Judging by the first episode, North Shore should be the cure that ails us. It's refreshing in that it doesn't take itself too seriously, but is written well enough that there should be no problem sucking you in for the shortened summer season.

North Shore takes place at an upscale hotel in Hawaii. In case you can't tell that the people there are rich, our feisty waitress MJ lets us know that the guests "spend more [to stay] one week than she makes in a year". Flanking MJ are the bartender Frankie and the lifeguard Gabriel. The real story is Jason, the Guest Services manager, and all of the crazy guests that are sure to wheel in through the episodes.

To complicate things for the pilot, Jason's ex-girlfriend Nicole, who happens to be an heiress to a hotel fortune and also used to work with Jason, also manages to get herself hired at the same hotel. And surprise of surprises, they are going to have to learn to work together and resist the urge to fight, have sex, or both. Jason is the local boy, so he is naturally a favorite with the staff. You can tell he is humble and easy going because he drives a vintage pickup to work.

The first major problem to deal with is with Gabriel, the lifeguard. As with most hotels, the staff are discouraged from mingling with the guests. Complicating matters is Veronica, the 15 year-old jailbait who tempts Gabriel with such lines as "Let's meet up after my bikini wax". While Gabriel must refuse such charming advances, Jason pretty much has his lay of the land, so to speak. When the tennis star "fresh from her win at Wimbledon" arrives at the hotel, she becomes Jason's top priority, which of course involves a late night dinner and some crazy pool sex.

Along the way, we start to get a feeling for a few of the other characters. We learn that MJ grew up with Jason and she wants to make a living designing a clothing line. The bartender has a brother who runs a body shop, and Nicole must warm up to him to cater to a particularly annoying customer who needs a Lamborghini, not to mention somebody to pick out his shirts. We learn Nicole broke Jason's heart and MJ hates her for it. And despite the high prices, we learn that the hotel is understaffed, as the bartender must also schlep supplies around. What, they never heard of a barback in Hawaii?