The first trailer for Fox's Baywatch has been released, introducing the new cast—led by Arrow star Stephen Amell—and the high stakes viewers can expect from this reboot.
The three-minute sneak peek opens with a rescue mission after a plane collides with a parasail. There's plenty of slow-motion running on the beach, exciting action on (and under) the water, and a suitably significant number of red swimsuits.
The original Baywatch lasted for 11 seasons between 1991 and 2001, becoming the most-watched show in the world at the time. It aired in more than 200 countries and reached more than a billion viewers weekly. Attempts to resurrect the property as a movie in 2017 with Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron failed.
This version will follow Hobie Buchannon (Amell), a Baywatch Captain, following in the footsteps of his father, Mitch. But when his daughter, Charlie Vale (Jessica Belkin), shows up on his doorstep eager to carry on the Buchannon family legacy, his world is turned upside down.
"Like the original, there's sand, water, bathing suits. No, the original is amazing," Amell recently said of his return to television after Suits LA's cancellation. "Made in a very different time. It's iconic. We are going to have to carve our own path. We can never ever ever be the original."
He continued, "It is fully a superhero show when you put on your red swimsuit, or swim trunks, or Speedo, as the case may be. Not yet. To me is no different than Oliver putting his hood up and grabbing his bow. It really, actually, very much feels the same way. So I'm excited about that. I'm excited that I'm playing my age."
"I like Hobie, my character, because when everything is going wrong, and lives are on the line, he couldn't be [calmer]. He couldn't be more in control. He couldn't be more thoughtful and steady," Amell added. "But his daughter wants to go to a party and stay up past 11; he doesn't know what to do. So that was really fun, and there are humorous elements of it that I really enjoyed getting to play."
The cast of Baywatch includes Stephen Amell, Noah Beck, Shay Mitchell, Thaddeus LaGrone, Livvy Dunne, Hassie Harrison, and Brooks Nader. Two cast members from the original series, Erika Eleniak and David Chokachi, return to their roles.
The series is co-produced by Fox Entertainment and Fremantle, with Matt Nix (Burn Notice) serving as showrunner and executive producer. McG, Michael Berk, Greg Bonann, Doug Schwartz, Dante Di Loreto and Mike Horowitz also serve as executive producers.
Baywatch is set to premiere on Fox next January.