Customer Reviews

Baywatch - Season 1

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Be aware that this "1st season" is actually the first season Baywatch was in "Syndication". It is not actually the first season of Baywatch. Before Baywatch was in syndication it aired for one season on NBC. Unfortunately, from the news I have heard on tvshowsondvd.com, you will only be able to get the real first season from buying all of the Baywatch season sets (they say there will be a bonus disc in each box set featuring episodes from the NBC season), which is a bummer if you lost interest after a few years like I did and don't want to buy every season. Oh well, maybe they will change their mind and put out the real first season for people to buy who don't want to buy every season. Amazon has not mentioned this bonus disc on their page so maybe the studio has changed their mind from the original posting.
Overall this season of Baywatch (season 1 on the box but really season 2) is a good season. It had my 2 favorite characters Eddie and Shauni, who were only on for the first 2 seasons as well as Mitch and a new little Hobie (the original Hobie from the NBC season was hired for Step by Step and therefore didn't return for the second season, Jeremy Jackson was hired instead). Here are the episodes that should be on the dvd. [...]
1 Nightmare Bay (1)
2 Nightmare Bay (2)
3 The One That Got Away
4 Money, Honey
5 The Fabulous Buchannon Boys
6 Point of Attack
7 Sandcastles
8 Thin or Die
9 The Trophy (1)
10 The Trophy (2)
11 If Looks Could Kill
12 Reunion
13 War of Nerves
14 Big Monday
15 Sea of Flames
16 Now, Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale
17 The Chamber
18 Shark's Cove
19 The Lost Treasure of Tower 12
20 The Big Spill
21 Game of Chance
22 The Summer of '85

BUYERS BEWARE! As you may have noted from other reviewers here, this is NOT the true first season of Baywatch, but rather the first season of Syndication after their were cancelled by NBC and Hasselhoff worked to get the money to syndicate.
But that's not the only reason to avoid this release of the Baywatch series. The well-known main-title theme has been replaced with some cheap piece of music that does not suit the series at all. I love and miss the original theme; that was half the pleasure in the show. The same with the rest of the great music from the show.
Also they've completely left out the first 2-part episode, "Nightmare Bay", billing it as a so-called complete 20-episode premiere season. Don't make me gag.
Apparently, if you end up wasting you're money on the entire 10 syndicated seasons of this release from FirstWatch Studios, you do eventually end up with the first Network seasons, as they are included as bonus episodes in each season. This first season includes the series network pilot, "Panic at Malibu Pier," which aired originally on April 23, 1989 and the first episode from the actual season, "In Deep," which aired Sept 22, 1989.
Fortunately, I only rented this from Netflix. Apparently the series has been properly released in Europe and is available in Region 2 format from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de for those of you with multi-region players.
Please stay away from and protest this FirstWatch Studios release of Baywatch and petition the powers-that-be to release the series properly in North America. If you really need your Baywatch fix in the meantime, look for reruns on tv or rent it from Netflix.

As a big Baywatch fan, I resisted dubbing some old VHS Baywatch in lieu of awaiting the DVDs. And while I heard there were some changes, I decided to give the first set a try anyway. But anyone who remembers the episodes from TV will no doubt be very disappointed. The new music is terrible - canned music that all sounds like the same song. Not even Hasselhoff sings, and he produced the show to begin with! I can live with a couple missing episodes, and a few music changes, but nearly ALL the music has changed, and very much for the worse. And, the quality of the video is not nearly as crisp as it should be, especially "Panic at Malibu Pier". I will not buy any more of these season sets, and will look to the UK to get uncut, original versions, or dub my own VHS copies to DVD instead. Even for 20 bucks, its a big waste.

