Baywatch is officially running back onto television screens, and the newly released full trailer makes it clear that FOX has no intention of leaving the franchise’s most recognizable traditions behind.
FOX released the full trailer for its upcoming Baywatch reboot on October 13, 2026, giving viewers a much bigger look at Stephen Amell as Hobie Buchannon and the new generation of lifeguards protecting the Southern California coastline.
The new series is scheduled to premiere on FOX in January 2027. It brings back the red swimsuits, dangerous rescues, beachside relationships and, of course, the famous slow-motion running that helped turn the original Baywatch into a global television phenomenon.
But this isn’t simply a recreation of the old show.
The new Baywatch introduces a different generation of characters while connecting its story directly to the Buchannon family at the heart of the original series.
Stephen Amell Is the New Captain of Baywatch
Stephen Amell, best known for playing Oliver Queen in Arrow, leads the reboot as Hobie Buchannon.
Longtime Baywatch viewers will immediately recognize that name.
Hobie was the son of Mitch Buchannon, the legendary lifeguard played by David Hasselhoff in the original television series. Jeremy Jackson portrayed Hobie for much of the original show’s run.
The reboot moves the character into a completely different stage of his life.
Hobie is now a Baywatch captain himself, following the same career path as his famous father and leading an elite group of lifeguards.
FOX describes this older version of Hobie as a “wild-child legacy character” who has eventually followed in Mitch’s footsteps.
That decision gives the reboot a direct connection to the original series without simply replacing Hasselhoff’s Mitch with another unrelated lead character.
The Trailer Opens With a Huge Rescue
The new trailer wastes little time reminding viewers what Baywatch is about.
One of its biggest sequences involves a plane crashing into the water, forcing Hobie and his lifeguard team into action.
The emergency gives the trailer an opportunity to show off the rescue-focused side of the reboot while also bringing back one of the franchise’s most famous visual trademarks: lifeguards running across the beach in slow motion.
It’s an obvious nostalgic reference, but the trailer suggests FOX wants the new series to combine that recognizable Baywatch style with larger modern rescue sequences.
The reboot isn’t being presented purely as a beach drama.
FOX says viewers can expect high-stakes rescues, complicated relationships, chemistry between the characters and beachside heroics, all updated with contemporary challenges facing the new team.
Hobie Has a Daughter He Never Knew About
The biggest personal twist in the new story arrives through Jessica Belkin’s character, Charlie Vale.
Charlie unexpectedly appears in Hobie’s life and reveals that she is his biological daughter.
She isn’t looking for money, however. She wants a job.
More specifically, Charlie wants to become a lifeguard.
Her arrival creates the central family storyline of the reboot. Hobie has followed his father Mitch into the lifeguarding profession, and now his daughter wants to continue the same Buchannon tradition.
That creates an uncomfortable situation for Hobie.
He wants a relationship with the daughter he never knew, but he also understands how dangerous the job can be.
The trailer shows Hobie struggling with the idea of Charlie putting herself in the same dangerous situations that have defined his own career.
It means the reboot now has three generations connected to the Baywatch legacy: Mitch, Hobie and Charlie.
Who Is in the New Baywatch Cast?
Stephen Amell and Jessica Belkin aren’t alone on the beach.
The reboot has assembled a mixture of established television actors, newcomers and recognizable personalities from sports and social media.
Shay Mitchell, known for Pretty Little Liars and You, plays Trina.
Yellowstone actress Hassie Harrison appears as Nat, while Thaddeus LaGrone plays Brad.
Noah Beck joins the team as Luke, and Brooks Nader plays Selene.
Livvy Dunne will make her acting debut in a recurring role as Grace.
The casting strategy suggests FOX is aiming at both longtime Baywatch viewers and a younger audience that may know some of the cast from social media, sports or more recent television series.
David Chokachi Is Returning as Cody Madison
The reboot isn’t relying only on the Buchannon name to connect itself to the original series.
David Chokachi is returning as Cody Madison, the character he played during the original Baywatch run.
Cody’s life has changed considerably since viewers last saw him.
In the new series, he runs The Shoreline, a bar-and-grill that serves as an unofficial gathering place for the Baywatch lifeguards.
But he hasn’t completely retired from rescuing people.
The character can still put on the famous red uniform when needed, while also serving as a mentor and friend to the new generation.
