With the 2025 upfronts approaching – a time in which networks roll out their programming slates for the forthcoming TV season – ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX are having to make difficult decisions about the shows in their lineups that have been sitting on the bubble. While we’re starting to see some renewals for certain hit shows, most recently with NBC’s One Chicago franchise getting picked up for the next season, we’re also starting to see networks cleaning house, leading to cancellations of many hit shows.
Just days after CBS shocked fans with the cancellation of The Equalizer, FOX has handed out its own shocking cancellation by announcing it will not be bringing Rescue HI-Surf back for a second season.
News of the cancellation comes just over a week after the show’s March 31 season finale, which will now serve as a series finale. Deadline was the first to break the news that FOX had opted to cancel its flashy new drama centering around the lives of an elite group of Hawaiian lifeguards. In reporting the show’s cancellation, it’s also been reported that Warner Bros. Television will not be shopping the show around, meaning there are no plans to try to save Rescue HI-Surf and bring it back for a second season elsewhere.
This is a cancellation that is likely to disappoint many fans who had been hoping Rescue HI-Surf would be coming back for another season at FOX. In fact, it was Rescue HI-Surf that was selected as the winner of TVLine’s annual Save Our Show poll, which asks readers to vote for the shows on the bubble fans most want to see renewed. Rescue HI-Surf led the poll, beating out many fan-favorites, including Law & Order: SVU, The Equalizer, Law & Order, All American, and The Irrational.
Heading into the 2024-25 season, it was clear FOX was betting big on Rescue HI-Surf. The show received a strong promotional campaign heading into the season and originally was given the post-Super Bowl spot by the network. Unfortunately, the show didn’t quite resonate with viewers in the way FOX hoped, which led to a rare pivot in FOX giving the post-Super Bowl spot to the season 3 premiere of The Floor instead of a new episode of Rescue HI-Surf.
This was a major red flag as it seemed to signal FOX was losing faith in the show. Despite that, Rescue HI-Surf remained a strong contender for renewal; however, it seems at the end of the day, the show was simply not where FOX needed it to be. It likely did not help that the show is one of FOX’s most expensive shows to produce due to its filming location in Hawaii.