‘Baywatch’ Is Back! First Look at Shay Mitchell, Livvy Dunne and New Lifeguard Team Revealed
Venice Beach has seen its fair share of Hollywood productions over the years, but few carry the nostalgic weight of a show that once defined an entire decade of television. The red swimsuits, the slow-motion sprints down the shoreline, and the sun-soaked drama were staples of American pop culture long before streaming ever existed.
That legacy is exactly what Fox is banking on as it brings ‘Baywatch‘ back to life for a new generation of viewers. The original series ran for eleven seasons and was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched television show in the world at its peak, launching the careers of David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, and Jason Momoa along the way.
Now, a fresh batch of promotional stills is making the rounds online, giving audiences their clearest look yet at the cast stepping into those iconic roles. Shay Mitchell, Hassie Harrison, Livvy Dunne, and Brooks Nader all appear in the new images, dressed in the same red one-pieces that made the franchise instantly recognizable decades ago.
The reboot follows Hobie Buchannon, played by Stephen Amell, who has grown up to become the new Baywatch captain, following in the footsteps of his father, Mitch. His world gets turned upside down when Charlie, the daughter he never knew existed, shows up looking to earn her own spot on the lifeguard team, played by Jessica Belkin.
Mitchell plays Trina, a former lawyer who left a top-tier law firm behind to dedicate herself fully to lifeguarding. Harrison takes on the role of Nat, a former foster kid turned Olympic athlete who serves as Hobie’s closest friend and right-hand on the beach.
Nader plays Selene, the sharp-tongued captain of the Zuma Beach lifeguards, whose rivalry with Hobie runs deeper than anyone initially realizes. Dunne, a former LSU gymnast turned social media star with more than fifteen million followers, is making her professional acting debut as Grace, an eager junior lifeguard who rounds out the recurring cast.
The series also brings back a couple of familiar faces from the original run, with David Chokachi reprising his role as Cody Madison and Erika Eleniak returning as Shauni McClain in a guest capacity. Oscar and Emmy nominee Mary McDonnell has also joined in a recurring role as Hobie’s mother, adding a layer of family drama to the mix.
Behind the scenes, Matt Nix is serving as showrunner, with McG directing the series premiere and also executive producing alongside original co-creators Michael Berk, Greg Bonann, and Doug Schwartz. Fox and Fremantle are coproducing the twelve episode season, which received a straight to series order rather than going through a traditional pilot process.
Filming kicked off in March across Venice Beach and the Fox studio lot in Century City, supported by a $21.1 million tax credit from the California Film Commission. The show is set to premiere in late January 2027 as part of a planned midseason launch, with Fox executives expressing confidence in that scheduling strategy during recent upfront presentations.
Cast members have been vocal about what makes this version feel different from both the original series and the 2017 feature film. Nader described the new show as one that “the world really needs right now,” calling it dramatic yet feel-good television that leaves viewers in a better mood after every episode, according to comments she gave to TV Insider.
Fan reaction to the first images has been mixed but loud, with some viewers questioning the heavy presence of social media influencers in the cast, while others are simply excited to see the red swimsuits and slow-motion running return to network television. That kind of split reaction is nothing new for a franchise that has always leaned into its own campy reputation even during its most successful years.
Whether this new ‘Baywatch’ can recapture even a fraction of the original show’s massive global audience remains to be seen, but Fox is clearly positioning it as a marquee midseason event. With action sequences that cast members have compared to superhero movies and a script built around family drama layered on top of beachside heroics, the network appears to be aiming for something bigger than a simple nostalgia play.
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