Chokachi isn’t the only familiar face expected to return.
Erika Eleniak is set to appear again as Shauni McClain, while Michael Bergin returns as Jack “J.D.” Darius and Kelly Packard reprises her role as April Giminski.
Those appearances should give longtime fans additional connections to the earlier era of the franchise.
What About David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson?
Two names remain inseparable from Baywatch: David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson.
Hasselhoff played Mitch Buchannon and became the face of the television series, while Anderson’s portrayal of C.J. Parker became one of the defining characters of its most famous years.
However, neither has been officially announced as part of the reboot’s current cast.
That is particularly interesting in Hasselhoff’s case because Stephen Amell’s character is Mitch Buchannon’s son.
The reboot can therefore reference Mitch naturally even without Hasselhoff appearing on screen.
Whether FOX eventually has another surprise planned remains to be seen, but viewers should not assume either star is returning until an appearance is officially announced.
The Original Baywatch Was a Global Phenomenon
Reviving Baywatch means bringing back one of television’s most internationally recognizable properties.
The original series first arrived in 1989 and eventually ran for 11 seasons through 2001, including its later Baywatch Hawaii era.
FOX says the franchise aired in more than 200 countries and, at its peak, reached more than one billion viewers per week.
Its popularity stretched far beyond the United States.
The series turned its red swimsuits, Southern California beaches and slow-motion sequences into pieces of pop-culture history while helping make stars including Pamela Anderson internationally famous.
The franchise was later brought to theaters with the 2017 Baywatch movie starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.
The 2027 television version is taking another approach by connecting itself directly to characters and history from the original show.
The Reboot Will Have 12 Episodes
The first season of the new Baywatch will consist of 12 episodes.
Matt Nix, whose previous television work includes Burn Notice and The Gifted, serves as showrunner and executive producer.
McG, known for directing Charlie’s Angels, directed the series premiere and is also an executive producer.
Original Baywatch creators Michael Berk, Greg Bonann and Doug Schwartz are among the executive producers, providing another link between the classic series and the reboot.
FOX Entertainment and Fremantle are co-producing the show.
Where Will the New Baywatch Be Available?
In the United States, Baywatch will debut on FOX in January 2027.
The reboot is also receiving a significant international rollout.
Fremantle has announced a multi-territory agreement that will bring the series to Prime Video in markets including Canada, Latin America, India, Turkey, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland and other territories during 2027.
In the UK and Ireland, the series will be available through Sky and NOW.
That broad distribution reflects the enormous international recognition still attached to the Baywatch name decades after the original show’s peak.
Can Baywatch Work for a New Generation?
That may ultimately be the biggest question facing the reboot.
Television has changed dramatically since Baywatch became a worldwide hit in the 1990s.
Simply recreating the original show’s formula would not guarantee that younger viewers would embrace it.
FOX appears to understand that challenge.
The trailer contains plenty of deliberate nostalgia — the red uniforms, ocean rescues and slow-motion running aren’t going anywhere — but the story is being built around new characters and a new family dynamic.
Making Hobie the lead is particularly useful because he provides a bridge between the two eras.
Older viewers know him as Mitch Buchannon’s son. New viewers can meet Stephen Amell’s adult version without needing extensive knowledge of the original series.
Charlie then takes the story one generation further.
Instead of erasing the franchise’s past, the reboot is attempting to build directly on it.
Baywatch Is Heading Back to the Beach in 2027
The full trailer gives audiences their clearest look yet at what FOX has planned.
Stephen Amell’s Hobie Buchannon is now running the lifeguard team, Jessica Belkin’s Charlie is trying to establish herself as the newest member of the Buchannon legacy, and David Chokachi is back to connect the new team with the original Baywatch era.
There are new faces, bigger emergencies and updated storylines, but some things clearly haven’t changed.
There are still red swimsuits.
There are still dramatic ocean rescues.
And yes, the lifeguards are still running in slow motion.
Whether that combination of nostalgia and a new generation can turn Baywatch into a television hit again will become clearer when the reboot premieres on FOX in January 2027.
Sources
FOX — official 2026–27 programming information and series synopsis
Fremantle — international distribution and series information
Deadline — October 13, 2026 full trailer coverage
Entertainment Weekly — October 13, 2026 trailer and character details
TVLine — trailer, cast and returning-character coverage
