Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Baywatch: The Complete Series (Remastered)

 

Baywatch is the massively popular procedural primetime soap opera about a group of lifeguards in Los Angeles that aired from 1989 to 1999 and starred David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Donna D'Errico, Alexandra Paul, Yasmine Bleeth, Nicole Eggert, Erika Elaniak, Gena Lee Nolan, Brooke Burns, and Carmen Electra (among others). The show was so popular that it also spun off two series, Baywatch Nights and Baywatch Hawaii, and a TV movie. This set only contains the nine seasons of the original series, not the two spin-off series or the Hawaiian Wedding special.

The set has 36 discs, which are packaged in three sleeve cases inside a large keep case. That packaging is much better than having the discs stacked on top of each other on protrusions. The sleeve cases prevent the discs from coming loose and getting scratched up. The A/V quality of the blu-rays is very good, and the remastered episodes look wonderful in HD. They are a huge step up in A/V quality from the original DVD releases. The video upgrade is so good that it is much easier to tell when the cast members are performing in a pool as opposed to being in the ocean. One thing that I did notice is that some of the episodes on the discs are not in broadcast order, especially in the early seasons. Since, however, the vast majority of the storylines (aside from the occasional multi-part episodes) were self-contained within a single episode, the order of the episodes did not matter as much. Some of the original music did have to be replaced because of licensing issues, but the episodes do have the music montages. The licensing issue only really impacted one episode that had to be cut down to 30 minutes because it featured performances in the show by musical guests singing songs that they no longer had the rights to.

Ultimately, the show was what it was. It was never going to get an Emmy for acting or writing. It was a cheesy soap opera with a ridiculously good-looking cast that never took itself too seriously. In fact, there were a few episodes in which the writers broke the fourth wall by making jokes about the show. The writing and acting were definitely nothing to write home about. In fact, the writing could be downright stupid, and many times, the actors were hamming it up for the camera (especially Hasselhoff). The show did get a ton of very recognizable guest stars, even launching the careers of some), including Bryan Cranston, Danny Trejo, Mila Kunis, David Spade, Mariska Hargitay, Michelle Williams, Carrie Anne Moss, and Charisma Carpenter (to name just a few). The blu-ray set does not have any extras, just the episodes themselves. The episodes do have English captions, and you can play them in a "play all" mode and pick up where you left off. The set does come with a poster and a booklet that has some random facts about the series and the actors that appeared in it. But there are no commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes interviews, or the like. The show is absolutely dated now, and some of the storylines would never be written the same way these days as they were when the show originally aired. But, if you watched the show growing up or were just a fan of the various "babes" on the show (which many people called Babewatch) it is a nostalgic blast from the past.

DVD/TV Series Review: Baywatch: Season 7

 

The seventh season of Baywatch aired during the 1996-1997 TV Season. This season would see yet more cast turnover with Donna D'Errico joining the cast (coming over from the series Baywatch Nights) and Traci Bingham, Jake Salano, and Nancy Valen all joining the cast as well.  Jasson Simmons and Alexandra Paul left as series regulars, although both would make several appearances during the season. And, Michael Newman, the only real lifeguard on the show would be promoted to a series regular. 

The show again was mostly a story-of-the-week procedural that occasionally referred back to prior storylines or episodes. There were some special episodes, including an MTV-themed episode in which MTV personalities, including Jenny McCarthy made an appearance, as well as an episode at Seaworld. The slate of guest stars was less prolific than the show had in the past, but Connie Stevens, Erik Estrada, Barbara Mandrell, Jay Leno, Denise Crosby, and wrestler Shawn Michaels, all guest-starred this season.

The acting and writing on the show this season were pretty much on par with what it had been. Most of the time, both were pretty bad, but occasionally, the writers would put out a decent script that gave the actors something to work with. The writers did try to do some character development, even with some of the established characters, to give them a bit more depth. Hasselhoff was still splitting time between the main show and Baywatch Nights, so while he did appear in every episode, there were some in which he was barely in. As has been the case in each of the prior seasons, not every cast member appears in every episode, not even Pamela Anderson who was still getting second billing behind Hasselhoff. 

Ultimately, if you do not expect the series to be more than it is, a kind of tongue-in-cheek primetime soap opera, it is enjoyable, even when it is dumb. I would not call it a show that is hard to stop watching, and while you can binge it, it is something that can easily be on in the background while you are doing other things and you will not miss much. 

