There's a lot of buzz surrounding Fox's Baywatch reboot, but it's been confirmed today that the series won't be ready for a fall premiere. Instead, as we first reported on ActioNewz.com, it's coming to the network in midseason, with it confirmed to make a splash in "late" January 2027.
Talking to select media yesterday, Michael Thorn, the President of the Fox broadcast channel, said it's "an honour" to bring back the IP, adding, "There's only one Baywatch. It's one of the most iconic, popular television franchises in TV history."
The original Baywatch lasted for 11 seasons between 1991 and 2001, becoming the most-watched show in the world at the time. It aired in more than 200 countries and reached more than a billion viewers weekly. Attempts to resurrect the property as a movie in 2017 with Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron failed.
This version will follow Hobie Buchannon (Stephen Amell), a Baywatch Captain, following in the footsteps of his father, Mitch. But when his daughter, Charlie Vale (Jessica Belkin), shows up on his doorstep, his world is turned upside down.
A first look at the new Baywatch series has also been revealed, though there's no sign of the Arrow star. Instead, the spotlight is on the younger cast members who will race into action in their swimwear.
Fox's head of scheduling, Dan Harrison, said, "We have a rich history of launching series midseason. We just did it most recently with Best Medicine, Memory of a Killer and Doc before that. It goes all the way back to 24 and Empire and the 9-1-1s and The Resident. Obviously, Baywatch is a huge, huge priority for us, and we think we have a great opportunity to set the show up for success [in midseason]."
"Baywatch is a huge, huge priority for us, and we think we have a great opportunity to set the show up for success there," Thorn continued, saying the reboot will be "pure escapism with a cast that blends top television talent with major social influencers."
That latter point will raise some eyebrows, but it was probably to be expected. Thorn did acknowledge that this new version of Baywatch has "big shoes to fill," adding, "There's a lot of pressure on us to try to make it great, [but] there’s no way you don’t take that shot."
The cast of Baywatch includes Stephen Amell, Noah Beck, Shay Mitchell, Thaddeus LaGrone, Livvy Dunne, Hassie Harrison, and Brooks Nader. Two cast members from the original series, Erika Eleniak and David Chokachi, return to their roles.
Baywatch is co-produced by Fox Entertainment and Fremantle, with Matt Nix (Burn Notice) serving as showrunner and executive producer. McG, Michael Berk, Greg Bonann, Doug Schwartz, Dante Di Loreto and Mike Horowitz also serve as executive producers.
Check out this first look at Baywatch in the X post below.