Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Baywatch Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 7, 2021

There's classic, and then there's classic. There are shows which will be remembered for exceptional narrative depth, exemplary production values, timeless characterization, and so one and so forth. Baywatch isn't one of those shows. It falls into that second tier of "classics," those shows which just resonated with their audiences, which defined a television generation, which reached beyond their limits to become one with the culture of their time. Baywatch is classic in that sense of the term. The smash hit was not only one of the great success stories of syndication but it was also one of the quintessential 1990s televisions events, rivaled by few others -- The X-Files, Friends, The Simpsons, Beverly Hills, 90210, for example -- for longevity and popularity alike. There's no shortage of reasons why, but the most important of them all: it's just fun.

Baywatch more or less defies "plot." Each episode is essentially self-contained (including various two-parters scattered throughout the series) and features the assorted cast of red-clad Los Angeles lifeguards rescuing various people or dealing with random beachside troubles and trials which usually involve water rescues but extend to everything from earthquakes to dead bodies. The stories are not thin, but neither are they pushing the boundaries of narrative complexity. The show never digs too deeply for meaning or purpose and is usually just concerned with blending the lifeguards' feats of physical agility with visuals depicting their finely toned muscles and generous beauty. Story comes second even if the show pretends otherwise. But most are not watching Baywatch for much more than the swimsuits, anyway, which leave only the most essentially private parts to the imagination. Everything else is bonus. This isn't a "skin" show per say but...it is a show of extreme sex appeal within a PG context. It could be said that Baywatch mixed together not-so-subtle sexual suggestion within a family-friendly construct that actually works quite well. The sexy qualities are not often the overt focus because the writers and producers and stars effort to build the show with story in mind, but often it seems as if said stories just exist to contextualize the opportunities for cool aquatic action and sexy swimmers running to the rescue.

If there's anything that's distinctly Baywatch it's that running. The show's opening title sequence is legendary and perhaps more so than any other element could be argued as the primary driver of its success. It grabs the audience right off the bat and delivers exactly what's promised. It's got a catchy 80s-inspired music playing atop a montage depicting various beachgoers mingling about, rescue vehicles (boats, helicopters) in action, and the lifeguards running in slow motion towards the camera, a couple of times collectively side-by-side and individually as their credits appear on the screen. It's not particularly artistic but it's hugely effective in conveying the essentials: the show is going to offer skin and beach rescue action. Everything else, like characterization, comes in time, but Baywatch is all about that slow-mo run and one would be hard-pressed to find a more iconic opening title sequence.

And it's an opening title sequence everyone knows because everyone saw it every week for a decade. Baywatch's viewership numbers are for the history books, though its history began inauspiciously. The first season aired on NBC in 1989 with the double length pilot episode "Panic at Malibu Pier" debuting on April 23, 1989. The first season's premiere episode, "In Deep," wouldn't air until late September, perhaps strategically placed on the calendar to draw the soon-to-be winter-gripped audience in the North and East into the L.A. sun and skin. Whatever the scheduling rationale, the show wasn't deemed a success after its first season and its numbers reflected that. NBC scrapped the series and it remained off the air for over a year. The booklet included with this Blu-ray set (there appears to be no attributed author) states that "Baywatch creators [still] believe in the show...[and] they're able to buy the Baywatch rights back for a token payment of ten dollars." By 1996 Baywatch earns an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most-watched show in history. Over a billion worldwide tune in from 148 countries. Talk about a wise investment.

Baywatch, in syndication, would go on to run for eight more seasons in its then-current form and setting in Los Angeles before moving to Hawaii for its final two seasons (retitled Baywatch: Hawaii) and losing every key cast member for that final year in the Aloha State. But the show is certainly best known for its exploits along L.A.'s famous beaches where its sexy stars regularly engaged in running and rescues and various slice of life dramas that gradually rounded the characters into form but never necessarily honed them into legendary figures, at least as they exist beyond the bathing suit. That's OK. The show dabbles in some essential character arcs, including Mitch's relationship with his son (played by Jeremy Jackson; Leonardo DiCaprio was turned away) and ex-wife, this particular plot thread established in the pilot episode. There are more broadly arcing romances, surprising character deaths, and the like, but no effort at legitimate story building ever defines the show more than its superficialities. Baywatch is not so much about growing with the characters, it's about living with them, less about identifying with their interior and more about the ebbs and flows of the lifeguard life as it pushes the exterior. This is very much a show driven by its externalities and that focus works for the content. Come for the rescues and the swimsuits and count everything else a bonus.

