and origi
LINK: https://press.wbd.com/gb/media-release/fox-orders-rescue-hi-surf-new-f...
See more stories from timewarner

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

12/08/2026

ACLU Requests ABC Station Probe Documents from FCC

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/08/2026

Roger Keating To Retire from Hearst Television

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/08/2026

Netflix Closes U.S. Upfronts, Nearly Doubles Ad Commitments

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/08/2026

CBS Pittsburgh Debuts New AR/VR News Studio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/08/2026

Matthews Intros T-Go Extreme Rigging Solutions

Matthews Studio Equipment introduces T-Go Mounting Solutions extreme camera rigging systems, engineered for the most demanding environments in motion picture pr...

12/08/2026

Anton Bauers EDEN Becomes Only Mobile Power Station in it...

Anton/Bauer, a Videndum brand and the industry leader in mobile power solutions for broadcast and cinematic production, announces that the EDEN Mobile Power Sta...

12/08/2026

TAG Video Systems Cuts Hardware Costs for Customers with...

TAG Video Systems, the global leader in software-based IP monitoring and multiviewer solutions, today announced a memory usage optimization that lowers the tota...

12/08/2026

Unified Streaming Launches Trusted Media - C2PA in Dynami...

Unified Streaming announces Trusted Media, a new solution that enables broadcasters, streaming platforms, and premium content owners to attach verifiable authen...

12/08/2026

Tedial Powers the AI-Driven Media Supply Chain at IBC 202...

Combining intelligent automation, composable business services and user-centric experiences The media industry is entering a new phase where AI intelligence is...

12/08/2026

DPA Microphones Appoints Raul Contreras as West Coast Reg...

DPA Microphones welcomes Raul Contreras as its new West Coast Regional Sales Manager. In this role, Contreras will oversee sales and customer relationships thro...

12/08/2026

Weather is Not a Factor for Marshall Electronics New CV57...

Marshall Electronics' first all-weather, all-IP 4K POV camera, the CV574-WP, makes its European debut at IBC 2026 (Stand 10.C11). Built for the elements, th...

12/08/2026

A double off-switch helps cells respond to stress

LA JOLLA, CA-Scientists at Scripps Research have discovered that two seemingly unrelated cellular enzymes become locked together during times of stress, simulta...

11/08/2026

Apple To Bring Friday Night Baseball Live to Apple Immersive on Vision Pro Beginning Aug. 28

Weekly immersive broadcasts will feature 8K 3D video, a 180-degree field of view...

11/08/2026

Looking for a New Cameraperson? ProductionHUB Guide Lays Out Considerations, Pitfalls

By Briana Brady, Social Media Manager, Production Hub Sports content is having ...

11/08/2026

SVG Sit-Down: Backlight CEO Kathleen Barrett on Building Media Infrastructure for a Global, AI-Driven Sports Landscape

She addresses why media organizations need more than asset storage, how sports t...

11/08/2026

FloSports Dennis LeMire on Implementing Cloud-Based Workflows on Lower Tier Sports

Remote commentary has improved significantly on these broadcasts At a clip of ...

11/08/2026

Miami HEAT's Revamped IP-Based Control Room Coordinates Workflows With Meinberg Intelligent Modular Synchronization System

A pair of LANTIME IMS M2000 PTP Grandmasters deliver resilient timing infrastruc...

11/08/2026

LTN Expands Live Event Master Control Capabilities for Sports Organizations

LTN has announced expanded capabilities for its Live Event Master Control offering, providing sports broadcasters, leagues, rights holders, and content owners w...

11/08/2026

WTA Ventures Appoints IMG as Managed Production Services Partner

WTA Ventures has appointed IMG as its managed production services partner in a multi-year agreement commencing with the 2027 season. The partnership is the late...

11/08/2026

New York Jets and CBS New York Extend Multi-Year Partnership

The New York Jets and CBS New York have agreed to a multi-year extension of their partnership, keeping CBS New York as the official broadcast home of the team. ...

11/08/2026

Nielsen Acquires DoubleVerify to Create New Combined Media Intelligence Platform

Nielsen Holdings and DoubleVerify have announced a definitive agreement under which Nielsen will acquire DoubleVerify in an all-cash transaction with an enterpr...

11/08/2026

AES Elects David v.R. Bowles as President-Elect for 2027, Unveils Other Election Results

The Audio Engineering Society has announced the results of its 2026 Board of Dir...

