It’s low tide for Rescue HI-Surf as Fox has opted not to renew the freshman drama from producer John Wells for a second season. The news will come as a blow to diehard fans of the Hawaiian lifeguard series who have been showing their support by voting en masse in various Save the Show polls where Rescue HI-Surf has been ranking high. There are no plans for the show to be shopped by producing studio Warner Bros. Television, sources said.

The cancellation comes more than a month after Rescue HI-Surf‘s Season 1 finale, which aired March 31, and a year after Fox revealed its big expectations for the series last spring — giving it a very early seven-episode back order and assigning it the post-Super Bowl slot. That was soon followed by a special Sunday series premiere date behind an NFL double-header.

Rescue HI-Surf developed a loyal following but, possibly hurt by the fact that there is no well known, promotable star in the cast, it was not a breakout the way fellow freshman Fox drama Doc was, earning an early 22-episode renewal. That is despite the strong sampling for the Rescue HI-Surf premiere, which, boosted by the football lead-in, drew 4.7 million Live+Same Day viewers.

The first red flag came in November, two months into Rescue HI-Surf‘s run, when Fox did a very rare last-minute switch of its Super Bowl lead-out program, replacing the freshman drama with the Season 3 premiere of game show The Floor.

Because the decision came so late, the special Super Bowl episode of Rescue HI-Surf had already been filmed; it aired as a regular episode the following Monday after promotion during the big game. There was no post-Super Bowl bump, and the first responders drama wrapped its freshman season with steady but modest ratings, drawing 1.4 million L+SD viewers for the finale. The linear delivery was somewhat offset by Rescue HI-Surf’s streaming performance on Hulu but it ultimately wasn’t strong enough to secure a pickup.

Even with the modest ratings, Rescue HI-Surf was seriously considered for a renewal, in large part because of Wells’ involvement in the show, co-produced by Warner Bros. TV, where his John Wells Production is based, and Fox Entertainment Studios. The prolific producer is behind such popular series as ER, The West Wing, Maid and The Pitt.

While it fits in Fox’s $3M-$4M-an-episode model, Rescue HI-Surf is believed to be at the high end of the range and among the network’s more expensive drama series — despite no big stars in the cast — because it films in Hawaii. The pricey location gives the series its lush look and feel which, along with the characters, has been a main draw for its devoted fans.

Fox’s planned Baywatch reboot is not believed to have played a significant part in deciding Rescue HI-Surf‘s fate as Fox had been considering running both series simultaneously, one in-season, one during the summer. (Baywatch has not been greenlighted yet but has been looking good.)

Fortunately for fans, Rescue HI-Surf did not end its first season on a massive cliffhanger. The finale saw Will (Adam Demos) heading back to Australia, though he did tell Em (Arielle Kebbel) he would be back, and the series’ creator Matt Kester confirmed to TV Insider at the time that Will was expected to return should the show get renewed.

Rescue HI-Surf follows the personal and professional lives of the heavy-water lifeguards who patrol and protect the North Shore of O’ahu — the most famous and dangerous stretch of coastline in the world.

In addition to Demos and Kebbel, the series starred Robbie Magasiva, Kekoa Kekumano, Alex Aiono and Zoe Cipres.

Kester created the series and served as executive producer and showrunner. Wells, who directed the first two episodes, executive produced through John Wells Productions along with JWP’s Erin Jontow. Daniele Nathanson also served as an executive producer.