ABC has given the green light to a new TV action drama it plans to shoot in Hawaii called "Last Resort" and is expected to start shooting episodes this summer, both the network and the production company confirmed Friday.
The decision means another multimillion-dollar boost to the Hawaii economy, since networks typically spend about $2.5 million an episode. The state has benefited from two seasons of the CBS crime show "Hawaii Five-0," which will return for a third season, and from two previous ABC series: "Off the Map," which aired in early 2011 before it was canceled, and "The River," which aired this spring and is not expected to be return.
"When a network comes to town, it’s like a $30 million to $50 million business opening up here," said Walea Constantinau, commissioner of the Honolulu Film Office.
The pilot for "Last Resort" was shot this spring by Sony Pictures Television, which will produce 12 additional episodes for ABC. The network has not announced when the series will premiere, but that could come Tuesday when ABC announces its new season schedule.
"Last Resort" stars Andre Braugher ("Men of a Certain Age," "Homicide: Life on the Street") as captain of a U.S. ballistic missile submarine that ignores an order to fire its missiles. The crew hides out at a NATO listening post where it declares it is the world’s smallest nuclear nation.
The cast of regulars and recurring guest stars includes Scott Speedman, Max Adler, Robert Patrick, Jessy Schram and Autumn Reeser.
"Last Resort" was written by Karl Gajdusek and Shawn Ryan. Both will serve as executive producers on the series. Ryan was creator of the dark FX police drama "The Shield."
"Last Resort" filmed on location on Oahu and at the state film studio on Diamond Head, where it created sets that could move up, down and sideways to mimic the underwater movements of a submarine.
Prior to the announcement Friday, Constantinau had been "cautiously optimistic" about the fate of the pilot but said all the ingredients are in place for a quality series.
It would be the third series ABC has shot here since it wrapped up the globally popular "Lost" in 2010. Even though the other shows failed to gain wide audiences, Constantinau said that basing "Last Resort" here is a compliment to Hawaii.
"The fact that people continue to look at us and continue to find us a valuable place to do these shows is a great statement about our value as a production center and the ability to do productions here," she said.
