Posted in: Fox, Preview, TV | Tagged: Baywatch, fox, preview

Baywatch Reboot Series Slow Motion-Running Its Way to FOX: Details

FOX & Fremantle are set for a series reboot of Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz & Gregory J. Bonann's David Hasselhoff-starring Baywatch.

It was back in April 2023 when we first learned that Fremantle was looking to get back into the red bathing suits and slow-motion running on the beach business with a new series take on Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz & Gregory J. Bonann's David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Carmine Electra-starring Baywatch. Earlier today, we learned where exactly the show's "home beach" will be located, with FOX closing a script+penalty deal for the one-hour drama. Lara Olsen (Spinning Out) has been tapped by the studio & network to serve as showrunner. Here's a look at the official logline/overview of the series that was released: "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." Stemming from Fremantle & FOX Entertainment, the new Baywatch will be executive-produced by Olsen, Berk, Bonann, and Schwartz.

Premiering in the Fall of 1989 on NBC, Batwatch 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 Hasselhoff, Anderson, 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 then there was the underwhelming Dwayne Johnson & Zac Efron-starring big-screen effort released in 2017 – the less the said, the better.

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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