posted
‘Baywatch’…once the world’s most popular show, I used to watch it for the stories myself, yes, I know that sounds like the old ‘Playboy-for-the-articles’ excuse, but seriously; ‘Baywatch’ used to have good storylines and believable characters in the early days (so much so that it nearly faced the axe after a few episodes) it was only years later, that it became a rallying point for good clean (cheap) thrills, a bit of late Saturday afternoon titillation for salivating jackals the world over and a deadly doomsday device for David Hasslehoff to house his genetically modified, and increasingly out of control, ego.
Season one and lifeguard Mitch Buchannon (Hasslehoff) saved lives, solved problems and lived the life with fellow orange can carrying buddies Billy Warlock, Erika Elianiak, Greg Allen William, Roddy Piper lookalike John Alan Nelson and that old dude with a tash who was only in the show because he was proper lifeguard and lent them some credibility. It was a great first season, ending with the callous shark-attack assassination of sassy blonde Shaun Weatherly.'Baywatch' was born.
Season two and most of the original cast had unwisely decided to embark on film careers (consequently never to work again) and the show was open for a new cadre of buxom beauties and buff dudes to take over saving lives and running in super slo-mo: Enter ladies favourite David Charvet, one-meal-away-from-anorexia Nicole Eggert, the pre-crack-addled fox Yasmin Bleeth, Canadian Pamela Denise Anderson, (when she was still attractive and not a silicon enhanced behemoth) and real-life surfer Kelly Slater (who quit the show after two weeks).
The years rolled on and like any good emperor (or should that be fhurer?) Hasslehoff divided his flagging empire into two; and so was born ‘Baywatch nights’: a nonsensical spin-off that asked us to believe that not only did Mitch Buchannon save lives during the day but also solved crimes at night and still found time to act like an all-American bozo in the hours between.
By the later seasons, shots that were once tongue-in-cheek had become a serious technique to hold onto ratings, the storylines were weak, characters non-existent (by the end it was hard to tell who was who) the buxom beauties and buff dudes still smacked the kiss of life on hapless swimmers week in week out whilst David administered the kiss of death (by directing and filling out episodes with LP versions of his painful songs) in the show’s final days.
All credit to David Hasslehof though, irrespective of the man’s self-absorbed aura and boundless egomania, he had great career (even though he forced us to listen to his music) from timeless classic ‘Kinghtrider’ to ‘Baywatch’ it was all-good, and always good for a laugh.
Posts: 2041 | From: The Ice Planet Hoth | Registered: Jul 2001 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
posted
You hit it on the head, Kashster: there was high laugh-value in the show.
As for following it, I never did. The demographic wasn't 'child-raising, working-professional 35+ female' which is where I placed during the show's run.
Loved the FX channel spoof "Son of the Beach!"
Posts: 1019 | From: NYS | Registered: Dec 2003 | Site Updates: 0
| IP: Logged |
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
