Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Report Card – A Wipeout Turned Comeback

Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 had a rough start, but found itself on solid ground by the end of the season, and we're taking a look at the highs and lows!

The post Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Report Card – A Wipeout Turned Comeback appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Let’s call a spade a spade: Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 had a rough start.

On the surface, the series wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t very engaging. The characters were just there, the storylines were underwhelming, and the rescues were the best part about the early hours.

The show couldn’t figure out what it wanted to be or get out of its own way, which left us with a very stale product reflected in the dwindling viewership. But when the series returned to finish its run in 2025, it found something, finally becoming the show many were hoping to see.

Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 ended on a high note, and with the series’ fate still in limbo, you could make a solid case as to why the series should get a second effort.

While we wait for that news, we’re taking a look back at the first season, from the best character to the worst romance and everything in between.

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We have a lot to talk about, Fanatics.

So, let’s dig in and discuss!

Best Character – Kainalu Emerson

You’re probably thinking, why would I choose Kainalu as the best character of this season? And I’d say simply because he was the character who most evolved and subverted early expectations.

The series sets up the son of the incoming Mayor as an annoying nepo baby who floated his way through life and got everything he wanted at the expense of others. We saw some flashes early in the season, especially during Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 1.

But as the season progressed, it introduced us to a man who wanted to give back to his community. He wasn’t interested in living off his father forever and walking a path that others laid out for him, probably before he was even born.

After a rocky start, Kainalu proved himself to be a competent, headstrong lifeguard and someone his teammates could depend on.

His journey to help house his fellow lifeguards in the yurt community was a wonderful way to showcase that while he may have some traits of his business-like father, he was working every day to be an even better version of himself.

Most Frustrating Character – Will Ready

Will wasn’t the most frustrating character solely because he was a cheater; he was also a coward.

He floated between two women without much care in the end for how he’d be breaking the heart of one and basically refused to communicate effectively with anyone the entire season.

One of the worst aspects of the season was how little we actually got to know some of these characters beyond their initial conflicts or the one thing the series decided to hone in on.

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With Will, there’s still so much we don’t know, but all we could see was a grown man incapable of being decisive or emotionally aware, which led to him hurting people and then running away when things got complicated.

Best Romance – Hina & Kainalu

I’ve written about the Hina and Kainalu romance ad nauseum, but it’s worth repeating how wonderful they’ve been, considering this series is bereft of solid ships to root for.

You could consider Hina and Kainalu a slow-ish burn at this point, though the two did hook up during Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 9. Things never took off for the pair, mainly because Hina was in denial, but everything changed during the end of the season.

Unfortunately, Kainalu was in a relationship with Hina’s friend Rosie by the time Hina was willing to admit her feelings, meaning the two ended the season as friends. However, it’s more than obvious there’s a lot of love between the two.

Rivals-to-lover storylines always hit when the couple has chemistry, and the emotional turn from hatred or indifference to genuine love and affection is easily bought.

Hina and Kainalu’s becoming roommates allowed their friendship to bloom first, putting them in a good position to succeed when the two are eventually on the same page.

Worst Romance – Will and Em

Will and Em are the loves of each other’s lives, but they do not know how to be in a healthy, functional relationship.

When we met the pair, they were best friends and longtime exes, but it was obvious they still cared about one another a lot, and things came to a head during Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 8, when they kissed and set forth on their mini-affair.

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But even while engaging in said affair, they didn’t talk much about their feelings or their future, and as things became more and more undefined, you could tell it was going to end badly for Em, who at least had the foresight to tell Will that he needed to make a decision.

If these two EVER want to give it a real chance, they desperately need counseling because they have horrible communication skills. They care for one another but don’t know how to protect one another’s hearts like you should with someone you’re meant to love.

Best Episode – Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 13

The series had a great run toward the end of the season with solid episode after solid episode, but Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 13 was the start of them finding their identity.

It was a beautiful showcase for Kainalu, who showed how fair he’d come as a lifeguard. It also did the impossible by making us truly emotionally invested in a character we’d just met that hour.

The series has never struggled with action, and the underwater bomb explosion was another great rescue — maybe one of the best of the season.

This hour also pushed the father/son dynamic between Kainalu and the underused Mayor Emerson to the forefront, and the series was all the better for it.

Plus, we got an extra cute Hina and Kainalu hospital moment, which was just the icing on the cake for this one.

Worst Episode – Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 7

If I’m being honest, you could insert a lot of different episodes here because many of them were lackluster, especially in the beginning.

But Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 7 was one of the earlier episodes that tried to hone in on the characters more, but it just didn’t work. Instead, the hour slogged along, and while it moved storylines forward, it didn’t do so with much aplomb.

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At this point in the season, the series still wasn’t sure whether it was an action show or an action show mixed with soapy drama, and the hour suffered from stale storytelling at points.

But again, you could say that about several of the earlier episodes, though this one was the first one that highlighted just how out of sorts the series was becoming.

Character Most In Need of Better Material – Laka Hanohano

Keko Scott Kekumano is an incredibly charismatic actor; HI-Surf sets Laka up as the slightly troubled, albeit kindhearted soul who just needed a little guidance to break bad habits and become a better version of himself and, thus, an even better guard.

But instead, Laka was kind of a jerk for much of the season.

He insisted on getting in between Will and Em, which was never his place, and he was less than appreciative of Sonny mentoring him at first, though he did eventually come around. But it’s never felt like the series knew what to do with him despite his obvious path worth following.

He got there in the end, but the road traveled was filled with many frustrations for a character that could have been so much more if the powers that be decided to give him more to do.

Best Friendship – Sonny & Em

Sonny’s the rock for so many people in his life, and while the relationship between him and Em did have some tense moments, their friendship is rooted in a deep respect and adoration for one another that shined through time and again.

Sonny is a great captain because he always does what’s best for the team, and if that means being tough on Em, he’ll do it. Em was honest when she needed to be, which again showed their respect for one another.

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Their relationship was more prominent in the earlier hours than towards the end, but it was always there. The moments they checked in with one another were always sweet and reflected just how much they cared about each other.

A potential season 2 would do well to feature them more, as their friendship was one of the brightest spots of the uneven first season.

Overall Grade – C

It’s been a minute since I was in grade school, but a C grade always meant average during my day, and that’s a perfect way to describe this first effort.

The series was never going to be Baywatch, and I don’t think anyone ever wanted it to be. Still, they struggled to find their footing with lackluster plotlines and underdeveloped characters for so long that audiences lost interest.

Great action sequences can only take you so far.

But there were obvious signs of growth toward the end, and they found the winning formula as the season wrapped.

Now, if FOX renews it, they need to commit to it and expand upon the things that worked while leaving what didn’t far behind.

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What Grade Would You Give Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1?

Now it’s time to share all your thoughts in the comment section!

What were your favorite moments? Least favorite moments? Does the series deserve a season 2?

Let it all out below, and make sure to vote in our poll!

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