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ABC announced today that it will produce a new prime-time medical drama in Hawaii, giving the state’s film industry two network TV series at the same time.
The network announcement to film “Off the Map” in the islands comes less than a month after CBS announced the remake of “Hawaii Five-0.” It also comes after the series finale of ABC’s “Lost,” which filmed here for six years.
The executive producers of “Off the Map” are Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, the same team that brought viewers the popular ABC shows “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice.”
The new series is described by the network as “an uplifting medical drama” about a group of doctors in a remote clinic in the Amazon. It stars New Zealand actor Martin Henderson, who had a leading role in the 2004 romantic musical “Bride and Prejudice.”
“We’ve really enjoyed working with the state of Hawaii and our amazing crew during the past six seasons on ‘Lost,’ and we look forward to continuing those relationships on ‘Off the Map,'” said Barry Jossen, executive vice president, Studio Creative and Production, ABC Entertainment Group.
Honolulu Film Office Commissioner Walea Constantinau said ABC’s decision to continue filming in Hawaii speaks to the network’s experience in the islands.
“Every entity that touches a project leaves an impression and we obviously left a good impression, so much so that they wanted to come back,” she said.
Neither the filming schedule, nor the first air date have been set yet, Constantinau said.
