Pamela Anderson was approached for the new Baywatch reboot and passed, according to a source close to production, as filming gets underway in California for the Fox series’ 2026–2027 season.
The source said Anderson “is focused on where she is going — not where she’s been” and that “that era doesn’t define her anymore.” The new series is already in production, with the reboot aiming to bring Baywatch back as a modern reimagining rather than lean on nostalgia.
The move matters because Baywatch was once one of the most-watched television series in the world, and the franchise helped launch Anderson, David Hasselhoff and Carmen Electra into international fame. The original run began in 1989 and ended in 2001, making any return a test of whether the brand can work with a fresh cast and updated story on its own terms.
That is clearly the direction Fox is taking. Stephen Amell is in a leading role, with Shay Mitchell, Brooks Nader and Noah Beck in the ensemble and Livvy Dunne in a supporting role as a junior lifeguard. Erika Eleniak is set to reprise her role as Shauni McClain, reintroduced as a former lifeguard who became a Santa Monica city councilwoman before heading back to the beach.
The tension in the reboot is simple: it is using the Baywatch name, but not depending on the familiar faces that made the original a global phenomenon. Anderson’s absence underlines that strategy. The producers appear to want a new identity for the series, and the clearest sign yet is that one of the franchise’s most famous stars has decided this chapter is already behind her.