The original went off the air 25 years ago, yet it still processes a cultural ubiquity that eclipses arguably every other defunct TV series. There was a brief spin-off and a panned movie (more of a spoof than a theatrical remake) and, just recently talk of a reboot. But no ancillary project has ever had the sway of the original: an infinitely exportable ode to a Southern California that never really existed, with its frequently recycled cast of hard-bodied Caucasians.
. With participation from a great many former cast members, including franchise face Pamela Anderson, arrives Aug. 28 on Hulu.
Many of them, including Traci Bingham, Traci Bingham and Erika Eleniak but not Anderson, appeared Wednesday afternoon in Pasadena to plug the project for TV press. Seasons three and four star Nicole Eggert, of fame, is the only cast member of the lifeguard drama credited as a producer on the project. And as she told reporters, her original attempts to get the project off the ground kept veering towards a reality show about alums — something she wasn’t interested in.
It was fellow producer and eventual director Matthew Felker who steered her toward a documentary. “My first call was to David Hasselhoff,” she recalled. “Once he was going to do it, I just said, ‘Let’s roll with it.
Let’s go.’” Those gathered on stage articulated different takes of their time on the show — one that famously brought in and booted actors with great frequency. (It was only the absentee Hass.
