Exciting days are ahead for Baywatch fans, as we prepare for Fox’s reboot, which will hopefully be ready in time to make the 2026 TV schedule. There’s a whole new cast of swimsuit-clad hotties taking the lifeguard stand, while questions remain about what familiar faces might pop in. Carmen Electra has expressed interest in returning as Lani McKenzie, and thanks to some great fan art, we can get a pretty good idea of what that would look like.
Carmen Electra came to fame when she joined Baywatch Season 8 in 1997, and earlier this year she suggested she was in talks to join the Baywatch reboot. The actress has provided no update on said talks, but she certainly has no problem teasing fans by sharing some Lani fan art on Instagram:
Wowza! That may not be a real photo of Carmen Electra, but I can’t imagine it’s too far off. In January she shared another photo wearing that iconic red swimwear, and she’s definitely embraced the red in her wardrobe enough over the years for us to come to the conclusion that she obviously figured out how to stop the passage of time.
Article continues belowIf we do see Lani McKenzie hit the beach again, one thing might be different — Carmen Electra said she has no interest in diving into that cold, cold water to save lives. She’d rather come back in more of a supervisory role and leave the freezing-your-butt-off to one of the younger stars, like Livvy Dunne or Brooks Nader.
Speaking of Brooks Nader, the Dancing with the Stars alum said she took inspiration from Carmen Electra in perfecting that slo-mo run. She — like the rest of us — probably didn’t even realize the editing that had to be done on Electra’s running. No wonder the Scary Movie actress is looking for a promotion to captain!
Carmen Electra’s status on the reboot may be unknown, but we have gotten confirmation of at least one OG’s return. David Chokachi is coming back as Cody Madison, and he expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to reprise the character he played from Seasons 6 to 9.
Stephen Amell is starring as Hobie Buchannon — that’s right, Buchannon, as in the son of Mitch (David Hasselhoff) from the ‘90s TV series. When asked whether we might see a cameo from his TV dad, or even Pamela Anderson, Donna D’Errico (who still fits in her old red swimsuit!) or any of the other original cast members, Amell said he has specifically asked not to be told any spoilers.
Fair enough. I don’t mind taking that watch for myself when the new series premieres. As for when exactly that will be, we haven’t yet gotten official word from Fox, but given the photos cast members have been sharing from set, it sure looks like they’re having fun working on that 12-episode straight-to-series order. Stay tuned for more updates!
