Fox's second big summer premiere, following on the heels of last week's low-rated debut of "The Jury," is a sudsy Hawaii-based drama.

		TV Reviews "North Shore" When: 8 tonight on Fox Starring: Kristoffer Polaha, Brooke Burns "Next Action Star" When: 10 tonight, 8 p.m. tomorrow on NBC Host: Tina Malave "Extreme Dodgeball" When: 10 p.m. tomorrow on GSN Hosted by: Bil Dwyer, Jerri Manthey

Although not as atrocious as NBC's unlamented 1998 sudsy Hawaii-based drama "Wind on Water," which starred Bo Derek, "North Shore" (8 tonight) does veer in that direction, thanks to a one-two sucker punch of bad dialogue and worse acting.

Jason Matthews (Kristoffer Polaha) is general manager of the Grand Waimea Hotel on Oahu, a place where owner Vincent Colville (James Remar) says, "Our guests expect perfection, and that's what we provide." It's not as snappy as "Welcome to Fantasy Island!" but you get the idea.

"North Shore" is "Las Vegas" on the beach, which itself is "Hotel" on the Strip. Guests come and go each week, complicating the lives of the series regulars.

In the premiere, 21-year-old lifeguard Gabriel Miller (Corey Sevier, "Black Sash") is tempted by the daughter of a hotel guest until he learns she's underage.

"Haven't you heard? 15 is the new 21," she tells him. Not long after that she breaks into his home and drops her top.

But that's just a "B" story, as they say in the TV biz. The main story concerns Jason's ex-girlfriend, Nicole (Brooke Burns, "Dog Eat Dog"), who takes a job at the hotel as director of guest relations much to the dismay of Jason.

"I'll make you a deal Nicole. I keep Oahu and you can have the rest of the world," he says, trying to persuade her to catch a wave outta there. It doesn't work on Nicole, but it sure made me want to channel surf to something less obvious and clunky.

Jason's overly supportive friends in this endeavor include bartender Frankie (Jason Momoa) and waitress MJ (Nikki DeLoach), who seethe whenever Nicole approaches. Maybe Fox should have called this "Passive-Aggressive Shore."

As it is, "North Shore" is just sort of inert; it isn't over-the-top enough to be good-bad, but it's also not just plain bad either.

'Next Action Star'

NBC's latest reality salvo follows the adventures of contestants vying to win a role in a TV movie. One man and one woman will be picked for the flick that will air as the last episode of the series on Aug. 11.

Tonight's premiere at 10 p.m. will look familiar to anyone who's watched the first episodes of "American Idol" each season.

"I'm so full of action, my name should be a verb," declares one clever prospective contestant.

"I can vomit on command," volunteers another.

The audition consists of bursting through a door and striking an action pose, which makes "Next Action Star" seem like a parody of reality shows and action movies.

NBC also sent the June 29 episode for review, and it shows more dramatic promise as 14 finalists live under the same roof and do various screen tests as they attempt to avoid getting voted out by casting directors. How the judges appraise their acting talent based on explosion-filled action scenarios is not clear.

In the tradition of Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth of "The Apprentice," "Next Action Star" has its requisite crazy minority character. This time she's Viviana Londono, born and raised in Colombia, and she's a definite piece of work. She's an explosive hot head who causes her fellow contestants to fear for their safety when working with firearms.

"I don't give a [expletive deleted] about acting professional right now," she screams when another contestant tries to calm her down. "I'm too complicated for you."

But she's just right for a reality show stereotype.

'Extreme Dodgeball'

The former Game Show Network, now calling itself GSN, takes a page from Spike TV's "Most Extreme Elimination Challenge" by using snarky announcers to cover dodgeball teams.

But "Extreme Dodgeball" (10 p.m. tomorrow) is no "MXC."

"The game you either feared or relished as a child is set to become the next national pastime," says announcer Bil Dwyer hyperbolically.

Teams take on jokey "MXC"-like names -- a team of CPAs goes by "Certified Public Assassins" -- and Jerri Manthey ("Survivor: The Australian Outback") serves as a big-mouthed courtside announcer.

Because dodgeball games move notoriously quickly, some rules have been changed. When a team is down to one player on the court, he or she can aim for a "Regeneration Target" and, if hit, all the ousted players return to the game.

It's fun to watch people play dodgeball -- for about five minutes. It's more of a sport to participate in than to watch. My best advice: Check it out if you're curious, but be prepared to bounce on.