Gilligan's Island Creator Sherwood Schwartz Saved Another Iconic TV Series

Sherwood Schwartz was, of course, TV royalty. He created two notable sitcoms in the 1960s, both of which became so enormously popular that they changed the texture of the entire medium. In 1964, he created "Gilligan's Island," a whimsical, silly little sitcom about seven castaways stranded on a deserted tropical island. Then, in 1969, he blew the doors open a second time with "The Brady Bunch," a sitcom about two single parents with three kids each who marry and move into a rather large house together.

This was all presaged by a successful run writing "The Red Skelton Show," a gig that won Schwartz an Emmy. So, when it came to knowing the ins and outs of TV success, Schwartz was no slouch. He even had a few of his relatives go into TV production, including his nephew Douglas, who co-created the TV series "Baywatch" (a show that Sherwood's son Lloyd also wrote for). "Baywatch" was one of the most successful TV series of all time, becoming an international sensation during the 1990s and lasting over a decade. It's odd that we don't talk about "Baywatch" more than we do. Douglas Schwartz and his "Baywatch" co-creators, Michael Berk and Gregory J. Bonnan, believed in the show from the start and knew that it would be a hit. Lighthearted beach capers featuring wildly attractive people in swimsuits? What could go wrong?

Weirdly, though, "Baywatch" wasn't a huge success during its first season. Indeed, it initially did so poorly that NBC threatened to pull the plug. It wasn't until Sherwood Schwartz went to Douglas and encouraged him to buy the rights to his own show, believing it could still become a hit. It was salient, vital advice, as Douglas Schwartz recalled in a 2017 interview with the Austin American-Statesman.

NBC, the story goes, was miffed by the initial low ratings for "Baywatch." Keep in mind, the best-known "Baywatch" star, David Hasselhoff, didn't join the series until its second season, and it's other best-known star, Pamela Anderson, didn't become part of its cast until 1992. The first season, while fine, wasn't yet firing on all cylinders. Rather than waiting to see if "Baywatch" got better, however, NBC decided to cancel the program outright.

This, of course, was a devastating blow to Douglas Schwartz, Berk, and Bonnan. It was their first show, and they'd hoped it would take off. So, Douglas called his famous uncle to ask for some advice. Surely Sherwood Schwartz would know how to weather a failure like this. When Douglas told Sherwood about the situation, Sherwood was incensed. Not only did he want his nephew to succeed, but he happened to be a personal fan of "Baywatch." Sherwood felt that Douglas could take a few important steps to save "Baywatch," too. As Douglas recalled: 

"Uncle Sherwood said, 'This is your 'Gilligan's Island!' Don't blow it! Go and buy back your rights.'"

So, Douglas Schwartz bought the rights back from NBC, making him and his co-creators the show's personal owners. Also on board was Hasselhoff, who wanted to be on the series while also having a controlling stake in it. Starting in the show's second season, "Baywatch" was sold directly into syndication, with Hasselhoff as its star and executive producer. The series immediately took off in the ratings thereafter, and it stayed on the air for several more years (even crossing over with "Gilligan's Island" along the way). Douglas took a huge risk when he bought "Baywatch," but it proved to be a very wise investment.