I have had both so called seasons pre ordered since begining of august thank god for tvshowsondvd website being a big collector of tv shows on dvd i thought the price was really cheap $20 but it appears the reason for this is because episodes are missing and the theme music has changed. well here in good old england we have a dvd distributor called network who are also bringing baywatch to dvd this side of the pond a bit more expensive at £35 but having done some research i do belive there season 1 IS the nbc season not the syndicated season 1 with all episodes and music in tact season 2 the 1st syndicated season comes out in uk dec 4th again on the network lable. Network are a small independant company but they release some really good classic tv shows mainly uk stuff all intact just like they were shown on tv which is what we all want. I for 1 would rather pay more and get unedited box sets so its with deep dissapointment ive canceled all 3 of my reigon 1 baywatch season sets and am opting for the network uk box sets.
They are reigon 2 so please be aware of that if you do purchase but you wont be dissapointed if you do i buy a lot of reigon 1 stuff as it just doesnt get released here in reigon 2 so im lucky to have a multi reigon dvd player dont know how common they are in the us but you can pick them up here quite cheap. Its just a shame the us distributor is treating such a great show so poorly.

UPDATE AS OF OCTOBER 2007:

In my quest to get baywatch on dvd for my collection i have discoverd that the german amazon site has all seasons on dvd right now for around 35 euros each set now according to reviewers on the uk site the packageing appears in german but the audio is in english confused ? i know i have been about this series the uk distributor had season 2 out last year then it never happened it was pulled and no news there on that the us distributor has only put out 3 seasons so what do you do i for 1 cant wait no longer and have ordered season 10 from the german site if this when it comes is in english and has all episodes in tact then i for 1 am buying the whole series i can put up with german packageing if i can watch every episode in tact. its quite funny really that this show has the record of the most watched tv show in history around the world but you cant buy it appart from in germany who was one of the partners that help financed the show along with tv companies from the us and uk why cant neither of them get it right when the germans can?? if this sample set ive ordered is the real deal then im selling my uk season 1 set and buying german!! will keep you updated when the set arrives.

UPDATE:

Season 10 arrived today and yes the packaging is in german writing but it comes with a little episode guide booklet with the episode titles in english aswell as german the dics are all single sided and packaged very nicley in a fold out design with cardboard slip case but most of all you can choose german or english language so i have now ordered all 10 seasons remaining and the price works out at £26.00 uk or 35,00 euros per season cheap if you compare the uk season 1 boxset which is currentley selling in hmv in uk for £40! buy these sets you will not be dissapointed

I can't believe I wasted money on season 2 when I wanted series 1. I couldn't be more upset at Amazon for not clarifying the offer. I've had this on pre-order for months and naturally assumed that season 1 meant season 1.

Well according to what I am reading we are missing an episode from the DVD (Nightmare Bay) and all the music is replaced...

So why bother? Is this really worth $20??? I can get over the music part but to cut off an entire episode...sign me up to NOT buy this. This is more of a -10 star set after all this.

**Buyers looking for the real first season beware! As indicated by other reviewers, this is NOT the true first season of Baywatch originally aired by NBC, but rather it begins with the next season.**

IF the production details listed above are correct, then this is the true, first season of Baywatch which initially premiered on NBC back in 1989. One of the reasons that I believe this to be true, is because the cast list corresponds with the NBC production. Most of the cast was scrapped after the first season. Only David Hasselhoff, Erika Eleniak, Billy Warlock, and Gregory Allan-Williams remained for another season. If I am wrong, and the production details are incorrect, then I will pass on this "first" season.

To me, this is the only season of Baywatch that is worth watching. The acting and stories are much better than what you'd find in the subsequent seasons. While it's true, that the show flaunted female parts, it did focus, to some degree, on the lives and jobs of lifeguards of L.A. County. Granted, they took some liberties with these roles, as you often found Mitch and his then friend, Craig Pomeroy (Parker Stevenson) employing themselves as crime-stoppers as well as lifeguards.

You even had such veteran actors as Monte Markham playing the authoritarian Captain Don Thorpe, who always took his job as a lifeguard captain very seriously, and usually at the expense of all junior lifeguards around him.

I think in some regards, the reason the show was so much better, was that they had a bigger budget to work with, being initially with NBC. NBC was also interested in making sure that along with the "extra skin" that the show might be used to inspire saftey-consciousness as well.

