History YMMV / Baywatch

* MoodWhiplash: What shall we have as the [[TwoLinesNoWaiting B-Plot]] for the ProWrestlingEpisode, where Hulk Hogan battles Ric Flair to [[SavingTheOrphanage save a Rec Center]]? How about Stephanie getting skin cancer!?

** [[SpreeKiller Johnny Larkin]], from season 1's "Vengeance", was a vicious killer who was caught by Garner Ellerby and his partner, Lea Broussard. During his trial, Johnny swore that [[RageAgainstTheLegalSystem he would get back at everyone involved in his conviction]], and while in prison, he made a deal with a crime lord named Mohammed Aziz. Aziz would help Johnny get out of jail and provide him with everything that he would need for his RoaringRampageOfRevenge, and in exchange Johnny would eliminate a snitch named Ernie Watts. After murdering Watts, Johnny goes on a killing spree: He beats a judge to death with his own gavel after shooting the man's bailiff; crushes the throat of an ADA with a barbell; [[CopKiller guns down two police officers]] before drowning a jury member in his own aquarium; and shoots Lea's guard in the back of the head before abducting Lea [[IHaveYourWife as bait for Garner]], who he had previously assaulted while taunting him over how powerless he was to do anything other than "keep score" as Johnny rampaged through Los Angeles. During a subsequent gun battle with Garner, Johnny mocks him over how he will die being unable to save Lea from a DrowningPit.
** [[SerialKiller Richard Kempler]], from season 2's "Possessed", was a charismatic sadist who was suspected of murdering over fifty women, with his final victim being the wife of Dr. Arnold Block. Kempler had converted his home into a blood-drenched TortureCellar, which he decorated with [[CreepySouvenir parts of his victims, photographs of them being mutilated and tortured]], and [[HollywoodSatanism an altar dedicated to Satan]]. After dying in a pile-up, Kempler began [[DemonicPossession possessing]] anyone who was exposed to his blood, with his first host being a man named Steven Buckland. Kempler turns Buckland's home into an exact recreation of his own house of horrors, and uses his body to butcher up to a dozen women before dying again in a shootout with the LAPD. Kempler proceeds to take over Donna Marco, who he has nearly kill a hitchhiker, before moving into a SWAT officer named Ray Reegun. Annoyed by Mitch Buchannon interfering with his possession of Donna, Kempler abducts his partner, Ryan [=McBride=], and takes her to one of his old hideouts, where he amuses himself by disorienting Mitch with booby-traps before trying to murder him in front of Ryan.

* MoodWhiplash: What shall we have as the B-Plot for the ProWrestlingEpisode, where Hulk Hogan battles Ric Flair to save a Rec Center? How about Stephanie getting skn cancr!?

** Elroy Schwartz wrote the ''Series/GilligansIsland'' episode. Schwartz previously served as co-creator and producer of ''Series/DustysTrail''.

** Ernie Wallengren wrote two episodes and served as executive producer. Wallengren also served as co-developer and co-executive producer of ''Series/{{Flipper}}''.

** Elroy Schwartz wrote an episode. Schwartz previously served as co-creator and producer of ''Series/DustysTrail''.

** Although Baywatch was once the most popular syndicated TV show in the world, its popularity declined rapidly once home broadband Internet became affordable to the average person. Baywatch served as a [[PoorMansPorn porn substitute]] for people who didn't have access to actual porn.

** In "Money, Honey", Mitch gets cast in a film about a Life Guard who is also a private eye. This later became the premise to the spin-off "Baywatch Nights"!

* HilariousInHindsight: "A Little Help" has CJ training for a dancing competition, which doesn't end too well for her. (See WardrobeMalfunction on the main page.) 17 years later, Creator/PamelaAnderson competed in the Fall 2012 season of ''Series/DancingWithTheStars''...and was the first one eliminated.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Newmie, for some, given that there was an official Newmie fanclub back in the day, and even moreso now thanks to ''Creator/AllisonPregler'' and her Baywatching series.

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: The executives, producers and story editors at NBC all thought a show about lifeguards was a dumb idea with a limited premise. NBC cancelled the show after its first season but the David Hasselhoff and the show's creators were able to continue ''Baywatch'' through syndication and with a budget that came from excessive ProductPlacement, all at the cost of proper scripts and not being able to do retakes. Although ''Baywatch'' would go on to become one of the most successful shows in the world, NBC [[JustifiedTrope can't exactly be called wrong for their lack of faith in the show]] since [[BestKnownForTheFanservice its' success clearly didn't come from good stories or interesting characters.]]

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmauMVxHSds That theme song]](the piano solo is pretty awesome).
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH3zhMDw_nI and the one on the spin-off]].

