Big 'Break'

A cable TV series filmed in Hawaii revolves around the lives of young surfers

CONSIDERING how visual and exciting surfing is, and how benign it is as a conflict -- you against nature, or if you subscribe to the Zen notion that you don't ride the wave, the wave cradles you, so the conflict is you-against-you -- there have been surprisingly few TV shows that use surfing, even as a metaphor. "Gidget"? MTV's "Surf Girls"? Nah.

'Beyond the Break' Debuts: 2:30 p.m. Friday on the N network (digital cable channel 447)

Let us all give a nod of appreciation to "Blue Crush," the first feature that took the genre seriously, added the notion of grrrrrl power and took advantage of new digital filming technology that allows viewers to ride along on those pumping sets. Ask any of the cast and crew of the new Noggin TV show "Beyond the Break" about "Blue Crush" and they get a little guarded and dreamy, but do acknowledge the provenance. After all, they are in the feature film's debt.

What's this Noggin TV? "The N," it's called. Essentially, it's an MTV spinoff network that provides programming aimed squarely at teens. You need digital cable service to see it. "Beyond the Break" is a signature piece, filmed entirely in Hawaii and marketed all over the world; it debuts Friday but premiered Saturday at one of those city-sponsored Waikiki sunset extravaganzas, where, as luck would have it, there was a bitchin' shore break happening for the boogieboarders.

We'll get into the event in a moment, but first, a few words about the show:

First and foremost, it's not for you and me, but your teen daughter might become a "Break" bunny. The first clue is stylistic, in which attention-deficit-disorder music-video jump-cut busy-ness substitutes for carefully composed framing. No one on the crew seems to own a tripod. It can be disorienting for older viewers, but kids raised on InstaCams and video games will cotton to it. The snickersnack editing also adds to the seeming verisimilitude -- a TV show that looks like a "real" home movie.

The set-up could not be more seductive for teenage girls. Four girls of various backgrounds, empowered with innate surfing ability; four guys of various hunkability quotients; a semi-exotic locale; and -- get this! -- everybody, I mean everybody, is searching to create some semblance of family. Awww.

The breakout actress is Natalie Ramsey as Lacey, a kid with a checkered past who drags bad luck around like a ball and chain. She lies, cheats, steals, gets drunk, acts stupidly, looks like a drowned rat half the time, is pathetic beyond belief and saddled by the script with some Shatneresque acting moments. And you wind up rooting for her. It's either clever writing by half or fabulous acting, and likely both. She utters this immortal line 30 seconds into the pilot; "Mom! I am NOT making another vodka run for you!"

"Lacey grew up taking care of herself and sometimes making bad choices. Well -- she's a kid," Ramsey said at the premiere. "She's tough, but there's a real vulnerable side too. It's a great part."

JASON TAM was raised in Hawaii until his family moved to the mainland. He surfed in little-kid-time but, alas, his character on the show pretty much stays out of the water, either tinkering with cars or mooning after one of the surfing girls.

"It's awesome to be back in the islands!" he exudes. "A dream gig! And how completely ironic the show managed to find a Hawaii kid in New York to play a kid in Hawaii!"

He still managed to get his toes wet while filming.

"It's pretty hard not to surf when you grow up here. Sonya is a great surfer. And Natalie -- wow, she's like born in the water."

You might recognize Tiffany Hines, who plays African-American grrrrl surfer Birdie, from a high-profile guest shot recently on "Grey's Anatomy," in which she threw a senior prom for a dying friend.

Hailing from Cincinnati, how was her surfing ability?

"Non-existent!" giggled Hines. "I bought four surfing lessons in Los Angeles before the audition. What I didn't expect was to fall in love with surfing. There's something spiritual about being out on the ocean, feeling one with the Earth. Touched me as a person. And filming in Hawaii ... it's so beautiful and spiritual here."

Ramsey, compared to some on the cast, is a veteran surfer, learning for another show filmed in the islands, the too-quickly-yanked Big-Valleyish "Wind on Water."

With her wiry athleticism, Ramsey actually looks the part of a grrrrl surfer, and the other cast members rave about her ability.

"I do what I can," Ramsey shrugs. "Whatever I can get away with, without screwing the show up by getting hurt. I'm buggin' 'em for my own board. I like a six-two -- yeah, it's a shorty, but I'm little -- and I'd like to do more out in the water. Surfers are pretty picky about what looks real. I don't want my surfing buds giving me hassle about the show looking fake. So, I'm out there."

The mood on the set is "very relaxed compared to other projects," said Ramsey. "Everybody's on the same vibe. The producers are wearing board shorts! You gotta work hard to play hard."

FERNANDO SZEW, a marketing guru with producers MarVista Entertainment, said the show was an easy sell overseas. "All we have to say is that it's shot entirely on the beach in Hawaii," he laughed.

Outside of America, the 20 half-hours are redited into 10 full-hours, except, curiously, in Spain. "Spain likes the half-hours," said Szew. "Overseas, it's considered an adult show."

More to the point ...

"Do I surf? Absolutely! I was out surfing this morning," said writer/producer/creator/director Sean McNamara (the show has a lot of skill jugglers on the crew). "I learned to surf down in Malibu in 1979 and hope that surfing can save the world. No kidding. It has made me a happier man and given me a great deal of balance. Being out on those waves puts things in perspective."

McNamara admits that he doesn't think and act like a teenage girl. So scripts tend to be fluid, and ideas are bounced off of the young cast for tone and emotional accuracy. As one of the lead locals on the cast, Sonya Balmores' take on Hawaii issues is especially helpful, said McNamara.

"It's what kids are talking about today," he says. "We grew up on ethically sanitized shows like 'The Brady Bunch,' and that was OK for its time. Kids today are concerned about real-world issues like teen pregnancy and alcoholism."

"The scripts vary," said Tam. "Sometimes we did them as written, sometimes they're revised and revised and revised until the truth feels right."

"It's a family-oriented network, so we have to do a family, even an extended one," said David Brookwell, the other multi-tasking creator on the series. He and McNamara were sparkplugs behind the successful teen series "Even Stevens" and "That's So Raven," so their track record in this regard is pretty good. He nods when it's pointed out that the show's structure is like "My Three Sons," but with four girls.

"All drama requires conflict, and human conflict creates the most empathy," said Brookwell. "We put these folks together in a box and light the powder keg."

Yes, he surfs too. "Yeah, 'Blue Crush,' " he replied, with that guarded look in his eye. "A definite inspiration. I'll tell you, Sean and I ... sitting in a sound stage in Hollywood, (saying) how cool would it be to do a show on the beach and be able to go surfing every day? Totally cool."