Robbie Magasiva making a splash with new show Rescue: HI-Surf - Spy

Zoe Cipres, Kekoa Kekumano, Arielle Kebbel, Robbie Magasiva, Adam Demos and Alex Aiono star in Rescue: HI-Surf.

The Kiwi star’s new US surf show is shaping up to be a big deal, with a wave of network support.

The trailer for Robbie Magasiva’s new show Rescue: HI-Surf dropped this week alongside the big news it’s secured a plum US time slot.

Fox has given its new Hawaiian surf rescue series the ultimate positioning - after next year’s Super Bowl in February.

US media has reported the Super Bowl time slot is a big vote of confidence for the freshman drama, which is set to premiere later this year in the US on Monday nights.

Fox Entertainment chief executive Rob Wade said this week after a lot of research, the network felt the back end of the Rescue: HI-Surf season screening after the Super Bowl could create a really exciting night of viewing.

Anyone comparing the show to Baywatch in the tropics needs only to look at the new series’ executive producer, John Wells. The prolific producer and director is behind some of the biggest cutting-edge shows of the last few years, including Animal Kingdom, Shameless and, in the past, The West Wing, Third Watch and ER.

“We believe this show has real franchise potential,” Fox TV network president Michael Thorn said this week.

Magasiva’s Rescue: HI-Surf character Harlan “Sonny” Jennings is a surfer, waterman, and North Shore lifeguard captain with deep ties to his community and an ironclad commitment to his team of heavy water first responders.

Magasiva’s character is a surfer, waterman and North Shore lifeguard captain.

The actor has created something of a Kiwi trifecta, with his star billing role on Rescue: HI-Surf making him the third Kiwi to star in a Hawaiian show, following two Kiwis filming there in franchise shows - Beulah Koale, who starred in multiple seasons on Hawaii Five-0, and Alex Tarrant on NCIS: Hawaii.

Magasiva, who hit local screens earlier this year as part of Sky NZ Originals’ quirky serial killer series Dark City: The Cleaner, caught up with Tarrant a few months ago in Hawaii, flipping pancakes for charity.

Rescue: HI-Surf’s ensemble cast includes Arielle Kebbel (The Vampire Diaries), Kekoa Kekumano (The White Lotus), Zoe Cipres (Roswell, New Mexico) Adam Demos, (Sex/Life), Alex Aiono, (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin), as well as recurring roles for Shawn Hatosy (Animal Kingdom), Sea Shimooka (3 Body Problem) and Ian Anthony Dale (The Resident).

Magasiva, who has been enjoying his time filming in Hawaii, proudly shared the trailer of his new shows on his Instagram story this week, and his American accent is on point.

The 19-episode series follows dedicated, heroic and adrenaline-seeking first responders as they save lives patrolling O’ahu’s North Shore - the most famous and dangerous stretch of coastline in the world.

Each episode will see the life-savers navigating the difficult and often life-threatening conditions of Hawaii’s Seven Mile Miracle, with big surf, sharks and a coast overflowing with tourists.