The 8th season of Baywatch consisted of 22 episodes and aired in syndication during the 1997-1998 TV season. The show yet again had a lot of cast turnover. Pamela Anderson left the show after season 7 and the show left the cliffhanger ending open until the fourth episode of the 8th season revealing that CJ met a tattooed rock star and got married. This was also the season in which Yasmine Bleeth left the show (she was fired because of her drug use) but the writers actually did give her a sendoff. She appeared in a handful of episodes (though she was never shown in the main credits), but as the show often was, the episodes were not aired in the order of her storyline, so she kind of just randomly popped up until she didn't. Parker Stevenson, who left the show after season one returned for a few episodes to have a mini-storyline, and the series added Carmen Electra, Kelly Packard, Michael Bergen, Marilice Andrada, and Angelica Bridges as series regulars. The show did not get as many notable guest stars but Jeff Altman returned to the show as yet another character, radio host Shadoe Stevens guest starred, Gregory Allan Williams reprised his role as Elerbee, and David Hasselhoff's wife, Pamela Bach, played a totally different character than the recurring role she played in the early seasons of the show.
In the DVD set, the 22 episodes are spread across 6 discs. There are no extras or subtitles. By the 8th season, the show pretty much gave up on continuity. Some of that was on the showrunners and part of it was on whomever selected the order to air the episodes. For example, they had Mitch's mother in an episode this season but totally abandoned the Alzheimer's storyline, and the show's romances rarely made any sense (and this season is no exception). The season ends with a three-part finale that leaves the direction of the show totally open, and of course, there are the music montages to show off the ridiculously good-looking cast. Carmen Electra dancing accounts for several of the montages this season. Overall, the series is what it is. A prime-time story-of-the-week soap opera. The acting and writing are spotty at best (to be kind), but if you can accept it for what it is and don't expect any more than that, it can be entertaining.
No comments:
Post a Comment