Posted in: NBC, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: Baywatch, david hasselhoff, Fremantle, Pamela Anderson, preview

Baywatch: Fremantle Eyes Next Gen of Slow Motion-Running Lifeguards

Fremantle is looking to head back to the beach, reportedly speaking with broadcasters & streaming services about a Baywatch reboot.

The journey that Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz & Gregory J. Bonann's Baywatch has taken over the past 35 years has been an interesting and very successful one. Premiering in the Fall of 1989 on NBC, the series would run for only one season before being canceled. But the producers would buy back the rights, take the show into syndication (with the help of All American Television, German distributor Beta Taurus & ITV), and go a ten-season run – making international stars of David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Carmine Electra, and others. The series would become a global programming powerhouse – despite the best efforts of Baywatch Nights (a truly misguided spinoff) – that would lead to FOX's Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding, a two-hour film reuniting the cast. And recently, there was the underwhelming Dwayne Johnson & Zac Efron-starring big-screen effort that was released back in 2017. Well, it looks like Fremantle is looking to get back into the red bathing suits and slow-motion running on the beach, according to an exclusive report from Deadline Hollywood.

Though no creative teams are reportedly attached, Fremantle is apparently in "early talks" with broadcasters & streamers about a potential reboot of the popular IP. Before Fremantle assumed full rights in 2018, Beta Taurus split the distribution rights with Fremantle – with Beta holding the international rights. "I think we thought the film might have given us reason to reboot the TV series, but given the mixed reviews, that didn't happen straight away," explained Fremantle International COO Bob McCourt back in 2018 when the topic of a reboot series was addressed, shortly after the results of the reboot film and the original episodes being remastered for a global market. "I think if this remastered version is sold extensively and a new audience comes to Baywatch, then it will give us a real indication as to whether a new series could be successful. We would definitely think seriously about making a new series, and maybe we'll get approached by some broadcasters about making one," McCourt added.

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