DVD/TV Series Review: Baywatch Season 6

 

The sixth season of Baywatch aired during the 1995-1996 TV season. Yet again, the show had a lot of cast turnover with David Charvet mostly leaving the series (save for a few episodes), David Chokachi joining the cast as a new lifeguard and Olympic hopeful named Cody, and Gena Lee Nolan joining the cast taking over the role of Neely (continuing the storyline from the prior season). This season is the one in which the spinoff show, Baywatch Nights began, which took Gregory Alan Williams from the Baywatch cast and definitely reduced Hasselhoff's time on the main show. Although Hoff was still the lead actor, there were definitely episodes in which his screen time was very reduced or that he barely appeared in. This was also the season that Pamela Anderson became Pamela Lee after marrying Tommy Lee. The one notable absence is that this is the first season in which John Allen Nelson did not return as Court. 

The show did continue to get a good slate of guest stars. This season's guest stars included Mila Kunis (again) in a totally different role than she played in Season 5, The Beach Boys, Richard Moll (from Night Court), Ashley Gorell who played the young delinquent, Joey in the prior season, Hulk Hogan (and most of the mid-1990s WCW roster including Ric Flair, Macho Man, Vader, and Kevin Sullivan), Jenny McCarthy, Angie Harmon (who was a regular on Baywatch Nights), Heidi Mark (who was a 1995 Playboy Playmate), and Pamela Bach (who was Hoff's wife at the time). 

The show continued to be a prime-time soap opera that was a blend of story-of-the-week procedural and serial storytelling. It is mostly a drama but does mix some humor in as well (such as with an episode that is part spoof, part homage, to the show Charlie's Angels). Because the show aired in syndication, however, some episodes were clearly aired in a much different order than they were shot, so the storylines would be all over the place. For example, early in the season, Charvet's character Matt is essentially written out of the show, and then he shows up as a guest star about 1/3 of the way into the season. Then, at the end of the season, there is a two-part episode that was clearly supposed to be aired early in the season, if not be a two-part season premiere, in which Matt is basically a regular cast member again. And, as a result, CJ goes between dating (or pining over Matt) to dating Cody and back again. There is also a cancer storyline that starts in a couple of episodes, seems to get totally abandoned, then brought back. And, Caroline and Logan's relationship, which is hot and cold anyway, makes absolutely no sense this season.

Ultimately, by now you know what the show is and is not. It is a show with a ridiculously good-looking cast (making liberal use of music montages to show them off). The show definitely leans in on the hot cast at the total expense of good writing and storytelling. Because the writing is mostly bad, the acting is usually (but not always) pretty bad as well. If you can accept the show for what it is, it is entertaining, sometimes in a "so bad it is good" way. If you expect anything more than that, you will be sorely disappointed.

DVD/TV Series Review: Baywatch: Season 5

 

The fifth season of Baywatch aired during the 1994-1995 TV season, and probably represented the height of the show's popularity. There were again more cast changes with Nicole Eggert leaving the show (the character of Summer was essentially written off during the two-part season premiere), and Yasmine Bleeth returning to the show as a series regular, playing Stephanie's sister, Caroline. Pamela Anderson was bumped up to second billing, behind Haslehoff, and they finally dropped using her middle name in the credits as she was probably the most famous cast member (at least in the US) in the entire show. They also added Jaason Simmons, to play Logan Fowler, a character very similar to Peter Phelps' character in season one. The character of Neely Capshaw was also introduced at the end of the season but was not played by the same actress who would take over the role the following season.

This season saw many very recognizable guest stars, including a very young Mila Kunis, Wendie Malick (reprising her role as Mitch's ex-wife), Charisma Carpenter (who was was 23 or 24, playing a love interest for Hobie). Jeremy Jackson was 13 or 14 in real life and got to kiss Carpenter, which was probably a high point for him. Carpenter actually looked about 16 or 17 (the age that Cordelia was supposed to be in Buffy, which Carpenter played when she was 27), but definitely did not look like a 13 or 14-year-old, and she was a head taller than Jeremy Jackson, so it was an interesting casting choice. Other notable guest stars included Geraldo (in a very silly role), John Allen Nelson (reprising Court in his yearly episode), Dr. Joyce Brothers, Mike Piazza, Richard Branson, Debbie Dunning (who played the tool girl on the series Tool Time after Pamela Anderson left that show), Little Richard, and Gladys Knight. 

