Baywatch

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

For starters,I liked the first "Baywatch" series when it premiered on NBC-TV from 1989-1991,and from there when straight into syndication for the next 10 years(1991-2001)and this where the show ended up on one of TV Guide's 10 worst TV shows of all time,and here's why..........

1. You have superstud David Hasselhoff(whom I liked as Michael on "Knight Rider"),and others plastic silicons which killed the series which spun off two installments("Baywatch Nights" and "Baywatch Hawaii") under the production standards of Mr. Hasselhoff himself(whom serves as executive producer of the both spin offs as well as this series).

2. ONLY on Baywatch could oceans filled with inept swimmers be watched over by lifeguards who ran in slow motion(and swam out to save them on the same formational shot).

3. Not only it was an action packed show,but this sea-foam saga of a part soap opera of one-dimensional personalities with multidimensional bodies was,for a while,the world's most popular show(not in my book it ain't)which says more about the world than most of us care to know.

4. The show made Hasselhoff an international status(which he rocketed "Baywatch" to the number #1 most watched show in several countries due to huge ratings overseas---but did you know its biggest audience was in Germany and Sweden?)and made stars of Yasmine Bleeth, Gena Lee Nolin,Erika Elenak,Alexandria Paul,Anna Smith(yes,Anna Nicole Smith)and the Queen of Junk TV,Pamela Anderson-Lee who acted as a human floation device during some of the episodes.

For one,producers are trying their best to bring this back too...WHY? The most recent was bringing it to the big screen as well and also a made for TV-Movie. LETS HOPE THEY DON'T!

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.

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!

a series like an endless holiday. hot bodies, drawing of acting, few slices of crime, brave men, attractive women, family dramas and drops of humor. lifeguards life "ad usum delphini". so, a form of entertainment. or delight. it is not easy to define Baywatch. because, season by season, it becomes more complex and the presence of David Hasselhoff as central axis of stories becomes credible. so, a nice series, first for the music, then for the running in the waves, and not the last, for the useful manner to save appearances for a beautiful longevity. Baywatch is the right mixture of soft adventure and eroticism who could define the entertainment of the "80's. and, decade by decade, this remains a virtue.