Fox’s Baywatch Reboot Finds Its New Lifeguards With Thaddeus LaGrone & Hassie Harrison

Because the television industry is nothing if not a recycling plant for our collective nostalgia, Fox is officially reviving the red swimsuits. That’s right, the Baywatch reboot is actually happening, and the lifeguard tower is finally starting to look occupied. The latest news from the sand confirms that Hassie Harrison and Thaddeus LaGrone have signed on as series regulars, joining Stephen Amell in a show that promises more "high-stakes rescues" and, presumably, significantly less chest hair than the Hasselhoff era.

The New Guard: Hassie Harrison and Thaddeus LaGrone

If you’re a fan of Yellowstone, you already know Hassie Harrison as Laramie. She’s trading the ranch for the Pacific as Nat, a character described as a "former foster kid turned Olympic athlete." Nat is being positioned as the "gold standard" of lifeguarding, the person you want pulling you out of a rip current while looking effortlessly brilliant. She’s also the right-hand woman to Amell’s Hobie Buchannon, which suggests a dynamic built on mutual respect and, if the TV gods are feeling predictable, a simmering romantic tension that will last exactly four seasons.

Joining her is Thaddeus LaGrone, a newcomer who looks like he was built in a lab specifically to wear a rescue buoy. LaGrone plays Brad, a former Marine who served two tours before returning to Venice Beach to care for his father. Brad is being pitched as a "one-man rescue machine," which is code for "has a hard time following orders from a supervisor." Watching a veteran struggle with the "teamwork" aspect of saving tourists from jellyfish stings is exactly the kind of low-stakes drama we’ve come to expect from the franchise.

A Fresh Coat of Red Paint

While the original series was essentially a fever dream of 90s syndication, the 2026 version seems to be aiming for a bit more grit or at least as much grit as you can find at a Fox Studio Lot. With Matt Nix (Burn Notice) serving as showrunner and McG directing the premiere, the tone should skew more toward "sunny action-procedural" and less toward "parody film."

The most intriguing hook for long-time fans? David Chokachi is returning as Cody Madison. He won't be in the water as much, though; he's busy running "The Shoreline," a local bar where the new generation will undoubtedly go to complain about their shifts.

Why This Might Actually Work

Look, we can snark all we want about reboots, but Baywatch is a global brand that doesn't require a high IQ to enjoy. By casting established TV talent like Harrison and Amell alongside physical powerhouses like LaGrone, the show is checking all the necessary boxes: athletic prowess, soapy backstories, and the inevitable slow-motion run.

Filming is kicking off at Venice Beach, and with a 12-episode order, the stakes are high for Fox to prove that this isn't just a relic of the past. If the chemistry between Nat and Brad hits the right notes, we might actually have a reason to tune in that doesn't involve irony.

What do you think of the new cast; are Harrison and LaGrone the right picks to lead the charge, or should some classics stay buried in the sand?