User Reviews

Casual viewers are warned that this show will stoop to any level to get a cheap laugh. Be ready for some of the rudest double entendres that ever (barely) sneaked past TV censors. Played deadpan straight, this spoof of Baywatch features heroic lifeguards going undercover, and solving crimes such as smashing sex slave rings... basically doing anything but actually watching the beach.

Thin-limbed, soft-bellied Timothy Stack is a sight gag as Notch Johnson, the world's greatest lifeguard. The rest of the cast look better in swimsuits, but have no more grasp of the ridiculousness of the show's goings on than Notch. As the show went on, changes were evident in the cast dynamic. The season three opener was a clever spoof of reality shows that also introduced the manipulative Porcelain Bidet, a new foil for Kimberley, the only character with a sense of irony. The tension between these two provided a novel cast dynamic previously not present within the almost too chummy group. The 'professor' character - an obvious nod to Stephen hawking - went from a one-episode bad guy to become the show's one-man forensic lab. The character of the antagonistic mayor was written out - she appears on a milk carton a few episodes into the final season. Also, star Jaime Bergman became pregnant, and this was written cleverly into the show - she went to Washington D.C. to be a congressional intern, and came back pregnant! The continuation of this storyline forms the three episode finale of the series as the team runs afoul of secret conspirators seeking to grab power in Malibu Adjacent.

Verbally inventive and clever, if rude, and very funny.

Only cable TV could get away with this mayhem. Maybe someday the big old dinosaur networks might get close -- but not in the near future. For now, networks serve up assembly line Punch & Judy shows.

Every tired cliche of beach movies, police shows, crime dramas, soap operas, and sitcoms is crammed into this BAYWATCH satire. The puns roll in like breakers on the beach. Faces get mugged along with characters.

I love a delicious satire -- and that's what SON OF THE BEACH delivers. What other show dares give us memorable characters named Jamaica St. Croix, Kimberlee Clark, and B.J. Cummings -- plus studly neo-aryan Chip Rommel? And Notch Johnson is a cross between Frank Drebin and Bugs Bunny.

I commend the people who created this show. I wish all TV comedies were this sharp, crazy, and witty.

I missed this show when it was new but now that I have finally gotten around to watching it I must say that it is extremely funny.I never saw Baywatch(I'm not retarded) but I still get most of the parody.The out of shape old man that always saves the world, the stupid blonde, the short haired country girl, the fact that life guards are saving the world.This show crams in so many jokes that most people will miss some.There's a lot of jokes that anyone who doesn't listen to Howard Stern will never even get.The funniest thing that ever happened on the show was when Chip was pretending to be gay and wore a shirt that said "I Love Imus".This show wasn't that pc crap that television has turned into.It was funny and offensive to people who can't take a joke.The way television should be.I'm sure most of the nazi references will go right over most people's heads but even those fools will still laugh at this show.Notch Johnson's Home For Orphans and Retards says it all.This is a must see show.

A favorite of mine. Hey, I'm still reeling. Just now saw on this very site that bit about the supposed Fourth and Fifth Seasons. Come on, that's a mislead. Just three seasons! What is this? Hell, no, I'm one of those Commentary-listening nerds and have been informed on good authority there are three seasons with 42 episodes. Good thing I pay attention otherwise I'd have been off on another damned Hard-to-Find hunt! Perhaps IMDb can just smother this ruse?

Getting back to the review, Notch Johnson for President! What a truly great American hero! Up there with Al Bundy (MARRIED WITH CHILDREN, toilet plunger in hand, other hand down pants) and Mr. Floppy, the Bunny from UNHAPPILY EVER AFTER. I'd follow these three guys through hell and back, or in my case, order them through a DVD supply store, and welcome them laid back in my easy chair with hot buttered popcorn, or rather, in my case, a jar of peanut butter. Ah, heaven on Earth! Of course, there is B.J. Cummings, played by Playboy's 45th Anniversary Playmate, Jaime Bergman. This one, of course, brings new meaning to the term 'heaven on Earth' and she can have some of my peanut butter anytime! Oh, I know she's married to that ANGEL guy, so okay, lemme just shut up then...

This is a rollicking laugh-a-second fun show that is ten times as fun as its inspiration BAYWATCH. An episode flies by just like that! Never a dull moment! The grossest sight gags on TV, most of the stuff too awful to repeat. Notch in a thong? Mayor Anita getting barfed on? But then there are those delightful bits, B.J. going (as she wonders about sexy stuff) "I wonder what that will be like?" and then we do get to see close encounters of the most wondrous kind, like girly love between her and her many, many full-bosomed friends. Chip Rommel is another noteworthy character, think Arnold Schwarzenegger and a good-natured, well-meaning Adolf Hitler combined, and you might get the picture.

Even more fun than a beach holiday!

