Beach bods to the rescue: “Baywatch” rebooted

The Fox network is going back to the beach — again.
Last season, it tried “Rescue HI-Surf,” which never quite found the vibe of the old “Baywatch” (shown here). So next season it will … well, reboot “Baywatch.”
There will be different characters, but the same red swimsuits and, perhaps, same concept — lifeguards who look good in beachwear, while saving lives.
The new show — not yet cast — has received a 12-episode order for the 2026-27 season.
The original debuted in 1989 on NBC, which canceled it after one season. It promptly went into syndication (being sold station-by-station) and prospered globally. There were eight syndicated seasons under that title, plus two more as “Baywatch Hawaii” and two seasons of a separate “Baywatch Nights.”
The shows propelled the careers of some men — especially star David Hasselhoff and (in the Hawaii years) Jason Momoa — and lots of women. They included Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, Brooke Burns, Traci Bingham, Yasmine Bleeth, Nicole Eggert and many more.
Fox failed last season with “Rescue HI-Surf,” which was relatively subtle and restrained. It might not go that way next time: An announcement today (Sept. 23) promised a “hot new cast, adrenaline, romance, slo-mo spectacle and the iconic red swimsuit!”