First season sees Mitch battling his ex-wife for custody of Hobe (who was then played by Brandon Call). Call was brilliant in the role, and I felt that Jeremy Jackson wasn't as good in the seasons that followed.

Also, Mitch was NOT revealed to be an ex-Navy Seal. While buddy, Cort (John Allen Nelson) was later added to the cast, he was the only one who was considered a former SEAL. As the personal history suggests from this season, Mitch has been a lifeguard for a long time, perhaps going back to high school, along-side best friend, Craig Pomeroy.

Eddie Kramer (Billy Warlock) was a rookie lifeguard, alongside Shaunie McClane(Erika Eleniak). Eddie was the hot-headed kid from the wrong side of Philadelphia who loved to spend his free hours boxing. The writers of the show quickly saw that the "meat" of their storyline was the relationship between Eddie and Shaunie. Several episodes had storylines surrounding the romance. Warlock and Eleniak eventually became engaged in real life.

The cast also included Peter Phelps (Trevor) who played a rogue, Australian lifeguard. He left the show halfway in. Parker Stevenson played Craig Pomeroy, a veteran lifeguard who is torn between being a lifeguard and being a lawyer. His wife, Gina, was played by Holly Gagnier. Finally, there was also Shawn Weatherly (Jill Riley) who was another veteran lifeguard who was famously killed off by a shark attack in the middle of the season.

NBC cancelled the show after the first season. The final episode included a marriage proposal by Eddie to Shaunie. Obviously after the show was given the "go ahead" by a new network, many of the storylines and origins were either removed altogether or altered in some way.

Mitch's budding teenage son, Hobe, was reverted back to a young boy of about 10 or 11.

Eddie and Shaunie's proposal was pretty much ditched. Eddie would propose again toward the end of the next season.

Craig Pomeroy would be written out of the show altogether. One can assume that he quit.

The show as actually good during this first season before it went "playmate" crazy. This is the only season that I'm interested in purchasing. For me, Baywatch began and ended after its first season.

Let me first say this is complete BS. First look Studios needs to learn how to count! Season 1 is NBC! and in my opinion the BEST season of BAYWATCH! Baywatch aired on NBC Friday nights at 8pm up against ABC's TGIF and Full House, I still can't stand that show. First Look has decided to call season 2 season 1??? and for us die-hard NBC Baywatch fans call that season the lost or pilot season. First look is including a bonus disk with the original season 1 NBC episodes on it just a few though. So in order to have the original Season 1 NBC episodes you have to buy every Baywatch DVD box set they release to have one!!! Thats BS!!!!!!!!! Do they think NBC Baywatch won't sell so they have to do this to us? Have you ever heard of a Studio doing this! Hum Lets just skip that season and call it this and just release the next season? This has got to be the most $%#@&* things ever to happen as far as tv shows getting released on DVD. You people at First Look can go to %$#&!!!! I will just buy the PAL season 1 DVD release atleast they know which season is which!!

Okay - did anybody actually buy this thing & keep it? Because I got it & Season 2 & by the looks of it Eddie & Shauni's wedding is on NEITHER of them!!!! Same with that storm drain episode where Hobie (Jeremy Jackson) pulls that prank & Mitch yells at him for it later on. They showed clips of all this in the episode where Mitch almost dies because he free-style dived too deep - but I haven't seen them & Eddie & Shauni aren't in Season '2' so how the Heck am I to see their wedding!?!?!?!?! Or is their wedding in the REAL Season 1??? And has anybody else's DVDs skipped like a VHS tape would when the tracking is off??? Please Help!!!!!

This is not the TRUE season 1,and like many others, I too am only interested in the first season as it aired on NBC. Thanks to the person who posted that amazon.co.uk has the actual season 1 for sale. I immediately went to their site and ordered it. If my current DVD player doesn't play the Region 2 DVDs, well, then I guess it's time to buy a new DVD player.