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Why else do you think the series got a complete DVD release (and "Baywatch Nights" too) in UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} and not the U.S.?

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Creator/DavidHasselhoff actually gave a pretty powerful performance in the two-part episode "Shattered," but was unfortunately let down by the ludicrous script and the obscene ProductPlacement.

* HilariousInHindsight: "A Little Help" has CJ training for a dancing competition, which doesn't end too well for her. (See WardrobeMalfunction on the main page.) 17 years later, Pamela Anderson competed in the Fall 2012 season of ''Series/DancingWithTheStars''...and was the first one eliminated.

* ItsNotSupposedToWinOscars: Creator/PamelaAnderson famously stated (paraphrasing) that the show wasn't high art, and wasn't trying to be, so you should just enjoy it for what it is.

** [[Film.TheMatrix Carrie-Anne Moss]] is in an episode as a woman with a SplitPersonality.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Creator/DavidHasslehoff actually gave a pretty powerful performance in the two-part episode "Shattered," but was unfortunately let down by the ludicrous script and the obscene ProductPlacement.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK9-XZIu2kg "Save Me"]], the theme song of Season 1, is epic on it's own right.

** In addition to their work on ''Baywatch'', creators and executive producers Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann also served as creators and executive producers of ''Series/ThunderInParadise''. On their own, Berk and Schwartz served as co-creators and co-executive producers of ''Series/TheWizard'', and Schwartz, on his own, also served as co-developer and co-executive producer of ''Series/{{Sheena}}''.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: A nerdy Secret Service agent spends the entire episode getting on everyone's nerves, capped off by him breaking a kid's toy after throwing himself over it (he thought it was a bomb). He's humiliated until Mitch lifts his spirits by pointing out that he didn't ''know'' it was a toy when he jumped on it, meaning he was completely willing to sacrifice himself to save the president and countless innocent people and is therefore a ''terrific'' agent.

* HeReallyCanAct: Creator/DavidHasslehoff actually gave a pretty powerful performance in the two-part episode "Shattered," but was unfortunately let down by the ludicrous script and the obscene ProductPlacement.

* HeReallyCanAct: David Hasslehoff actually gave a pretty powerful performance in the two-part episode "Shattered," but was unfortunately let down by the ludicrous script and the obscene ProductPlacement.

* ItsNotSupposedToWinOscars: Pamela Anderson famously stated (paraphrasing) that the show wasn't high art, and wasn't trying to be, so you should just enjoy it for what it is.
--> '''Pamela''': Everyone loved Baywatch. [[SelfDeprecation If the sound was off.]]

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: When Garner rides his horse in "Sky Rider", the music that accompanies it is suspiciously similar to "William Tell Overture".
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: In spite of its cheesiness (or perhaps because of it) Baywatch was an iconic 1990s television show. Pamela Anderson in her red one-piece swimsuit is one of the most recognized sex symbols of that decade. The show was also widely parodied, from ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' to ''Series/SonOfTheBeach''.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: In spite of its cheesiness (or perhaps because of it) Baywatch was an iconic 1990s television show. Pamela Anderson in her red one-piece swimsuit is one of the most recognized sex symbols of that decade. The show was also widely parodied, from ''{{Series/SaturdayNightLive}}'' to ''{{Series/SonOfTheBeach}}''.

!!For the TV Series

!!For the 2016 Film
* EvilIsSexy: The main antagonist, the evil Victoria Leeds, is just as insanely hot as any of the Baywatch girls.

!For the TV Series

!For the 2016 Film

* SpiritualSuccessor: USA Network's "Pacific Blue". Except the show starred beach cops instead of lifeguards.

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: The executives, producers and story editors at NBC all thought a show about lifeguards was a dumb idea with a limited premise. NBC cancelled the show after its first season but the David Hasslehoff and the show's creators were able to continue Baywatch through syndication and with a budget that came from excessive ProductPlacement, all at the cost of proper scripts and not being able to do retakes. Although Baywatch would go on to become one of the most successful shows in the world, NBC can't exactly be called wrong for their lack of faith in the show since [[BestKnownForTheFanservice its success clearly didn't come from good stories or interesting characters.]]

** Although Baywatch was once the most popular syndicated TV show in the world, it's popularity declined rapidly once home broadband Internet became affordable to the average person. Baywatch served as a [[PoorMansPorn porn substitute]] for people who didn't have access to actual porn.

** Creator/JasonMomoa as rookie lifeguard [[TheDanza Jason]] Ioane during the final two seasons as ''Baywatch Hawaii''
** Nicole Eggert was previously Jamie Powell on ''Series/CharlesInCharge''.
** Brandon Call later went on to play J.T. Lambert on ''Series/StepByStep''.