Dark and sexy lifeguard drama

“Back in the day, if you made a TV show called Surf Dracula, you’d see this fool surfing in new adventures every week,” the viral tweet goes. “But in the streaming era, the entire first season has to be a long flashback to how he got his surfboard, until you finally see him surf for 5 minutes in the finale.”

“Surf Dracula” comes to mind when watching “Rescue HI-Surf,” not just because of the subject matter, but because the first five minutes of the Hawaii-set Fox action series feature a surfboard rescue. “Rescue HI-Surf” is an old-school TV drama that values ​​efficiency and directness in storytelling. It delivers what its title promises before the pilot’s opening credits even roll.

The series hails from creator and showrunner Matt Kester and executive producer John Wells, who directs the first two episodes and lends it a distinctive visual style (more on that in a moment). “Rescue HI-Surf” combines the dramatic workplace events of Wells’ earlier shows, like “ER” and “Third Watch,” with the coastal setting of his more recent TNT crime drama “Animal Kingdom,” on which Kester served as a writer and producer. Like Wells’ classic procedurals, “Rescue HI-Surf” focuses on the day-to-day work of professionals in difficult, life-saving jobs, in this case the lifeguards patrolling Oahu’s beautiful but dangerous north shore. The show doesn’t spend much time with the characters at home, since their lives revolve around work, so even their interpersonal conflicts and romantic relationships are tied to work.

The show throws a ton of rescue and surfing jargon at viewers and expects them to keep up, a hallmark of Wells’ shows. Surfing was a big part of “Animal Kingdom,” which followed a family of career criminals in the surf town of Oceanside, Calif., but “Rescue HI-Surf” is fully immersed in surf culture, taking place in one of the surfing capitals of the world.

“Rescue HI-Surf” is very simple. Lifeguards rescue people who get into dangerous situations in and around the water, and in between rescues they flirt, argue and joke. Their stories are clichéd TV stories that can be understood within seconds of watching.

Everything you need to know about the five main characters can be summed up in a single paragraph: Captain Sonny Jennings (Robbie Magasiva) is a stoic leader who silently mourns the death of his nephew. Lieutenant Em Wright (Arielle Kebbel) is a powerful lifeguard who tries to balance her respect for Sonny with her own ambitions to become captain. She has a romantic history with Will Ready (Adam Demos), a kind lifeguard who is trying to become a firefighter. Will is engaged, but he and Em still have unresolved feelings for each other. Kainalu Emerson (Alex Aiono) and Hina Alexander (Zoe Cipres) are aspiring lifeguards. Kainalu is the wealthy son of a local politician (Shawn Hatosy) who put his finger on the scales to get his son a good assignment, while Hina is a hard-working worker who has earned her position on her own. They don’t get along, but they’re drawn to each other. And Laka Hanohano (Kekoa Kekumano) is a young, talented guy who works hard and plays even harder. The writers are not interested in delving into details, at least in the four episodes available for review.

The story is familiar and formulaic, but in a charming way that will appeal to broadcast viewers. It doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a cute procedural about lifeguards. What “Rescue: HI-Surf” lacks in originality, it makes up for in aloha vibes. There’s not a lot of tension in the rescues or the relationships — everything always seems to work — but its relative ease for an action series makes it easy to hang out with. Like all of John Wells’ procedurals, it’s fairly down-to-earth, with no overly soapy plots or rescues that clearly strain credibility beyond their volume. The characters are thinly drawn, but they’re not characters who require much psychological depth; they just have to get the job done. Their conflicts are realistic issues of romance, finances, workplace disagreements, and regret. The actors have good chemistry — especially Demos and Kekumano, who could have carried the show if for some reason this had become a buddy-lifeguard drama instead of a team — and they look amazing in their swimsuits. It’s a cool world to spend time in.

“Rescue: HI-Surf” won’t win any Emmys for its writing skills, but that’s not the most important thing about the show. Its aesthetic sets it apart from other procedurals. Over the course of the first two episodes, Wells establishes a compelling stylistic identity for the show that emphasizes authenticity. The show is mostly shot outdoors, with a deep depth of field and wide shots that emphasize Hawaii’s natural beauty. Most shots feature mountains, water, or sky. Much of the show takes place in the water, with the camera rising and falling alongside the actors. You really feel like you’re there with them. All the cameras are shaky handhelds that give a sense of urgency, and the cuts are quick, with no shots longer than a few seconds. There’s very little obvious CGI. The show’s visuals are a triumph of style over substance. They make the story a vehicle for the beautiful images in a way that’s usually unsatisfying but works here.

The biggest concern about “Rescue: HI-Surf” going forward is that it will become boring. Even at four episodes, the rescues start to feel a bit repetitive. With several events per episode, they can exhaust the number of exciting ways to save someone on the beach faster than anyone would like. And the “will they or won’t they” plot threads can burn too slowly and gently to keep you interested. Eventually, the characters will need to be fleshed out, and until then, it can feel forced.

But overall, the look is so great, the atmosphere so pleasant, and the simple plot so satisfying that “Rescue: HI-Surf” is worth saying “aloha” to. It’s a high-concept procedural that would please “Surf Dracula.”

“Rescue: HI-Surf” premieres Sunday, September 22 on Fox and will be available on Hulu.