Baywatch's legendary cast includes series stalwarts and, largely because of the show, screen icons including David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Erika Eleniak, Yasmine Bleeth, and Carmen Electra. Anderson, Eleniak, Electra, and a slew of other Baywatch talent -- Donna D'Errico, Traci Bingham, Angelica Bridges, Marilece Andrada, Brande Roderick, Gena Lee Nolin, and Alicia Richter -- would all pose for Playboy magazine. The show was certainly about its sex appeal (it's notable, though, that the demographics for the show skewed female) but as noted earlier one of its strengths lies in its keen ability to blend that sexy façade with a more fundamentally family friendly structure. The show enjoyed no shortage of guest stars, a laundry list of familiar names that appeared on the show through its run, including, but certainly not limited to, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Bryan Cranston, David Spade, Sofia Vergara, Carrie Anne Moss, Hulk Hogan, Tom Arnold, Danny Trejo, and Mary Lou Retton.

The show is certainly legendary but its Blu-ray? Not so much. There are a few issues that will likely turns the hardcore fan base and purists in general against this set, and turn against it in a hurry. The show was originally shot in and aired within the 4x3 aspect ratio but this remastered version reformats to 1.78:1 utilizing various tricks of the trade to achieve the now full-screen look. There's a video on the series' official website main page that juxtaposes the original 4x3 with the newly remastered 1.78:1 presentation. Second, again per the series site (and the back of the Blu-ray packaging), "the soundtrack has received a comprehensive upgrade. Alongside the original iconic theme tune, Baywatch Remastered now includes over three hundred and fifty all-new, specially composed songs – many of them performed by up-and-coming artists." For TV buffs, that absent original music is an ancient bugaboo that rears its ugly head again here. Third, there's no supplemental content. Fourth, there's no Baywatch: Hawaii. More on some of this in the sections below, but suffice it to say that a good number of die-hard fans aren't going to be thrilled with the set. Casuals? Many will be more than satisfied. The remastered visuals are acceptably "HD" and improve after the first season, the picture fills the modern HD frame, and the musical replacement won't bother anyone who doesn't remember the show very well or hasn't seen it before.

Baywatch Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This review is based upon an extensive sampling of episodes from seasons 1-9; time did not allow for a full viewing of every episode. There may be abnormalities or one-off issues that may not be mentioned in this review.

The following text appears on-screen upon initial disc insertion: "Due to the age of these original programs and the high quality resolution that Blu-ray provides, you may or may not notice technical anomalies on this Blu-ray presentation that we are unable to correct."

What the disclaimer doesn't state is that Baywatch's nine season remastering undertaking has transformed the picture from the native 1.33:1 aspect ratio into 1.78:1 high definition using a variety of techniques to zoom or otherwise crop the image to fill the modern frame. Most of the results yield a very watchable image insofar as the framing is concerned; there are some troubled residuals that never quite feel organic but generally speaking the show remains very watchable in this structure. Certainly purists will not be pleased, and rightly so. There are plenty of TV shows on Blu-ray that, if nothing else, retain their original presentation ratio including Star Trek: The Next Generation and Hasselhoff's own Knight Rider but the decision has been made, the work has been done, and the material is now on Blu-ray for better or for worse.

"Panic at Malibu Pier" isn't exactly going to blow up the forums with raving reviews for its video quality. It's decent looking but it's also smoothed over, resulting in an artificial, borderline waxy looking façade. Skin and clothes show minimal intimacy but enough core complexity to hold to that "HD" look. Certainly don't expect intricate, razor-sharp, film-looking textures on sandy beaches, facial stubble, and the like. Colors are appropriately vibrant, particularly, and obviously, the red lifeguard suits, but don't expect a dazzling display of richly lifelike tones. This look holds for the season one duration. It's not bad, but it's certainly not the product of a careful restoration meant to preserve the original look. Here it's clearly been smoothed out in an effort to make it "pop."

