Q 01/05

Which network originally aired Baywatch in 1989, only to cancel it after a single season?

A) NBC

B) ABC

C) CBS

D) Fox

Answer · why

A) NBC

It finished 73rd out of 103 shows that season, and its studio went out of business, which looked like the end until the cast and creators bought it ba...

Q 02/05

After its network cancellation, how did Baywatch return to television in 1991?

A) Through first-run syndication

B) As a cable series on USA Network

C) As a series of TV movies

D) As a Saturday-morning show

Answer · why

A) Through first-run syndication

Selling episodes station by station, rather than to one network, is what turned a flop into a global juggernaut.

Q 03/05

What title was David Hasselhoff given as a reward for his work bringing Baywatch back from cancellation?

A) Head writer

B) Director of photography

C) Executive producer

D) Showrunner

Answer · why

C) Executive producer

That credit gave him a real financial stake in the show, which is why the ownership dispute over its profits ran for years.

Q 04/05

Guinness listed Baywatch as the world's most-watched TV series with a weekly audience of roughly how many?

A) Around 250 million

B) Around 500 million

C) Over 2 billion

D) Over 1.1 billion

Answer · why

D) Over 1.1 billion

The number counted viewers across every country the show was sold to, from Germany to the Philippines, and has never been matched by a scripted drama.

Q 05/05

Gregory J. Bonann got the idea for Baywatch while working which job?

A) Coast Guard officer

B) Los Angeles County lifeguard

C) Surf-shop owner

D) Beach photographer

Answer · why

B) Los Angeles County lifeguard

The children's father worked for MTM Enterprises, which gave Bonann his first pitch meeting, and it still took him the best part of a decade to sell t...