FOX Television Network is diving BACK into shimmering blue coastal waters with greenlight for a reimagined Baywatch, the legendary lifeguard action-drama series that concluded its epic, 11-season run 25 years ago.
The revival is a straight-to-series order with 12 episodes in its first season. Sporting signature red swimsuits, an all-new cast of Baywatch lifeguards is set to make waves on FOX’s 2026-27 season schedule with Fremantle and FOX Entertainment co-producing this original take on the massively popular global phenomenon.
Produced by Fremantle and FOX Entertainment, Baywatch is executive produced by Michael Berk, Greg Bonann, Dante Di Loreto, Doug Schwartz and Matt Nix, who also serves as showrunner.
“In its first run, Baywatch defined an entire era of beach life and elevated lifeguards to an iconic status. Now, with our partners at Fremantle, this television juggernaut is set for a modern-day comeback,” said Michael Thorn, President of FOX Television Network. “Together, FOX and Fremantle, along with Matt Nix and original co-creator Greg Bonann, will bring the California dream to a whole new generation of fans with fresh stories, rising stars and all the spectacle that make the Baywatch franchise a global sensation.”
“Baywatch has always been a treasured asset in Fremantle’s portfolio and remains one of the most iconic series in television history globally. We have found the perfect partners in FOX to help us maintain this legacy. With Matt Nix at the helm, we are in great hands, as he excels at telling engaging and entertaining stories,” said Christian Vesper, CEO Global Drama, Fremantle. “Our goal is to reconnect with existing fans while also introducing a new generation to the world of these famous lifeguards.”
First hitting screens in 1989, Baywatch became the most-watched show in the world, airing in over 200 countries, and at its peak, reaching more than a billion viewers every week. The unforgettable original series starred heartthrob David Hasselhoff and helped launch the careers of international superstars from Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra to Jason Momoa and Yasmine Bleeth. The series reboot will celebrate the franchise’s enduring legacy, while re-energizing it for today’s global audience. Fans can expect all the adrenaline-fueled rescues, tangled relationships, complicated chemistry and beachside heroics that defined the original — now with an entirely new cast, contemporary trappings, tensions and challenges, and a renewed mission to protect Southern California’s shoreline.
