Baywatch Reboot Adds Original Stars for Fox Return

KEY POINTS:

• Michael Bergin and Kelly Packard will guest star in Fox’s Baywatch reboot.
• The actors are set to reprise Jack “J.D.” Darius and April Giminski.
• Stephen Amell leads the new series as Hobie Buchannon.
• Fox’s updated Baywatch is scheduled to premiere in January 2027.

Michael Bergin and Kelly Packard joined Fox’s Baywatch reboot this week in the U.S., bringing two more original-series faces back to the beach.

Their return matters because Fox is building the new Baywatch as both a continuation and a refresh, using familiar characters to connect longtime viewers with a younger cast and a modern network drama format.

Bergin will reprise Jack “J.D.” Darius, while Packard will return as April Giminski. Both actors appeared in the later seasons of the original series, which became one of the most recognizable TV brands of the 1990s.

They join other returning cast members already connected to the reboot, including David Chokachi as Cody Madison and Erika Eleniak as Shauni McClain. The guest appearances give the series a clearer bridge to the original show without making the reboot depend entirely on nostalgia.

Stephen Amell headlines the new version as Hobie Buchannon, now a Baywatch captain following the legacy of his father, Mitch Buchannon. The show also introduces Jessica Belkin as Charlie, a young woman eager to join the lifeguard team.

The cast includes Shay Mitchell, Hassie Harrison, Thaddeus LaGrone, Brooks Nader, Noah Beck, Livvy Dunne, Nadia Gray and Mary McDonnell. Matt Nix, known for Burn Notice, serves as showrunner and executive producer.

Fox has ordered the reboot for the 2026-27 TV season, with a January 2027 premiere planned. The project is being filmed across Los Angeles beaches and soundstages after receiving a California state tax incentive.

The original Baywatch premiered in 1989 and ran until 2003, becoming a global syndication phenomenon and turning its red swimsuit imagery into a pop-culture signature. David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson remain the names most closely tied to the franchise, though the show’s long run introduced several rotating lifeguard teams.

For Fox, the reboot arrives during a broader industry push to revive recognizable TV properties. The challenge will be making Baywatch feel current while keeping the rescue scenes, beachside drama and character chemistry that made the original travel far beyond U.S. audiences.

Bergin and Packard’s return gives the new series an immediate nostalgia boost. But the bigger test will come when Fox shows whether this version can stand as more than a tribute to a famous brand.