"Flight 29 Down" returns to cable TV on Saturday mornings next month with more of what made the teen adventure series an instant hit for Discovery Kids — strong writing, a cast of rising stars, and more lush Hawaiian scenery than you can shake a palm frond at.

And that's not even taking into account an improved Tani Lynn Fujimoto, who'll rejoin the cast with the season's ninth episode.

The series, co-produced by Hawaii Film Partners and series creators Stan Rogow and DJ MacHale, kicks off Season 2 on Sept. 9 on Discovery Kids. In its debut season, the show ranked No. 1 on the Discovery Kids programming block on NBC.

Hawai'i audiences will get an advance screening of four of this season's episodes at the Sept. 2 Sunset on the Beach event, sponsored by ResortQuest Hawaii. The event also will feature a musical performance by Fujimoto.

Shot entirely on O'ahu, "Flight 29 Down" tracks the adventures of 10 young castaways stranded on a deserted (we think) island in Micronesia and stars Hallee Hirsh, Johnny Pacar, Corbin Bleu, Jeremy Kissner, Allen Alvarado, Kristy Wu, Lauren Storm, and local actress Fujimoto.

The season premiere picks up on Day 11 of the castaways' exile on the island. The powerful storm that ended last season with a "katoosh" has swept away their plane ("the center of our world") and left the castaways in a state of shock, dismay and disunity.

"I think the first season really established the characters and the situation they're in," said Rann Watumull, who co-founded Hawaii Film Partners with his wife, Gina. "This season we get to develop all of that and go deeper into the characters and the story."

The advance word on the new season seems to bear that out: more complex and nuanced relationships between the characters and an on-camera chemistry between the actors that reflects the familiarity they've developed by living and working together on the North Shore.

The show's balance of drama and comedy is also intact, with each episode exploring meaningful life lessons (such as Episode 2's examination of the fundamentals of democracy) sans the heavy-handed moralizing to which some shows resort.

Watumull said he was particularly impressed with Fujimoto's performance in the last part of the season. Fujimoto's character, Abby, appeared in the first three episodes of last season before wandering off with three other survivors in search of help. She returns this season alive but changed.

"Last season she was sort of this hippie-vegan," Watumull said. "Now she's Rambo."

Watumull said Fujimoto was conscious about not wanting to disrupt the chemistry of the show. Her performance in her return episode — a shoot that found her crawling through mud and eating a real worm — won her the admiration of both cast and crew, who gave her a standing ovation when it was all over.

"She came back to the show as an experienced actress," Watumull said. "Her performance was amazing, and it earned her a place as a regular."

Watumull said he expects to hear from the network sometime in September on whether "Flight 29 Down" will be picked up for a third season. One thing he won't have to worry about is retaining the show's cast, a few of whom — like Bleu, who acted in the Disney TV smash "High School Musical" — are finding themselves in high demand. Watumull said all of the actors are locked in to multiyear contracts.

Hawaii Film Partners has also benefited from its partnershipship with Showcase Entertainment, the exclusive distributor of its productions. Through Showcase, the company has sold broadcast rights to "Flight 29 Down" to 12 major international markets including Australia, France, Sweden and Latin America. (Discovery Kids holds the show's domestic broadcast rights.)

The success of "Flight 29 Down" has paved the way for new projects for Hawaii Film Partners. The company has entered into a $20 million agreement with Changzhou, an industrial town in Jiangsu province, China; and South Korean animation giant GIMC to produce four to five major animation projects.

Hawaii Film Partners also is negotiating potential film projects.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.