Baywatch/Trivia

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Actor Allusion: In "Nevermore", C.J. tells Cody, "Don't call me babe.", which Pamela Anderson frequently said in the previous year's Barb Wire.
    • Listen carefully to the dialog that ends "Rescue Bay". The group starts talking about syndication, and someone mentions Knight Rider, another David Hasselhoff production.
    • Mitch also mentions Knight Rider in "Sweet Dreams"; he asks a baby that he's babysitting if he wants to watch it.
  • Career Resurrection: David Hasselhoff was a big star on Knight Rider, but he was in some forgettable roles during the late '80s. Starring on Baywatch rocketed him back into the spotlight.
  • Cast the Expert: Michael "Newmie" Newman, the only real lifeguard on the show (and likely one of the few actors who could actually swim like a pro.
  • Channel Hop: Debuted on NBC and lasted one season, then found a new life in syndication.
  • Dawson Casting: Nicole Eggert and David Charvet were both 20 when they began playing Summer and Matt, who were in high school at the start of syndicated Season 2. Not too bad, but it still technically falls into this trope.
    • Meanwhile, Billy Warlock was already 28 when he started to play 18-year-old Eddie Kramer in the first season.
  • Directed by Cast Member: "Come Fly With Me", directed by David Hasselhoff.
    • Numerous episodes were directed by Parker Stevenson (who played Craig).
  • Fan Nickname: Babewatch, for the show itself.
  • Hey, It's That Guy!: Numerous instances.
    • Jeff Garlin, for example, appears as a radio host in the episode "K-GAS".
    • You may also recognize someone from Saved by the Bell and Showgirls among the cast during the start of syndicated Season 2 as well.
    • John O'Hurley, perhaps best known as J. Peterman on Seinfeld and the host of Family Feud from 2006-2010, plays a mentally disturbed man who is convinced his daughter is drowning in "Red Wind". In the same episode, famous talk show and news personality Geraldo Rivera guest stars as a guy who keeps picking a fight with Mitch because he thinks Mitch is trying to steal his wife.
    • Charisma Carpenter frolicks with Hobie.
    • Charles used to be in charge of Summer Quinn...
  • Keep Circulating the Tapes: In America, at least, only the first three syndicated seasons are out on DVD (music edited, at that), along with a few NBC episodes as extras on the sets. The last season release was in 2007, so it's doubtful we'll get any more. The full series is out in Germany, though, and are frequently listed on Amazon.com; assuming you have a region free DVD player, those would be the way to go.
  • Name's the Same: Two episodes have the title "Homecoming".
  • The Other Darrin:
    • Hobie was first played by Brandon Call on the NBC episodes, then later by Jeremy Jackson in syndication.
    • The character of Neely Capshaw was played by three different actresses, believe it or not. The most famous one was Gena Lee Nolin, who portrayed her from syndicated Seasons 6 to 8. But she was also played by Heather Campbell in her debut appearance, syndicated Season 5's finale, "Wet and Wild". In syndicated Season 9, Nolin was replaced by Jennifer Campbell.
  • Sleeper Hit: According to the executive producers, the pilot movie "Panic at Malibu Pier" was one of the few made-for-TV movies which actually got higher ratings in repeats than it did initially.
  • Star-Making Role: For Pam Anderson.
  • Uncanceled: After being cancelled on NBC after only a season, David Hasselhoff and the executive producers decided to try it in syndication instead. The rest is history.
  • Write What You Know: A couple of the people working on the show, most notably actor Michael Newman, were lifeguards in real life and used their experiences as plotlines on the show.
  • The Wiki Rule: The Baywatch Wiki