‘Baywatch’ Stars Share How Show ‘Empowered’ and ‘Hurt’ in New Doc (Exclusive) ArticlePure

Baywatch was a cultural phenomenon — but that didn’t stop the show’s stars from enduring highs and lows throughout its iconic run.

In PEOPLE’s exclusive first look at After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun, the Hulu docuseries explores the iconic lifeguard drama — which run for 11 seasons from 1989 to 2001 — and the impact it left not only on pop culture but also the stars who made the show what it became.

“Baywatch is a fantasy. Baywatch was sexy. Baywatch was the number one show in the world,” Brandy Ledford begins in the trailer as flashes of the original cast play on screen. “It was hot.”

As those involved in the show reflect on the magnitude of the show’s reach, Traci Bingham, who played Jordan Tate, praises of the diversity of the series’ cast. “Everybody tuned in the watch the show because, you know you were going to see someone sexy,” she reflects. “Not just white. Women can look hot and sexy, anyone can do.”

The trailer then transitions to note the show’s biggest breakout stars like Jason Momoa and Carmen Electra before the clip transitions to the “icon” the show made famous — Pamela Anderson.

“I’m really proud of everything I’ve done,” Anderson tells the camera while the clip teases a never-before-seen interview. “Almost.”

With a “whirlwind of epic highs and bitter lows,” the actors and producers open up about the pitfalls of starring in such a series. In addition to “wearing next to nothing,” some of the stars get candid about the unrealistic body standards and the sense of competition those expectations brought.

“Baywatch empowered me every now and then it hurt me, but so do the people and the things we love,” Gregory Alan Williams, who played LAPD Officer Garner Ellerbee, says before tearfully asking for a break.

On July 10, ABC News Studios announced the upcoming After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun four-part series, which will take a deeper look into “the cultural phenomenon that defined an era,” per a press release obtained by PEOPLE.

The docuseries will include “an unprecedented look into the stars who brought the world’s most famous lifeguards to life.” The original show, which ran from 1989-2001, starred actors including Anderson, David Hasselhoff, Michael Newman, Yasmine Bleeth, Jeremy Jackson, and more.

It followed a team of lifeguards led by Lieutenant Mitch Buchannon (Hasselhoff) as they saved lives, dealt with personal dramas, fought crime, and participated in daily adventures on a Los Angeles beach.

The docuseries will include exclusive interviews with over 35 of the show’s creators and cast members — including Nicole Eggert, Carmen Electra, Billy Warlock, and Alexandra Paul — along with a never-aired-before chat with Anderson, who famously starred as C.J. Parker.

The series will also feature over a decade’s worth of never-before-seen home videos shot by the cast themselves. 

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After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun premieres Wednesday, August 28 on Hulu.