Fox Baywatch Reboot Trailer Puts Stephen Amell Front and Center as Hobie Buchannon

Fox has released the first major trailer for its Baywatch reboot, and the three minute clip leans hard into sand, stunts and slow motion beach runs. According to Variety, the series premieres on the network in January, with Stephen Amell playing a grown up Hobie Buchannon who has become a Baywatch captain in the shadow of his father Mitch.

The trailer opens on a rescue after a plane collides with a parasail, a beat that signals the show wants spectacle first. Amell is joined by Jessica Belkin as Charlie, the daughter Hobie never knew, plus Shay Mitchell, Brooks Nader, Hassie Harrison, Livvy Dunne, Noah Beck, David Chokachi and Thaddeus LaGrone. Variety also notes that hip hop star Megan Thee Stallion appears in the trailer.

For a franchise that once claimed the title of most watched show in the world, the reboot is a high visibility bet on broadcast tentpole entertainment in a streaming heavy era.

Hobie Takes the Captain's Chair

Variety reports that Amell's Hobie is following in Mitch Buchannon's footsteps while his life is upended by Charlie's arrival. Charlie wants to earn a place as a Baywatch lifeguard beside her father, a setup that mixes family drama with the rescue set pieces the brand is known for.

The original series debuted in 1989 and, at its peak, aired in more than 200 countries. David Hasselhoff's Mitch helped define the show's global image, and the cast pipeline helped launch careers for performers including Pamela Anderson, Jason Momoa, Yasmine Bleeth and Carmen Electra. A 2017 feature film starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron failed to restart the brand on the big screen. Fox is now trying again on television, with a 12 episode order for the 2026 to 2027 broadcast season that Variety says was locked in September 2025.

Production began in Los Angeles in the spring after an open casting call early in 2026, according to the same report. That timeline puts the trailer in the sweet spot for building awareness ahead of a winter premiere.

Who Is Filling Out the Tower

Alongside Amell and Belkin, Variety lists Shay Mitchell, Brooks Nader, Hassie Harrison, Livvy Dunne, Noah Beck, David Chokachi and Thaddeus LaGrone in the main ensemble. Recurring players include Ashley Moore, Luke Eisner, Nadia Gray, Kylar Miranda and Charlie McElveen. Chokachi's return is a direct bridge to the original run, a detail longtime viewers will notice immediately.

Megan Thee Stallion's appearance gives the trailer a contemporary pop culture spike without turning the series into a cameo parade. The clip's marketing message is clear: athletic bodies, big rescues and the old Baywatch rhythm of danger interrupted by sunlit glamour.

Showrunner Matt Nix is an executive producer, Variety reports, alongside McG, Michael Berk, Greg Bonann, Doug Schwartz, Dante Di Loreto and Mike Horowitz. McG also directed the premiere episode. Fox Entertainment and Fremantle are co producing.

Why the Trailer Matters Now

Broadcast networks still need event style launches that cut through algorithmic feeds. Baywatch arrives with decades of brand recognition, a lead in Amell who already carries action television credibility, and a premise that can support both weekly rescues and serialized family conflict.

The risk is obvious. Tone has sunk more reboots than casting has. If the show plays only as nostalgia cosplay, it will feel thin. If it balances earnest rescue work with the franchise's playful excess, it could reclaim a lane few series still attempt on network TV.

Variety's report does not claim ratings projections. What it does establish is the creative and commercial frame: a January premiere, a full season order, a trailer built for shareable stunt moments, and a cast designed to look like a modern tower team.

Hollywood Magazine will watch how audiences respond once episodes land. For now, the trailer has done its job. It reminds a global audience that Baywatch is back on Fox, with Stephen Amell holding the whistle and a new generation racing toward the water.