Baywatch

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.

The reason people watch Baywatch is because of the amount of human flesh on show. Red-blooded males such as myself tuned in back in 1989 to see women in bikini's and I am sure there were probably many females who adored David Hasselhoff.

However, to be fair, Baywatch did have some great stories once you got past the flesh on show. David Hasselhoff did a good job as Mitch Buchanan who was an interesting character. There were some very competent actors and actresses throughout the show.

There's not really much scope for stories about lifeguards. How many stories can you have around lifeguards saving a person from drowning? Not many. Baywatch also focused on the characters private lives and at times, Mitch Buchanan found himself in battle with the usual bad guys.

Baywatch was a decent show. There's no denying what the appeal to the show is but in the interests of fairness, it really did have good stories at times.

So the writing wasn't of an A class standard, but the show last for over 10 seasons so you can't say that some people or should i say alot of people didn't like it or else it wouldn't have lasted that long. Here's just a summary of a few of the characters and why they made Baywatch so fun to watch and enjoy.

David Hasselhoff (Mitch)- Right, he wasn't the greatest of actors and i'll be the first to admit it but David provided the show with alot of advertising and was the only character in the show's history to last all 9 seasons of Baywatch: California. Mitch brought the machoness to the show and he always put on stellar performances when they were needed.

Pamela Anderson (CJ Parker)- Again not one of the best actresses but basically I think most of us know she was only really there for the eye candy, but CJ gave us some memorable moments on the show too especially when she struggled to find love through her years at Baywatch.

Yasmine Bleeth (Caroline Holden)- She has to be one of the best actresses to ever grace the Baywatch shores, Caroline was the shy, seductive type who was always getting things wrong with her work and like CJ with her love life. Unlike Pamela, Yasmine wasn't afraid to take to the water.

Alexandra Paul (Stephanie Holden)- Another good actress to grace the Baywatch shores and I think the only one to actually die, weird, but Stephanie's death was one of the best acted episodes from all characters.

Gena Lee Nolin (Neely Capshaw)- One of the only hardcore bitches to come to baywatch and she was a real bad girls, sueing Matt Brody and forcing him to quit after false sexual harrasement charges, sleeping with Logan and manipulating him in front of Caroline, seducing Cody and tricking Mitch into marrying her. She provided the best entertainment on the show and always got her commupance.

I could go through the rest but i'll not, but basically Baywatch provided us with some other great actors and actresses like Erika Eleniak, Nicole Eggert, Carmen Electra, Kelly Packard, Mitzi Kapture, Angelica Bridges and so many more.

I know that so many people says that Baywatch was the worst TV series of all, but everybody watched that, some episode at less.

It was pure entertainment, that's all. And it was great to watch that show to have a fun time. Obviously, it could have never been nominated to a Golden Globe, I know, but think about it: it was the most seen TV series all over the world in the 90's. Why? Something was right in Baywatch, wasn't it? Not all seasons were so good, but for me the best were in the mid 90's. Two main reasons: PAMELA ANDERSON and YASMINE BLEETH. They were the stars of the show, never eclipsed by the other babes. Pam was explosive and a femme fatal (is she really retired). Yasmine was glamorous, beautiful and the best actress in the show. She was really talented (hope to see her on screen again after her coke hell).

Of course many other stars were hot: Erika Eleniak, Carmen Electra, Nicole Eggert, David Charvet or David Chokachi. But Pam and Yasmine were the reasons why millions of people all over the world watched Baywatch. In fact, when they both left the show to go on with their careers beyond the beach, many people stopped to see the show. Poor Hasselhoff...

Then, Baywatch Hawaii. I didn't like it. But Jason Brooks, Jason Momoa or Krista Allen were so hot.

Finally, an unforgettable show, whatever you like or not. Baywatch was a world-wide phenomenon. And I hope to see Pam and Yasmine making cameos in the Dreamworks' Baywatch movie on 2006.

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!