Baywatch Is Back: FOX Drops The First Full Trailer For The Reboot

Slow-motion sprints, red swimwear, and a lifeguard tower packed with drama. The wait for the new Baywatch is almost over, with FOX dropping the first full trailer today. And this extended look makes one thing clear – The network is not messing with the formula that turned the original into a global phenomenon. Instead, it’s cranking everything up!

The Trailer Wastes No Time

The footage opens with a bang. A plane crashes into a parasail, dragging two screaming girls into the watery abyss, and the lifeguards spring into action. From there, the trailer serves up the first real taste of the franchise’s trademark slow-motion running as the crew charges into the surf to save the day.

That slow-mo has been a running joke since the very first teaser. Back in May, Stephen Amell posted a short clip to Instagram of himself sprinting down the sand, captioned “I dream in slow motion.”

A second teaser followed in July, and the full trailer above now shows how much real action is packed in around the swimwear. Rescues, chaos, and plenty of beach-ready heroics are all on the menu.

Meet Hobie’s Secret Daughter

Amell plays Hobie Buchannon, the wild-child son of legendary lifeguard Mitch Buchannon. Hobie is now a Baywatch Captain in his own right, following in his famous father’s footsteps. His world gets flipped when a young woman named Charlie Vale shows up on his doorstep, eager to carry on the Buchannon family legacy.

About 80 seconds into the trailer, we meet her. Charlie, played by Jessica Belkin, is the secret daughter Hobie never knew he had. She needs a job, she wants in on the family business, and she joins the crew. Hobie has always wanted a relationship with her, but he fears for her safety if she puts on the red and hits the water.

That tension looks like the emotional engine of the series: a father who has spent years racing to save strangers now has to decide whether he can handle his own kid doing the same.

Image Credit: FOX

The Cast Leading The New Crew

The ensemble is stacked with fresh faces and a few very recognizable ones. Hassie Harrison plays Nat, Shay Mitchell is Trina, Thaddeus LaGrone is Brad, Noah Beck is Luke, and model Brooks Nader plays Selene. Fans of the original will notice the show leans into the chemistry between these characters just as hard as it leans into the rescues. Expect tangled relationships, flirtation, and the kind of beachside drama the franchise has always done best.

Social media hottie Livvy Dunne is also part of the fun with a recurring role as Grace, marking the former LSU gymnast’s acting debut. Mary McDonnell also joins the cast in a recurring role, which adds some serious acting firepower to the mix.

The trailer wraps with Nat telling Hobie that they have the best job in the world, and it’s hard to argue with that statement, right?

Original Stars Return To The Beach

Nostalgia is a big part of this revival, and FOX delivers. David Chokachi is back in a recurring role as Cody Madison, the character he played in the original series. Erika Eleniak is returning as fan favorite Shauni McClain in a guest-starring role, where she helps Hobie kick off the annual Beach Games.

Eleniak made a statement when the news broke. “I’m so excited! I can’t wait to bring Shauni back to Baywatch!” she wrote. Side note, I had SUCH a crush on Eleniak growing up. 😍

Michael Bergin and Kelly Packard are also coming back as guest stars, reprising their roles as lifeguards Jack “J.D.” Darius and April Giminski. Original-series fans have plenty to look forward to, and the reunion energy on set has already been making the rounds online.

A Sequel Built On A Giant Legacy

Technically, this is a sequel series rather than a hard reboot. The new Baywatch is a direct continuation of the original show, which is why Hobie, the son of Mitch Buchannon, is the one leading the charge. In the original run, Mitch was played by David Hasselhoff, and Hobie was played as a kid by Brandon Call and Jeremy Jackson.

The original Baywatch premiered on NBC in September 1989 and was canceled after a single season. It came back the following fall in first-run syndication and exploded into a worldwide hit, running for 11 seasons through 2001. It also spawned the spin-off Baywatch Nights and a 2017 big-screen comedy starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Zac Efron.

FOX clearly understands the weight of that history. Network president Michael Thorn put it simply: “There’s only one Baywatch.” The first season of the new series will run 12 episodes.

When And Where To Watch

Baywatch premieres in January 2027 on FOX, with each episode available the next day on Hulu. Internationally, Fremantle is handling sales, and Prime Video has picked up the series for a 2027 launch in markets including Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Canada, Latin America, and India.

The Bottom Line

If you grew up watching the original, the new generation of Baywatch looks ready to give you everything you remember: the slow-mo runs, the heroic rescues, the beach-bar hangouts, and the soapy drama. If you never watched it, the trailer is a pretty fun sales pitch. High-stakes saves, a family secret, a loaded cast, and a few legends returning to the sand make this one of the most intriguing January premieres on the calendar.

January can’t get here fast enough, so start practicing your slow-motion sprint now!