The Watchman: Fox’s ‘Rescue: HI-Surf’ Features Sand, Salt, Saves; Kathy Bates, CBS Revive ‘Matlock’

Rescue: HI-Surf , about the lifeguard life on Hawaii’s North Shore, premieres on Fox September 22 . The drama comes from Matt Kester, executive producer and co-showrunner. He grew up in Hawaii, surfed a lot and saw how much more lifeguards do than sit and soak up sun.

“We see lifeguards a little differently there, a little bit like a guardian angel,” he said.

The show is shot entirely in Hawaii. Before shooting began, cast members were informed they’d be in for a real workout. “We were very upfront with everyone we considered, that this was going to be a physical job,” Kester said. “They knew they would be in for an immersive experience.”

Training began a couple of weeks before production and the cast “became very capable, competent water people,” Kester said.

The cast includes Robbie Magasiva, Arielle Kebbel and Adam Demos.

Kester spent “a ton of time” observing and chatting with lifeguards to get the characters right. “You realize as you listen to them, the incredible experience they have with rescues,” he said. “They essentially have Ph.D.s in the ocean.”

John Wells is an executive producer. Kester and Wells worked together on Animal Kingdom .

What about Rescue stands out? “It’s entertaining and fun and beautiful to look
at, and it’s about people doing good things, trying to save people,” Kester said. “There’s a positive message behind it. I’m done with the antihero.”

Matlock , a rethink of the Andy Griffith legal drama from days of yore, starts on CBS with a sneak peek September 22 . Kathy Bates portrays Madeline “Matty” Matlock.

Executive producer/showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman had Bates in mind for the title role from the start. She was sent Snyder Urman’s script, and they met. Bates loved the script, said don’t change a word of it, and adored the character as well.

“She gave me a huge gift,” said Snyder Urman.

Bates then pulled up her laptop and the two got to work.

Snyder Urman described the show as a series with “layers.”

“It’s not solely a procedural,” she said. “There’s a big overarching mystery. There’s a lot of comedy and drama and tone changes and Kathy bridges them all. She can make you cry one moment and laugh the next moment.”

The producers and writers “are very conscious of doing a different show,” Snyder Urman said, than the one that debuted in 1986. What plays out in the courtroom will reflect what one sees in real-life news. “All of our cases deal with things we are grappling with,” she said. “It definitely has current moments in its heart.”