I do enjoy it when you eviscerate super lame "entertainment" like Baywatch. Tim Stack is absolutely amazing, his deadpan delivery is perfect. Could they have found someone more opposite to The Hof? Even his teeth are crooked lol. Exactly the same genre of satire as Reno 911, so if you like that kind of humor you will like SOTB.

I watched the third season opener last night. What an incredible waste of time. Jason Alexander; what a sad demise. Jaime Bergman hiding her stomach the whole episode.

This show has (d)evolved into what the Stern radio program invariably becomes after 10 minutes of listening; fart jokes or sexual double entendres. First season was funny, so was second. But I've had enough.

I'm all done with this show. To think I spent an hour of my life last night wasting my time on Notch gobbling up boogers. Like boogers are yellow anyway....

An hilarious parody of Bay Watch. Has all the Bay Watch ingredients: stunningly beautiful women in bikinis, far-fetched rescues, token emotional moments, a male lead who's way out of his league with all the perfect 10 women. It takes that and dials the absurdity to 11.

Great, un-PC fun.

Excellent. Reminds me of Sledgehammer of the 80s, early Married With Children or perhaps Red Dwarf... contrived, crude, crass, self indulgent and unrepentant. It's perhaps easy to dismiss, but watch a couple epis and you'll be hooked. Notch Johnson (Timothy Stack), and good writing help this stand out. There's a good amount (if stereotypical) character development with each episode following a predictable, but enjoyable path. The character's names crack me up... Mayor Anita Massingil, rofl. The Steven Hawking character was a bit too much. Perhaps they're finding it tough to one-up South Park. It's a shame it was cancelled. TV needs more of independent voices and less of the contrived, mass market, lowest common denominator Raymond and Survivor tripe. Find it and watch, if you can.

Son of the Beach follows the misadventures of the world's greatest lifeguard Notch Johnson and his unit, Shore Patrol Force 30. Notch's unit is made up of Arkansas beauty BJ Cummings; Kimberlee Clark, the "smart, flat-chested one"; lifeguard from the 'hood, Jamaica St. Croix; and Chip Rommel, descendant of the German general Erwin Rommel. After the first three seasons, Porcelein Bidet joined the team. With his SPF 30 team, Notch set out to do things every lifeguard has to do, like stop illegal importers, drug dealers, mad scientists, almost graduate from Southern University College at Malibu Adjacent (SUCMA), and found a school for Retards and Orphans.

Just from this description, how can you not want to watch this show? With show titles like "BJ Blue Hawaii" and "Witness for the Prostitution," every show is full of innuendoes and double entendres. Many people may be put off by the fact that Howard Stern produced this show, but that is a lame reason to not watch. If you don't watch this show, it should be for two reasons: 1)You don't get cable or 2)you don't like insanely funny shows. Seriously, how can you not laugh when Notch is talking about his Hawaiian friend King Kumonnha and his nut farm? Plus, just about every episode has a scene where Leila Arcieri and Jaime Bergman get to show off their, uh, attributes more artistically than normal. How can you not like that?

In summation, there's comedy, high comedy, and then there's Son of the Beach.

This is one of the funniest shows on tv today. There have actually been few shows as funny in a long time. Most of the time, the stories are really cheesy, but that's purposeful, so you really can't complain about that. Stack is a comic genius if you ask me, and I have thought so ever since Nightstand. He shines throughout the series, and the others do as well. The show is PACKED full of laughs, it's the kind of series that has a joke in every line, and it works perfectly here. Great actors who are genuinely funny, and a comedic undertone that is just plain outstanding, this show is a 10.

As you can tell from the other comments, this show is not for everyone. It's definitely not for kids or religious bluenoses. But if you like your humor with a highly irreverent and politically incorrect edge, this show is one of the best.

Yes, "Son of the Beach" is a "Baywatch" parody. But that doesn't do it justice. It's a Baywatch parody that mixes elements of "Police Squad!", "Get Smart", the 1960s "Batman" TV series and "South Park" with Timothy Stack's own brand of humor.

The show has its share of sight gags, but clever dialogue is its real strength. Almost every line is a sexual double entendre, tortured word play or horrendous pun. It helps that most of these fly right over the heads of the characters who, save one, are far too thick headed to catch on. The one exception is straight-laced, overly serious Kimberlee Clark (Kimberly Oja), whose embarassed frowns and double takes are always fun to watch.

The leader of the "SPF-30" lifeguard unit is Notch Johnson, played by chief writer Timothy Stack. A running gag is that everyone sees and treats Johnson as a perfect physical specimen even though Stack is middle aged, balding, has an overbite and is definitely not in the best possible physical condition. Stack gives himself most of the show's best lines.

All the other characters are humorously broad caricatures. Chip Rommel (Roland Kickinger, obviously cast for his close resemblance to a young Arnold Schwartzenegger) is a good-natured but brain-dead hunk who's surprised to learn that America and his native Germany had fought wars with each other. His incomplete command of English is always getting him into trouble, and he never knows why. (Example: he decides to help kids with attention deficit disorder. He calls his program "Chip Rommel's Concentration Camp").

