FOX cuts short
‘North Shore’ filming,
but has yet to pull plug

Producers have not yet ordered
the dismantling of its $1 million set,
giving the show some hope

FOX television's struggling hotel drama "North Shore" is checking out early this month and will not film three of its scheduled 22 episodes.

Producers told cast and crew on Friday that the hour-long drama will shut down Dec. 17 and not return in January to complete filming as planned.

Telephone messages to producers were not returned.

An executive early last week said the production would take a holiday hiatus before returning here next month to film the last two episodes.

Producers, according to several sources, emphasized on Friday that "North Shore" had not been canceled and the network had only decided not to complete the season while it evaluated the ratings of remaining episodes.

"There's some hope that we'll be picked up, because last week's show got a pretty good score," a production executive said. "We'll have to wait for the network's decision."

Giving credence that the show is still breathing is that producers here have given no orders to dismantle the massive hotel set in the Hawaii Film Studio's sound stage or the bar set at Ko Olina Lagoon. The hotel set is the most expensive in Hawaii history, costing more than $1 million.

"This is a wait-and-see, temporary wrap," a production source said. "That the sets will stay intact is a sign that our heart is still beating."

"North Shore" stars Kris Polaha, Brooke Burns, Jason Momoa, James Remar, Amanda Righetti and Shannen Doherty. Producers hoped that Doherty's addition in September would spike ratings, but they continued to be marginal. "North Shore," which debuted in June, was the first of three Oahu-based series this year. Fox executives said the show had to find its audience with the uncommon summer launch, but that hasn't happened.

"North Shore" would be the second Hawaii series for Momoa and Burns that's been canceled, including "Baywatch Hawaii."

Each "North Shore" episode costs about $2.3 million, with $1.5 million, or 65 percent, spent here. The production employs 60-65 local crew members, several local stand-ins and hundreds of extras.

The state will begin about 11 months of an extensive demolition-renovation-grading project at the film studio in February. FOX has a month-to-month revocable permit for use of the studio and has only told state officials it will wrap Dec. 17. It has not canceled its agreement.