The iconic 90s TV show “Baywatch” is getting a reboot that promises to be a more “action-packed” version of the original series — led by David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson — which ran from the late 80s and into the 90s.
The beach crime-drama from Freemantle has landed at Fox with Lara Olsen picked to serve as the showrunner on the script+penalty deal for the new version of the series that ran for a decade, Variety reported.
“Daring ocean rescues, pristine beaches, and iconic red bathing suits are back, along with a whole new generation of Baywatch lifeguards, who navigate complicated, messy personal lives in this action-packed reboot that demonstrates there’s the family you’re born into and the family you find,” a description about the upcoming reboot read.
The original life-guard crime-busting series was created by Douglas Schwartz, Michael Berk, and Gregory J. Bonann, the outlet noted. It was inspired by Bonann’s personal experience as a lifeguard in Los Angeles County.
The “Baywatch” reboot has found a home: Fox has closed on a script+penalty deal for a new version of the long-running surf-sand-and-saviors series from Fremantle.
Lara Olsen (“Spinning Out”) will serve as showrunner.https://t.co/n20HSrojoi pic.twitter.com/JHMWSfxxMz
— Variety (@Variety) March 4, 2024
Olsen will be joined by Bonann, Berk, and Schwartz on the series, with all four serving as executive producers on the show. Olsen’s previous credits include reboots of such shows as “90210” and “Beauty and the Beast,” the outlet noted.
The popular original series debuted on NBC in 1989 with 12 episodes from Grant Tinker’s GTG shingle — but the show was initially a flop, the outlet noted. After one season, producers bought the rights back from GTG in order to produce new first-run episodes in syndication.
Seasons 2-11 then ran in syndication and made a name for stars of the show like Hasselhoff, Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth, Nicole Eggert, and many, many more.
The series was then tweaked and “Baywatch: Hawaii” hit the airwaves from 1999 until 2001, the outlet noted. Another spin-off, “Baywatch Nights,” debuted in 1995 and was also short-lived, running for just two seasons.
In 2003, many of the original cast members came back together for a reunion movie called “Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding.” It scored a 45% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The idea of rebooting the original series has come up in the past. Most recently the idea was floated after the 2017 “Baywatch” movie, featuring Zac Efron and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson hit theaters. The film made $178 million at the global box office.
