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.