The forthcoming revival of Baywatch is stirring up excitement with a nostalgic twist, as a familiar face from the original series will be making a comeback.
Erika Eleniak, who captivated audiences as Shauni McClain, is set to reprise her role in the Fox reboot, according to a Friday announcement.
At 56, Eleniak will step back into the role of Shauni in a guest appearance, as reported by Deadline.
Eleniak was a key part of the Baywatch cast during its first two seasons before making her exit early in the third season.
Joining her in the revamped series are fresh faces such as Brooks Nader, known for her modeling and reality TV stints, along with Livvy Dunne, a former gymnast turned influencer.
The casting of several non-traditional actors in the reboot has sparked a wave of controversy among fans, who have been vocal in their disapproval of these choices.
The upcoming Baywatch got an extra dose of nostalgia now that one of the original show’s cast members has signed on. It was announced on Friday that Erika Eleniak would be back as her original character, Shauni McClain; Eleniak is pictured in 1991 with Billy Warlock
Eleniak was featured throughout the first two seasons of the original Baywatch, but she departed the show early in its third season; pictured in January in LA
In her upcoming storyline, Shauni — who’s now a city councilwoman in seaside Santa Monica — will be dropping by the series to help Hobie Buchannon put on the first-annual Beach Games, which will feature the Baywatch lifeguards squaring off with members of the Coast Guard in a series of competitions.
In a strange twist, Hobie, who was the son of David Hasselhoff’s character Mitch Buchannon, is returning as a regular of the new version of the show, but he has been recast, with Arrow’s Stephen Amell taking up the role.
The part was previously played in Baywatch’s first season by Brandon Call, though Jeremy Jackson is most identified with the role after taking it over for the remainder of the series.
Amell will be taking over the lead role on the new Baywatch in a similar position to Hasselhoff on the original series.
He’s now been bumped up from a regular lifeguard to the captain of the Baywatch team, a role his father previously held.
But even as he deals with the everyday grind of oceanside rescues, Hobie has to contend with a new stressor: the appearance of his daughter, Charlie, with whom he doesn’t have a relationship.
Charlie (played by Jessica Belkin) creates a major headache for Hobie when she decides to join Baywatch as a lifeguard.
Other stars of the reboot include Noah Beck, Hassie Harrison, Thaddeus LaGrone, Pretty Little Liars actress Shay Mitchell and David Chokachi, who’s back playing Cody Madison.
Shauni — who’s now a city councilwoman in seaside Santa Monica — will be dropping by the series to help Hobie Buchannon put on the first-annual Beach Games, which will feature the Baywatch lifeguards squaring off with members of the Coast Guard in a series of competitions
In a strange twist, Hobie is returning as a regular of the new version of the show, but he has been recast, with Arrow’s Stephen Amell taking up the role; Amell is pictured on March 19 in LA
Hobie, who was played by Jeremy Jackson from the second season on, was the son of series lead Mitch Buchannon, played by David Hasselhoff. Hobie is now following in his father’s footsteps as the Baywatch captain; the cast is pictured in 1989
The upcoming reboot came under fire from fans for its unorthodox casting. The new show features multiple models and influencers among more seasoned actors, including Brooks Nader (pictured on March 20) and gymnast-turned-influencer Livvy Dunne
Fans of the original Baywatch may be in for a surprise when Eleniak makes her guest appearance, as the blond beauty has added massive sleeves of tattoos on her arms in recent years.
It’s unclear if she’ll only be back for a single episode or if Shauni’s role as a city councilwoman means she’ll be back for more episodes in the future.
In 2018, Eleniak spoke with Fox News about her time on Baywatch, which premiered in 1989 and ended its run after 11 seasons in 2001.
‘It really was just like a big family, honestly,’ she said of her former costars. ‘Brothers and sisters. There was this big camaraderie, and we had a lot of lifeguards and paramedics [on set] that were real because one of the main creators was a real lifeguard…’
She added that ‘there was a real brotherhood among all the lifeguards… The cast and crew were just really amazing.’
However, she decided that her time on the series would have to come to an end after she started to feel that Baywatch was becoming ‘a little risqué.’
But the decision to leave the show also opened her up to take more appealing film roles.
‘But for me, I wasn’t super comfortable, but that wasn’t the main motivation for me [to leave]. It really wasn’t. My heart was in films, and it was calling,’ she said.
