Los guardianes de la bahía

Once the world's most-watched TV programme, Baywatch has become a significant part of television history.

Okay, so it's not known for great plots (except maybe for the first few years) and brilliant acting, but, once upon a time, EVERYONE watched it.

Personally, I watched most of episodes from 1990-1994, I of course, liked Pam and Yasmine, but to be honest, my favourite part of the show was the beginning theme... and I have no idea why.

It's been a great stepping stone for many Californian model-type actresses, and Pam wouldn't have been as big (and I mean that in a non-boob-job kinda way) without it.

I haven't seen any episodes outside of 94, but the memories I do have of the episodes I viewed were pretty good!!

I don't know if it has finished in the States, and I don't really care. I've seen as many eps as I care to have sat through, and that's enough for me!

"Baywatch" R.I.P 1989-2001

Baywatch, television's most-famous "jiggle series" and by some counts the most-watched show around the world, did more for slow-motion beach joggers than anything since Chariots of Fire--just replace the British Olympic athletes with young women in high-cut red swimsuits who look like Playboy models. The premise of Baywatch is straightforward: a Los Angeles-based team of lifeguards saves swimmers and occasionally fights crime, led by beefcake Mitch Buchannon (David Hasselhoff). And those Playboy models? Erika Eleniak turned a 1989 magazine spread into a role as lifeguard Shauni McClain for two-plus seasons alongside Billy Warlock's Eddie Kramer character (the actors themselves had a brief engagement), and most of the season's action revolved around the lives and loves of Mitch, Shauni, and Eddie. (The most famous Baywatch babe, Pamela Anderson, would arrive the following season.) When they weren't saving people on the beach, they were involved in movie shoots ("Money, Honey"), gang wars ("Point of Attack"), homeless girls ("Sandcastles") and stray pets ("Thin or Die"), a serious charge against Eddie ("The Trophy"), a Gilligan's Island hallucination ("Now, Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale"), and chemical dumping ("The Big Spill"). Hasselhoff's real-life wife, Pamela Bach, appears in a recurring role as reporter Kaye Morgan, Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me, Dream On) has a small role as Mitch's ex-wife, Gayle, and Tom McTigue plays lifeguard Harvey Miller.

In 1989 are TV screens were graced with a show about beautiful lifeguards patrolling a California beach, so the theme of the show was reasonable and most of the actors were also acceptable. In 1989 we saw the first lifeguards (of many) to grace the Baywatch shores, Shauni McClain (Erika Eleniak), Eddie Kramer (Billy Warlock), Jill Riley (Shawn Weatherly) a few others which never lasted and of course Mitch Buchannon (David Hasselhoff). Basically the pilot episode is not to be missed it is full of action, excitment and seduction and episodes from Season 1-3 were pretty good.

However Baywatch had alreayd lost three primary characters Shauni, Eddie and Jill all left the show within the first three seasons, although Baywatch did have an epiphany and that was to hire Pamela Anderson (CJ Parker), at the start Pamela's character was brilliant and she carried the show easily along with other newly hired characters Summer Quinn (Nicole Eggert), Matt Brody (David Charvet) and Stephanie Holden (Alexandra Paul) from 92-95 all the characters stayed until Summer and Matt suddenly left Baywatch but luckily Baywatch fans were given relief when Caroline Holden (Yasmine Bleeth) joined the show (clearly the best actress). The show continued to go on well with David trailing behind in every episode along with Hobie (Jeremy Jackson) and Steph's death was brilliant as well, the show was still good in 95 when they hired bad girl Neely Capshaw (Gena Lee Nolin) who corupted everyone on Baywatch lives with her manipulation and seduction.

In 96 a big error was made Pamela and Yasmine's contracts were up and both girls wanted to do something else, I think Pamela's head did become a bit big during the end as Yasmine did guest appear in many episodes before finally being wrote out of the show unlike Pamela. The show hired 7 new actresses/lifeguards to fill the void left by both Donna Martin (Donna D'errico), Jordan (Traci Bingham), Samantha Thomas (Nancy Valen), April Giminski (Kelly Packard), Lani McKenzie (Carmen Electra), Taylor Walsh (Angelica Bridges) and Skylar Bergman (Marilece Andrada) were all hired to try and fill the void and granted most of them were reasonably good actresses however they only last a year on the show before all apart from April leaving Baywatch.

When they all did in 98, in 99 the show once again suffered a blow when Gena Lee also left and they brought it Jesse Owens (Brooke Burns) and Alex Ryker (Mitzi Kapture), Mitzi was brilliant and really helped the show but not enough as they relocated to Baywatch Hawaii and she got out while she could. Baywatch Hawaii ran for two seasons with a few good actors and actresses including Krista Allen, Brande Roderick and a few others but finally folded.

BEST ACTRESSES: YASMINE BLEETH, MITZI KAPTURE, GENA LEE NOLIN BEST ACTORS: NONE THEY WERE ALL CRAP

This was one show that was basically just on so you could watch hot girls run down the beach. The plots of the episodes were inconsequential, and for the most part who cared? If you tuned in, you wanted to see the gals running down the beach...if you watched it for the story you basically were going to be disappointed as the episodes stories for the most part were awful. Of course, it is amazing that it stayed on the air for as long as it did, but that was more thanks to the shows popularity over in Europe where David Hasslehoff is extremely popular for reasons unknown. Not that he is a terribly bad actor, but they like him more for his singing ability...which is terrible. All in all it isn't a show to take to seriously, in fact it is a show you can watch five minutes of and then flip to something else and maybe flip back to it to see if they are running down the beach in slow motion

While this review may upset many its how I honestly feel. Baywatch from 1989 was absolutely nothing like what came from 1993 on-wards. Yes the special effects may have gotten better and stories more fleshed out but what made the original shows (89-92) so great was that they had believable characters, close nit story lines and build-able foundations. In my own personal opinion Pamela wrecked the show not improved it. It also annoys me that when people think of Baywatch she is all they think of. The show wasn't the Pamela Anderson show. They really went overboard with the TNA showing after series 3.

The original cast of Hasslehoff, Stevenson, Warlock, Eleniak, Call, Gagnier, Williams, Weatherly, Phelps. Newman, Nelson and Markham is what made the show brilliant. The developing romance between Shauni and Eddie. Friendships develop between Eddie and Court. The close nit story lines of Jill and Shauni. The experience of Craig and the love shared by Gina. The bond between Hobe and Mitch (Sorry but Jackson was a HORRIBLE Hobie compared to Brandon) and Plus the cockiness of Cole.

When Warlock and Elenaik left after the 3rd episode of series 3 and Pamela came in it really took a turn for me and whilst the later series are enjoyable to watch for what they were. Nothing will beat the original series' and stories for me. Baywatch will always in my mind be about the people I mention above. Plus nothing will beat Save Me by Peter Cetera as a main theme. Sorry Jim but it's just simply better than I'll Be Ready.

If you love close stories and developing characters then watch the original series' 1, 2 and 3. If you want Eye-Candy but more action scenes then watch from series 3 onward. Also Erika will always be the Queen of the Beach!