Things improve a bit -- a good deal, really -- with season two and beyond. While some flatter, smooth textures remain, there's a sense of finer and firmer definition at play, of more complex facial and location renderings that offer a more stout, more accurate type of presentation. There's very little residual grain left over, but the noise reduction has not entirely left the picture devoid of critical textures. Clarity and resolution carry the image far more than grain and natural sharpness. This is definitely an image geared more towards casual viewers and less to hardcore home theater buffs. Color preproduction is very nice, particularly as the series goes along. The pasty-flat tones from season one give way to more robust, vibrant colors later on. Look at "Aftershock" in season six for a great example of brilliant blues and yellows (both worn by Hulk Hogan in the episode) and for a fine example of the red-hot red swimsuits for which the series is known. Sandy beaches, blue waters and skies, and all variety of color output is very good, including balanced skin tones (which are often bronzed) and deep black levels.

There are some technical bugaboos here and there, including some mostly unobtrusive but nevertheless evident macroblocking, usually most readily visible across solid background colors like blue skies. There are also odd examples of banding; look around the 7-minute mark in the episode titled "Aftershock." A handful of obviously standard definition shots remain, too, including at the 31:30 mark of the first season episode "Message in a Bottle." These issues aside, and season one in general, the image looks pretty good all things considered.

Baywatch Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's only one audio option available on the entire set: a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. It's rather pedestrian and uninteresting. Music demonstrates some stretch and plays with adequate clarity but there's not much to say in terms of authentic playback fidelity. It's not mushy or crunchy but neither is it necessarily a force of nature, either. It gets the job done with a level of instrumental and lyrical (as applicable) definition to satisfy requirements, particularly over the opening title sequence. Listeners will enjoy light but mood critical and decently integrated ambience in various locations, primarily on busy beaches, of course, where crowds and rolling waves and seagulls make sonic appearances but also some little office audio cues in some interior locations, too. Dialogue is clear and images to the front-center area with no obvious drift to the edges where it doesn't belong. This actually isn't a poor track. Yes there are concerns with music rights and replacement and yes it's not lossless but as far as core clarity and basic spacing go there's not a whole lot of complaint here.

Baywatch Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There's absolutely no on-disc supplemental content to be found on any of the 36 discs that comprise all nine seasons. Nothing. No promos, no interviews, no retrospectives on the show's legend, nothing. That's a great shame and one of several negatives surrounding this set. However, the set does ship with a glossy paged, full color, and stapled booklet titled "Baywatch Fun Facts" that includes bits of trivia on the production and the cast (a few morsels therein were used in this review). There's no real feel or flow to it; it's literally just a collection of sometimes interesting (the rights being sold for $10) and sometimes not so interesting (who brought which of their pets to the set) content. Also included is a folded poster depicting a trio of Baywatch babes. The poster measures approximately 14"x9.5".

Similar to Visual Entertainment's Stargate releases, the Baywatch discs ship in a hugely oversized Amaray case (and a slipcover) and the discs are packed in plastic sleeves reminiscent of those storage units for CDs. There are two such bundles of sleeves. The first six seasons sit in the larger one and the last three in the smaller one. The discs do ship one per sleeve so there's no stacking. They do require fingerprinting the bottom side to get out which may cause playback problems if they're not wiped clean prior to insertion.

No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase.

Baywatch Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The legendary Baywatch stands as one of the hallmarks from the 1990s television landscape. Fans long desiring to own the show on Blu-ray will be excited that it's here but just how successful this release will be will depend on a few key factors: the recreated rather than original music, the so-so video quality (and the new aspect ratio), the absence of supplemental content, and the exclusion of Baywatch: Hawaii, and probably in that order. For newcomers to the show, the music might not be a major hurdle to overcome. The video quality isn't bad, per se, but it's not great, either. No supplements is no surprise for a set this size, and Hawaii wasn't that good, anyway. Worth it? Yes. It's still Baywatch, a nostalgic slice of TV history that every TV buffs needs to own, re-watch, and enjoy all over again. Recommended despite the set's shortcomings.