North Shore (TV series)

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North Shore
Image:North Shore (TV Show).jpg
The cast of "North Shore"
Format Soap Opera
Starring Kristoffer Polaha
Corey Sevier
James Remar
Brooke Burns
Shannen Doherty
Amanda Righetti
Jason Momoa
Nikki DeLoach
Country of origin USA
No. of episodes 21
Production
Running time 60 minutes (including commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel FOX
Original run June 14, 2004 – January 13, 2005
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

North Shore is a prime-time soap opera that aired on Fox every Monday at 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST) for seven months in 2004 and 2005. It centred around the staff and guests of the fictional Grand Waimea Hotel and Resort (actually the real-life Turtle Bay Resort located near Kahuku, O'ahu) on a "north shore" in Hawai'i.

From Fox's Web site:

Intrigue abounds at the Grand Waimea Hotel, an exclusive Hawaiian escape for the wealthy, powerful and beautiful. Hawaiian native Jason Matthews runs the hotel and makes sure every guest gets everything they need. But when former flame Nicole Booth arrives as the hotel's new Director of Guest Relations, Jason's world is turned upside down. But Grand Waimea owner, Vincent Colville, is staying on top of him to make sure his past with Nicole won't affect their work life.

North Shore premiered on June 14, 2004, with a 13-episode commitment from Fox. The show was cancelled in January 2005 after a 21-episode, single-season run. The show ended on a cliff hanger, and the final episode of the series has only had a single airing, not being shown in most territories (including America).

Contents

[edit] Critical reception

Critical reviews tended towards the low scale, with most critics acknowledging that this show isn't meant to be high-brow theater:

"North Shore seems the perfect summer show, a chance to gawk at toned flesh and to smirk over double entendres. [...] But most of the time, North Shore plays like a bland hybrid of Baywatch and Hotel. But North Shore could last because the people are attractive, the Hawaiian locales are prettier and the competition offers reruns." -- The Orlando Sentinel
"There's not a lot of deep thinking at this resort, just enough hanky panky to keep things from getting too slow. The danger of this type of drama is if you have to turn off your brain to watch it, you have to remember to turn it back on when it's over." -- The Salt Lake Tribune
"North Shore [is] the new undisputed king of the bad and the beautiful...[the show] has a secret weapon: bathing suits. This show is an excuse to see sexy, half-naked people on your television set once a week. Mute the dialogue and you’ll double your pleasure." -- The Washington Blade

One common thread running through reviews is that the series was supposedly miscast, with James Remar's role as Vincent the most frequently mentioned problem.

But, probably the most glaring issue of this topic is the largely white cast. While Asians are the in the majority of the population of Hawaii, and whites being lower than 33%, there was only one major character of Asian ancestry in the cast. Various articles have been written about this omission, making it obvious that both viewers and non-viewers had taken note of this.

[edit] Plot details

The central character is Jason Matthews (Kristoffer Polaha), General Manager of the Grand Waimea. In the first episode, Nicole Booth (Brooke Burns) is hired as the new Director of Guest Relations. She's the daughter of a ruthless Trump-like billionaire, and an old flame of Jason's who broke his heart years before.

At the end of the first episode, Nicole reveals to Jason that she broke up with him because her father wanted her to date someone more successful, and he threatened to have Jason fired from the hotel he was working at the time. The chances for rekindled romance are then dashed when Nicole reveals she has become engaged since they broke up.

Later in the series, Nicole told Jason that she returned to Hawaii to seek him out before getting married, because she wanted to know if there was still a chance for their relationship.

The final episode has Jason and Nicole being married. However, in an unresolved cliff-hanger, Jason is caught in a car explosion meant for Vincent. It is unclear whether or not Jason survives.

[edit] Other characters

  • Vincent Colville (James Remar), the hotel owner; he was in love with Nicole's mother before her family forced her to marry Walter Booth.
  • Gabriel Miller (Corey Sevier), a lifeguard (he seems to alternate between guarding the pool and the beach); in episode three it was mentioned that he's planning to "turn pro" as a surfer. He does end up turning pro, with varying degrees of success.
  • MJ Bevans (Nikki DeLoach), a waitress at the hotel bar; she's trying to start her own island clothing line. She starts the show in a relationship with Chris, but they end up breaking up. However, they get back together by the end of the show/season.
  • Chris Remsen (Jay Kenneth Johnson), MJ's nascent boyfriend and proprietor of an extreme sports business. Despite breaking up, they end up back together by the final episode.
  • Tessa Lewis (Amanda Righetti), a former con artist who manipulates her way into the Assistant Concierge position. By the end of the show, she is involved with Frankie.
  • Frankie Seau (Jason Momoa), the hotel bartender. He ends the season involved with Tessa.
  • Gordy Matthews (Michael Ontkean), Jason's father and a local surfing legend who owns a local bar and surfboard shop; his home was burned down in the first season and Jason suspects Walter Booth was involved.
  • Morgan Holt (Josh Hopkins), Nicole's fiance who works for her father in New York as Head of Hotel Acquisitions. Morgan visited the hotel for an extended period, and his relationship with Jason vacillated from friendly to hostile and vice-versa several times. Nicole left Morgan at the alter in the middle of the first season. He hasn't been seen since.
  • Sam (Robert Kekaula), the head of hotel security.
  • Walter Booth (Christopher McDonald), Nicole's billionaire father who wants to buy the Grand Waimea by whatever means necessary; he and Vincent have a long-standing rivalry dating back to Vincent's affair with Walter's wife; Vincent is convinced Walter killed his wife as revenge. He ends up in jail.
  • Trey: MJ's former boyfriend and pro surfer; he tried to win her back in the first season, even kidnapping her at one point; MJ was rescued by Chris and Gabriel.
  • Alexandra Hudson (Shannen Doherty), Walter Booth's supposed illegitimate child by a secretary (thus making her Nicole's half-sister). She conspired with her father to take over the Grand Waimea. She ends up in a position of power in the hotel. Though none of the other characters (with the exception of Chris, whom she briefly dates) really like her, a few do respect her.

[edit] International airings

[edit] External links