The new Baywatch series is coming to Sky and NOW in the UK and Ireland in 2027. Here’s everything fans need to know about the new series, from its cast and story to the history of the original show and the 2017 Zac Efron movie.
The red swimsuits are coming back.
More than 25 years after the original Baywatch completed its 11-season run, the iconic beach drama is returning with a brand-new cast and a first season of 12 episodes.
Where can you watch the new Baywatch series in the UK?
The new Baywatch will be available exclusively on Sky and NOW in the UK and Ireland.
The series is due to arrive in 2027, although Sky has not yet announced an exact premiere date.
The new show is a co-production between FOX Entertainment and Fremantle.
What will the new Baywatch series be about?
The new series returns to Southern California, where a new team of lifeguards will patrol the coastline and deal with the dangers that come with the job.
The makers promise the familiar combination of spectacular rescues, relationships and drama, but with new characters and contemporary storylines.
The official description says fans can expect “all the adrenaline-fuelled rescues, tangled relationships, complicated chemistry and beachside heroics that defined the original”.
The first season will consist of 12 episodes.
Who stars in the new Baywatch?
Stephen Amell leads the new cast as Hobie Buchannon.
He is joined by Jessica Belkin as Charlie Vale, Shay Mitchell as Trina, Hassie Harrison as Nat, Thaddeus LaGrone as Brad, Noah Beck as Luke and Brooks Nader as Selene.
Livvy Dunne will play Grace in a recurring role.
But there are also some important connections to the original series.
David Chokachi is returning as Cody Madison, while Erika Eleniak will reprise her role as Shauni McClain as a guest star.
How long did the original Baywatch run for?
The original Baywatch premiered in 1989 and became a worldwide television phenomenon.
It ran for 11 seasons, finally wrapping 25 years ago.
At its height, the series was broadcast in more than 200 countries and reached more than a billion viewers every week.
Few television shows have become as instantly recognisable as Baywatch, with the red swimsuits, Southern California beaches and slow-motion rescue sequences becoming part of popular culture.
Who was in the original Baywatch cast?
The original series starred David Hasselhoff as lifeguard Mitch Buchannon.
It also featured stars including Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra and Yasmine Bleeth, while Jason Momoa was among the actors whose careers received an early boost from the show.
Hasselhoff’s Mitch became the central figure of the franchise, with the series combining his character’s leadership of the lifeguard team with a rotating cast of younger stars and storylines involving romance, rivalries and dramatic rescues.
What was the Zac Efron Baywatch movie about?
Baywatch returned in a very different form in 2017, when the franchise was turned into a big-screen comedy starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.
Johnson played Mitch Buchannon, taking over the role made famous by Hasselhoff, while Efron played former Olympic swimmer Matt Brody.
The cast also included Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
The movie deliberately leaned into comedy, parodying many of the conventions associated with the original series while retaining the lifeguard setting and familiar characters.
The new television version is instead being presented as a fresh dramatic incarnation of the franchise.
Where can fans watch the new Baywatch in the US?
US viewers will be able to watch the new Baywatch on FOX.
That gives the reboot separate broadcast homes on either side of the Atlantic, with FOX carrying the series in the US and Sky and NOW bringing it to audiences in the UK and Ireland.
What has Sky said about the new Baywatch?
Lucy Criddle, Director of Acquisitions & Strategic Projects, Sky said:
“Baywatch is one of the most iconic television franchises of all time, and this bold new reimagining will deliver the sun, sea and high-stakes drama audiences know and love, while introducing a dynamic new cast for a new generation of fans. We’re thrilled to partner with Fremantle and couldn’t be more excited to bring the series exclusively to Sky audiences across the UK and Ireland.”
Fremantle’s Jamie Lynn said:
“Baywatch is one of the most iconic and globally recognised brands in television, and the excitement surrounding the series reflects its enduring appeal,”
She added:
“It has an instantly familiar feel while still being made for today’s audiences, offering something for both loyal and new fans. It delivers the sun-soaked drama and signature energy people love, on an even bigger scale. We’re delighted to partner with Sky to bring it to audiences in the UK and Ireland; their reach and commitment to premium entertainment make them the perfect home for the series.”
With 12 episodes ordered for its first season, a new generation of lifeguards and two familiar faces from the original series, Baywatch is now heading into its next chapter — more than three decades after the franchise first arrived on television.