11/08/2026

SVG Sit-Down Creator Sports Network's Barrick Prince on Building the Next Layer of the Live-Sports Rights Stack

The CSN co-founder details its network and affiliate' model, how creator wi...

11/08/2026

Gravity Media Providing Host Broadcast Operations for Esports World Cup 2026

Gravity Media is providing host broadcast operations for the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026, supporting ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) in delivering the tournament to glo...

11/08/2026

TAG Video Systems Reduces Memory Requirements for Compressed Workflows

TAG Video Systems has released a memory usage optimization for its MCM software that reduces the cost per channel by up to two-thirds for compressed workflows. ...

11/08/2026

SMT Expands LED Production and Scoring Services at 2026 Cincinnati Open

SMT is expanding its technology partnership with the Cincinnati Open this year, adding new LED displays, production capabilities, and fan-facing experiences at ...

11/08/2026

Pac-12 to Stream Fall Olympic Sports Home Events Free on YouTube

The Pac-12 has announced that home Olympic sports broadcasts throughout the fall season will be available free on the conference's YouTube channel at youtub...

11/08/2026

Case Study: Real Life Network Taps LiveU for Broadcast-Grade Streaming

Spreading a message of faith requires both widespread accessibility and uncompromising visual quality. Real Life Network (RLN), a free, faith-based digital stre...

11/08/2026

Tennessee Titans' New Nissan Stadium Will Live Up to Its Music City Location

Taking the synergy of sports and entertainment a step further, the NFL venue in Nashville will house iterations of two iconic music clubs The marriage of Taylo...

11/08/2026

The Crow Hill Company introduce Pocket Strings

Free library captures pro classical string section There's no shortage of freebies in The Crow Hill Company's line-up, with their Vaults series offe...

11/08/2026

Emergence Audio unveil Envoy

Percussion instrument introduces all-new engine Emergence Audio have just introduced a instrument that brings together a vast collection of percussive analo...

11/08/2026

Boris FX reveal Sequoia 2026.5

Introduces new all-in-one Spatial Panner tool Boris FX have recently announced the latest major update for their mastering and broadcast-focused DAW softwar...

11/08/2026

Rohde & Schwarz installs millimeter wave security scanners at Airports of Thailand (AOT) Airports

Rohde & Schwarz installs millimeter wave security scanners at Airports of Thaila...

11/08/2026

Dolby Acquires VVC Patents From Florida Atlantic University

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/08/2026

Alyson Stewart Joins Zixi as Senior Director, Sales

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/08/2026

FCC Issues Alert Over Scammers Impersonating Its Commissioners

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/08/2026

Comcast, Disney Ink Deal to End NFL Network Blackout

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/08/2026

farmerswife and Cirkus are Exhibiting at IBC 2026

farmerswife and Cirkus will return to IBC 2026 to showcase new tools designed to help broadcast, media and post-production teams manage workflows with greater s...

11/08/2026

LiveU Powers Cross-Venue Coverage of Glasgow Commonwealth...

LiveUs LU900Q intelligent production unit played a central role in the host broadcast operation for the Games in Glasgow (July 23 to August 2, 2026). The host b...

11/08/2026

Jigsaw24 Appoints James Morse as Client Director to Drive...

Jigsaw24 has appointed James Morse as Client Director, Media Sales, as it deepens its focus on sports, live events and integrated production. His appointment co...

11/08/2026

Net Insight enables one of Europes largest broadcast grad...

Net Insight today announced that DMC Production Norway has selected its Open Live Media solution to centralize the production of Blinkfestivalen 2026. Combining...

11/08/2026

Vivaro Supports Record World Cup Audiences with the Appea...

Modular HEVC and JPEG XS workflows enabled resilient, ultra-low-latency delivery for leading linear and digital media platforms across all 104 matches Appear A...

11/08/2026

Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Fabiola Mndez

Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Fabiola M ndez The first cuatrista to graduate from Berklee talks about the community that shaped her career ahead of her Homecom...

11/08/2026

FOR-A To Highlight MixBoard, Viztrik AiDi Enhancement At IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/08/2026

AMWA and EBU to Host Demos at IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/08/2026

Dalet Solution Suites Enable Media Teams to Move Like a S...

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced Dalet Solution Suites, a new portfolio of cloud-native solutions ...

11/08/2026

Mediagenix Helps Broadcasters Prepare for Brazil DTV Futu...

Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, will showcase how media companies can prep...