Some two decades after the original version aired, Baywatch is set to cause a splash on screens once more, with a reboot version of the iconic lifeguard series confirmed for Fox.
For those who need a refresher, the original version of Baywatch ran for eleven seasons in the late ’80s and ’90s, becoming one of the most-watched shows in the world and making stars out of castmates Pamela Anderson and Yasmine Bleeth.
News that an upcoming reboot of the show had landed a new home on Fox arrived on February 5, 2024, with showrunner Lara Olsen attached. Olsen’s credits elsewhere include the 90210 reboot and Netflix skating drama, Spinning Out. The Baywatch reboot will once again follow a group of Los Angeles county lifeguards as they deal with various emergencies and is said to have retained the same team of producers from the original. What else do we know about the Baywatch reboot?
Release window
There has not yet been any confirmation on when the TV reboot of Baywatch will be released, but we do know the production has already suffered a few delays. Rumblings that a reboot was on the horizon arose in April 2023, when it was reported that Fox had met with indie studio Fremantle — who own the rights to the original — to discuss a remake.
After strike-related delays, the reboot was officially launched into production for the 2023-2024 season, but shooting has not yet begun. In 2018, following the negative critical reception to the film remake of Baywatch starring Zac Efron, Fremantle COO Bob McCourt said hope for a TV remake was slim.
He said that while the film “might have given us reason to reboot,” the lackluster critical response ultimately meant that “didn’t happen right away.” In any case, the reboot is currently in development, with some outlets suggesting a release window of late 2024 or sometime in 2025.
Cast
Given that it’s so early into the reboot’s development, no official cast has been announced for Baywatch. Actress Nicole Eggert, who portrayed Summer Quinn in the original series, said she hasn’t yet been contacted to appear in the reboot, but floated the idea of appearing in a minor role. Eggert also told TMZ that she’d like Margot Robbie to appear in the reboot.
Fellow former Brande Roderick, who starred as Leigh Dyer, also revealed she hadn’t been contacted to appear in the reboot. It’s safe to assume the remake will enlist an all-new cast, but who will don the iconic swimsuits is yet to be revealed.
Plot
Much like the original, the plot of the Baywatch reboot will follow the lives of a team of lifeguards in Los Angeles. The official logline for the reboot makes mention of “a whole new generation of Baywatch lifeguards,” who will navigate “messy personal lives in [the] action-packed reboot.”
