Baywatch could return to the small screen after 22 years, according to recent reports which suggest entertainment company Fremantle has been developing a reboot.
Per Deadline, Fremantle has "held early talks with a number of broadcasters and streamers" regarding new episodes of the drama series.
The iconic American drama series helped Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff launch their careers and has been a huge staple in global pop culture for years, with fans everywhere invested in the LA lifeguards and their misadventures.
Although new episodes have not been on our screens since 2001, a movie adaptation was released in 2017 which saw Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, and Priyanka Chopra in leading roles, as well as cameos from Anderson and Hasselhoff.
Sadly the movie was not a success and Dwayne Johnson received a Razzie award for Worst Actor, so the hopes are that a TV reboot could work a lot better and there have already been discussions around this.
Speaking about the possibility of a new series, Fremantle International COO Bob McCourt told Deadline that a television remake has "definitely been discussed" after remastering the old episodes into high definition.
He said: "I think we thought the film might have given us reason to reboot the TV series, but given the mixed reviews that didn’t happen straight away. I think if this remastered version is sold extensively and a new audience comes to Baywatch, then it will give us a real indication as to whether a new series could be successful."
Although nothing's set in stone just yet, Bob McCourt added: "We would definitely think seriously about making a new series and maybe we’ll get approached by some broadcasters about making one."
Despite its popularity, Baywatch has an interesting history. The show was canceled after its first season on NBC, but survived through syndication and later became the most-watched television series in the world, bringing in a weekly audience of over 1.1 billion viewers.
Baywatch ran for 11 seasons and has been the subject of numerous parodies and references ever since its original release, so it would be interesting to see how the series works for a modern audience.
The original Baywatch series can be streamed via Amazon Prime or Hulu Plus, depending on your territory.
