The Baywatch reboot will premiere on Fox on January 6 at 9 p.m., bringing California sunshine, family complications and highly presentable lifeguards to the middle of winter.
Stephen Amell stars as Hobie Buchannon, the former wild child from the original series. Now grown up and serving as a Baywatch captain, Hobie has followed the career path of his father, Mitch Buchannon.
His orderly progression through the family business is disrupted by Charlie, played by Jessica Belkin. She is the daughter Hobie never knew he had and arrives determined to become a Baywatch lifeguard alongside him. Apparently, surprise parenthood was not enough without a shared workplace.
Who stars in the new Baywatch series?
Amell and Belkin lead an ensemble that includes Shay Mitchell, Brooks Nader, Hassie Harrison, Livvy Dunne, Noah Beck, David Chokachi and Thaddeus LaGrone.
Ashley Moore, Luke Eisner, Nadia Gray, Kylar Miranda and Charlie McElveen will appear in recurring roles. Megan Thee Stallion is also set to make an appearance.
Fox ordered 12 episodes for the 2026-2027 broadcast season in September 2025. The production later held an open casting call in early 2026 before filming began in Los Angeles that spring.
Matt Nix serves as showrunner and executive producer. McG, who directed the premiere, also executive produces alongside Michael Berk, Greg Bonann, Doug Schwartz, Dante Di Loreto and Mike Horowitz. Fox Entertainment and Fremantle co-produce the series.
How does the reboot connect to the original?
The first Baywatch debuted in 1989, with David Hasselhoff playing head lifeguard Mitch Buchannon. At its peak, the show aired in more than 200 countries and was described as the most-watched television series in the world.
Its large ensemble helped launch the acting careers of Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra. The franchise later expanded with the spin-off Baywatch Nights.
A film reboot starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron arrived in 2017 but failed to revive the property on the big screen. Fox is now returning to television and leaning directly into the Buchannon family history, which is at least where all those slow-motion beach emergencies began.