This season the storylines on the show became much more of a blend of serial and procedural. There were definitely still stand-alone storylines, but the show often referenced things that happened in prior episodes (or seasons), and there were more multi-part episodes. And, there was a lot less of an extra being introduced as a great friend of one of the main characters, never to be seen again. The show did juggle the large cast very similar to the way it did in prior seasons, with some characters (even Anderson) being absent for multiple shows in a row. The writing was okay, but still not great. Even when the writers attempted to include more serious topics, they were not done very well, and the attempts at comedy could be very cheesy.

If you can accept the show for what it was, and don't expect more out of it than it gives you, namely a ridiculously good-looking cast on a show about lifeguards, it is entertaining. If you are expecting award-winning writing and acting, it will sorely disappoint you.

DVD/TV Series Review: Baywatch Season 4

 

The fourth season of Baywatch aired during the 1993-1994 tv season. The show brought back most of the regular cast, although there was (again) a bit of a shakeup with Kelly Slater starting out as a series regular and then being downgraded to a guest star for a couple of episodes, and then eventually being written out (despite the clip of him surfing still being used in the opening credits). The show followed the same format as being a procedural drama/prime-time soap opera. For the most part, the episodes were stand-alone but there were a few two-part episodes during this season and a flashback episode that brought back some prior guest stars. Toward the end of the season, there is a great episode entitled "Rescue Bay" that pretty much breaks the fourth wall and makes fun of the series and the fact that it was canceled by NBC after its first season.

The show continued to get quite a few recognizable guest stars this season including Michelle Williams (in her first acting role), Wendie Malick, Mary Lou Retton (playing herself), Carrie Ann Moss (from the Matrix movies), Martina McBride, Kassie DePavia (who starred on the daytime soap One Life to Live for years). Old-school wrestling fans will also recognize Giant Gonzalez and Jimmy Hart, and this season would be the first appearance of Yasmeen Bleeth (who would eventually become a series regular), as Stephanie's sister. This season would also mark the final appearance of Richard Jaeckel, who was definitely experiencing health issues. John Allen Nelson also made his yearly appearance as Court, although the writers put him in a storyline that could end up writing the character out of the series.

The show is what it is. It is a very tongue-in-cheek drama. The actors and writers have no problem poking fun at themselves and not taking things too seriously. The show does an okay job juggling the large ensemble cast, but the episodes do generally tend to focus on one or two characters, and there are several episodes in which Pamela Anderson is absent and even an episode in which Hasselhoff does not appear I would classify most of the episodes as okay and a couple of really good episodes in which the acting and writing were done extremely well. And, there are a couple of really dumb episodes. So, it was a mix. But, we did get a clip of Hoff in concert when Mitch was daydreaming of being a rock star, so there is that. Ultimately, if you accept the show for what it is and what it is not, you will probably enjoy it, even the parts that are so bad they are good. 

DVD/TV Series Review: Baywatch Season 3

 

Season three of Baywatch aired during the 1992-1993 TV season, and was another transitional season for the show. This was really the season that the show became a huge hit with Erika Elaniak, Billy Warlock, Tom McTigue, Monte Markham, and Richard Jaeckel leaving the show. Jaeckel did appear a couple of times toward the end of the season using a cane and seemed to be far less mobile than he was in season two. Elaniak and Warlock did appear in the two-part season premiere but then were written out of the show at the end of the second episode. Gregory Alan Williams was bumped back up to a series regular, and the big cast additions were Alexandra Paul, Nicole Eggert (best known for the series Charles in Charge up to that point), Kelly Slater, David Chokachi, and probably the biggest addition to the cast in the entire run of the series, Pamela Anderson as C.J. Parker.

The show continued to be a procedural drama with most of the episodes (with the exception of some two-part episodes) being self-contained and not tied into earlier episodes at all. The storylines could go from horribly bad and downright stupid to okay. It is not what I would call a well-written, award-winning masterpiece, and as a result, the acting could be pretty cheesy as well. The show still continued to use the music montages, which were again mostly to show off the ridiculously good-looking cast for a couple of minutes without any actual dialogue. The show did get some recognizable guest stars this season including a returning Danny Trejo (in a completely different role than he had in season two), Elizabeth Berkley, coming off her role on Saved by the Bell, and Lou Rawls. 

Ultimately, you know what you get with Baywatch (or Babewatch). About 45 minutes of a very good-looking cast, most of the time a dumb story, and a couple of what amount to music videos that interrupt the story. The show was not ever really interested in continuity, making a lot of sense (for example having Hasselhoff's character in the hospital nearly paralyzed in one episode and kickboxing in the next), or being an award-winning drama. If you can accept it for what it is, it can still be entertaining.