Christian Kane was inspired by fellow Oklahoman James Garner on 'Almost Paradise' Season 2

He may have been filming in the Philippines, but Christian Kane took some down-home inspiration with him into the making of the second season of his action series "Almost Paradise."

"We've taken a lot from 'Rockford Files' and our own James Garner out of Norman, Oklahoma," said Kane, who was born in Texas and grew up in Norman. "('Almost Paradise' executive producer and co-showrunner) Gary Rosen was a big fan of that show. We try to make this guy trip over himself every chance he gets because that's where the comedy comes from. And it's fun."

Rather than a private detective like Garner's Jim Rockford, Kane's "Almost Paradise" character Alex Walker is a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration undercover operative. In the comedic crime drama's first season, which originally aired in spring 2020 on WGN America (now NewsNation), Walker was forced to take early retirement following his partner’s betrayal and a life-threatening battle with hypertension.

Looking for a more relaxed lifestyle, he bought tiny gift shop on a pristine beach in the Philippines, but soon learned that island's luxury resort's rich and powerful clientele often includes high-end international criminals. Despite his plans for a less stressful existence, he quickly found himself fighting crime alongside a pair of local cops (Arthur Acuna and Samantha Richelle).

"We had so many things against us ... including a typhoon that completely wiped out our stages — completely. We had to build new stages, and (there was) the heat and just everything that was going on," Kane told The Oklahoman in a Zoom interview on June 28, the day after his 51st birthday. "And I just felt like we thrived and and all of us became a family. You got 200 people on that set that are really a family. And I think that the product shows it, man. It's so much fun to watch. ... I'm just really proud of it."

When is Season 2 of 'Almost Paradise' premiering?

The sophomore season of "Almost Paradise" finds Walker at a crossroads as he has to decide whether to make the less-than-peaceful island he loves his permanent home.

Season 2 of "Almost Paradise" premieres July 21 on Amazon Freevee, Amazon's free streaming service formerly known as IMDBtv. All 10 new episodes will be available on premiere day exclusively on Freevee in the U.S. and UK.

"Almost Paradise" is the fourth project Kane has worked on with executive producer and co-showrunner Dean Devlin, along with the caper series "Leverage," which aired on TNT from 2008 to 2012; "The Librarians," the fantasy-action show that ran on TNT from 2014 to 2018; and, most recently, the spinoff "Leverage: Redemption," which aired its Season 2 finale on Freevee in January.

"Some people like to call me Leonardo (DiCaprio) to his (Martin) Scorsese," Kane said with a chuckle. "We just understand each other. .... We have really great writers, but 85% of the time, I know what I can get away with if I go outside the box. However, 95% of the time, I know exactly what Dean Devlin does not want. So, that right there makes for a good employee-boss relationship in the entertainment industry, especially because we are such close friends."

Why is it important to film 'Almost Paradise' in the Philippines?

"Almost Paradise" is the first American television series to be filmed entirely in the Philippines.

"Dean Devlin is actually half-Filipino; a lot of people don't know that," Kane said. "He said, 'The problem I have with this is every single person, every film, always films the Philippines as poverty porn. ... He didn't want to put people in that light — and they didn't deserve it. There's so many colors there."

A former University of Oklahoma student, Kane said the Philippines setting has become a character on the show.

"There's beautiful colors; the backdrops are ridiculous. A lot of times people think we're on blue screen, and we're actually not, that's exactly what's behind us," Kane said.

"There's a litter problem, and there's a big dog problem — and you can't not film it. But we don't sit there and focus on it. We use this as a really beautiful actor that just gives us a hug as we're doing our thing."

What changes are in store for Christian Kane's character in 'Almost Paradise' Season 2?

In "Almost Paradise" Season 2, Kane's Alex Walker has to make some tough decisions. His health has recovered enough that he is no longer eligible for disability, meaning that the funds that have enabled him to live on his tropical island home will soon run out.

"But these people on this island have become his family, and now he has no idea what to do. ... The fun of playing this guy, as opposed to playing the other characters I've played, (is) I tried to make this guy as real as I can. I tried to make him relatable to almost everybody in the room," Kane said.

"I was on 'Angel,' we flew around on wires, and we killed people with swords. I was on 'Leverage,' where we're all superheroes on that show. There's no superheroes on this show: These guys are real people."

Season 2 of "Almost Paradise" also delves more into Walker's Texas background. That so many of the characters that he plays, like Kane himself, hail from Texas and Oklahoma never fails to delight the actor.

"John Rogers and Dean Devlin wrote 'Leverage' with with me in mind. ... 'The Librarians' was actually written for me," Kane said. "If he's not going to be from Oklahoma, he's going to be from Texas. I don't know if that's just bad acting on my part, or the accent that never really goes away, or if they just enjoyed it, the fact that the guy's from Oklahoma. So, I never argue with them. I just let it happen, and it's been a lot of fun."

'ALMOST PARADISE SEASON 2'

Starring Oklahoma actor Christian Kane, Season 2 of "Almost Paradise" premieres July 21 on Amazon Freevee, Amazon's free streaming service formerly known as IMDBtv. All 10 episodes will be available on premiere day exclusively on Freevee in the U.S. and UK.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Christian Kane was inspired by James Garner on 'Almost Paradise'