It cannot be understated how huge “Baywatch” was. It was a goofy show with lightweight drama, resting somewhere on a matrix that incorporated soap operas, “Gilligan’s Island”-like sitcoms, and 1970s “jiggle” shows like “Charlie’s Angels.” The central appeal of “Baywatch” was, of course, witnessing attractive people in swimsuits running dramatically down the beaches of Los Angeles. David Hasselhoff’s star stayed high in the sky thanks to “Baywatch,” and many of his co-stars — notably Pamela Anderson — became world-famous.
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“Baywatch” debuted in 1989 and ran a powerful 241 episodes over 11 seasons, finally drawing to a close in 2001. The final two seasons were relocated to Hawai’i, and the title of the show was changed to “Baywatch: Hawaii,” even though it retained the same cast and premise.
Weirdly, as soon as “Baywatch” ended, its cultural clout dried up. “Baywatch” was almost instantly seen as a curio of the 1990s, and 2000s audiences didn’t take in reruns with any notable voraciousness. In 2017, Paramount attempted an updated feature film of “Baywatch,” but it wasn’t well-received. These days, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark. That place where the wave finally broke and rolled back. (Apologies to Hunter S. Thompson.)
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There was, however, one attempt to expand the “Baywatch” universe in a new and interesting direction. In 1995, the makers of “Baywatch” created “Baywatch Nights,” a show about what happened on the beach after the sun went down. The spin-off was a private detective show that followed Garner Ellerbee (Gregory Alan Williams), the main cop character from “Baywatch,” as he opened his own agency. Mitch (Hasselhoff) helped him out, and they were joined by a fellow P.I. played by Angie Harmon, and by Lou Rawls (!).
The second season, however, shifted gears pretty dramatically. In the first season, the characters investigated run-of-the-mill crimes. In the second … it was ghosts and aliens.
Baywatch Nights was Baywatch via The X-Files
In 1995, one should recall that Chris Carter’s supernatural FBI investigation series “The X-Files” was one of the biggest hits on TV. The public was hungry for the paranormal in the mid-’90s, and “Baywatch Nights,” already struggling in the ratings, decided to give them what they wanted. The first episode of the second season, “Terror of the Deep” (September 29, 1996) was about an undersea dinosaur monster very akin to the Loch Ness Monster. “The Creature” from the following week was about a half-woman, half-fish monster. And it went on like that, though eventually, Gregory Alan Williams’ character was replaced by a paranormal investigator played by original “Baywatch” star Donna D’Erico.
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There was no indication in “Baywatch” or in the first season of “Baywatch Nights” that it was pointed in a supernatural direction. Monsters, in a near-surreal fashion, just started showing up. The second season of “Nights” also featured Roswell, New Mexico mythology, a coven of witches, a time-traveling log cabin, unfrozen Vikings, a mummy, ghostly possession, and demonic possession. Just like “the X-Files,” “Baywatch Nights” was a monster-of-the-week show. Unlike “The X-Files,” however, “Baywatch Nights” had its tongue firmly planted in cheek, acknowledging how silly it was. It wasn’t a comedy show, but it had a comedic tone. Perhaps the ridiculousness of “Baywatch” turning into “The X-Files” would be absurd enough to attract viewers.
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It didn’t work. The absurd new premise didn’t attract new viewers and the show got canceled. It seems that fans only tuned into “Baywatch” to see the luxurious beaches of L.A. and to watch its characters in swimwear. What happened after hours was of little importance. Even if the characters were tracking down unfrozen Vikings, if they had their shirts on, no one cared. The franchise went back to daytime-only shows and soldiered on for five additional seasons, remaining huge overseas.
Once the ’90s ended, though, “Baywatch” kind of ended too. Its last two seasons weren’t as big a hit, and the show petered out. But, golly, that was 11 years of sandy glory.
