EXCLUSIVE: Baywatch could be heading back to the small screen.
Deadline understands that Fremantle has been developing a reboot of the classic beach drama series and has held early talks with a number of broadcasters and streamers.
The move would bring back one of the biggest shows of the late 1980s and 1990s as the trend towards rebooting classic IP continues. There are currently no creatives attached to the reboot.
The series made international stars of the likes of David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson.
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Created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz and Gregory J. Bonann, the series followed a group of lifeguards who patrolled the beaches of LA County. Originally produced by Gannett for NBC, the show was cancelled after one season.
However, the Baywatch producers bought back the rights and produced a syndicated version with All American Television with the help of financing from German distributor Beta Taurus, part of the Kirch group in Germany and ITV.
The show then ran for 10 more seasons, including a move to Hawaii for later seasons, becoming one of the most-watched shows in the world, particularly internationally before launching the Baywatch Nights spinoff. There was also Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding, a two-hour reunion movie that aired on Fox and the Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron-fronted 2017 movie.
The series starred Hasselhoff, Anderson, David Charvet, Yasmine Bleeth and Nicole Eggert among others.
Given its history, Baywatch had a rather knotty rights situation. Fremantle held the rights to the show after All American Television was subsumed into Pearson, which became Fremantle, but Beta held the international distribution rights before Fremantle took over in 2018.
The current reboot is not the first time that the company, which produces series including Apple’s The Mosquito Coast, as well as a plethora of unscripted series such as American Idol, has considered a remake. Back in 2018, Fremantle International COO Bob McCourt told Deadline that a remake has “definitely been discussed” after remastering the old episodes into high definition to sell to global broadcasters.
“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. 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,” he said.
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