Anita Massengil (Lisa Banes) is an evil, sadistic scheming politician in the Cruella DeVille mold. B. J. Cummings (Jaime Bergman) is a naive bimbo from the rural south. Jamaica St. Croix (Leila Arcieri) is a streetwise black from an urban ghetto. A late addition was Porcelain Bidet (Amy Weber), a bitchy, jealous, gold-digging bimbo.

All in all, if you are not easily offended and revel in outrageous, politically incorrect humor, you will love this show.

If you were a fan of the "Police Squad" tv series and movies and of the 1960s tv show "Get Smart" and enjoy seeing gorgeous bikini-clad women then this is the show for you. The first product from Howard Stern Productions is downright hilarious. Even the character names are significant: "BJ" (received her nickname from her high school football team), Mayor "Massingale", (as in douche), the mayor's oh-so-gay adolescent son "Cody" (in honor of Cody Lee Gifford), and muscular German-exchange lifeguard "Chip Rommel" (I guess they couldn't call him Chip Hitler or Chip Goerring or Chip Eichmann).

As Stern himself describes it, this show is "cleverly stupid". This show is one that must be taped and watched with remote control in hand, because the dialogue's humor is often very subtle.

This show is very, very funny. And real easy on the eyes too.

I just bought Volume 1 of the "Son of the Beach" DVDs, which contains the first 21 episodes, and I was quite impressed. I pretty much got what I expected: gorgeous women gratuitously roaming around in skimpy bathing suits and a nonstop barrage of cheap sex jokes. But since the show doesn't aspire to be any more than what it is, it works. I can't doubt that the double entendres get repetitive at times, but most of the time I can't help but laugh. Both Jaime Bergman and Leila Arcieri are extremely hot. Timothy Stack, who I've been a fan of since his talk show parody "Night Shift," is great at playing a dim-witted takeoff on David Hasselhoff's character in "Baywatch." His name is Notch, which is somewhat similar to Hasselhoff's character "Mitch." And since his last name's Johnson, that purposely opens up many opportunities for cheap sex jokes. I don't usually like dumb blonde characters, since they're way overused in movies and TV shows, but most of Bergman's airhead one-liners are quite funny. There are gratuitous montages which feature the beautiful female characters strutting their stuff wearing next to nothing, but in a show like this it's pretty much appropriate. Plus, it also works as a sendup of "Baywatch," a show that uses those montages very often, but still tries to pass itself off is tasteful. "Son of the Beach" is in the poorest of taste, and isn't afraid to show it. But if you buy the DVD set, don't watch all the shows consecutively, because like video games this stuff could rot your brain.

My score: 7 (out of 10)

Tim Stack's the master of the suggestive double-entendre and now takes his act to the beach. A broad and sometimes smutty parody of Baywatch, SON OF THE BEACH is far more intelligent and fun, and with the hard bodies, to boot.

There's a bit of BEANY AND CECIL in here, too, in that many of the references might go over the heads of the intended audience. That's all to the good, since this is more than just the natural child of MARRIED WITH KIDS and Howard Stern, whose company is one of the producers. It's a breath of fresh air after endless and mindless cookie-cutter network sit-coms.

A very funny take-off of the cult TV series 'Baywatch'.

With stereotypical characters that take the p**s out of David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson and David Charvet this group of lifeguards will have you rolling along the floor!

Of course it helps when major hotties Jaime Bergmen (BJ Cummings - c'mon!) and Leila Arcieri (Jamaica St. Croix) are the main stars!

I hope it lasts because it is a well-written and refreshingly interesting show.

This was the funniest show on TV, as well as the only reason to watch FX! The Execs at FX should never be allowed to work in TV ever again after canceling this classic! I will never watch FX again except to see the reruns!

Rest in Peace, S.O.B. You will never be forgotten! Tim Stack & Howard Stern rule!

Timothy Stack (of the late lamented "Night Stand with Dick Dietrick") stars as Notch Johnson in the sexual double-entadre charged Baywatch parody. Dick and his small, yet powerful unit of lifeguards seek to suck the evil out of every nook and cranny in which the find it. Sure it'll be long and hard, but if they penetrate deep enough and perhaps go undercover on occasion, they're sure to tap the vein of corruption and taste the warm salty aftertaste of a job well done. They've been in these type of sticky situations before and aren't above getting their hands wet. Shame this show got canceled prematurely though.

My Grade: B

DVD Extras: Introduction for each of the 3 discs by Timothy Stack in character as Notch Johnson; Commentary by various cast and crew on 3 ; 5 & a half minutes of Outtakes with introduction; 1 TV spots; a paltry 3 minute Behind the scenes Featurette; 6 & a half minute Son of the beach piece; 1 minute on the crew; 3 montages (Psychedelic, Baby oil, & Sexy Higlights); 2 and a half minute makeup artist montage (billed as 'too hot for TV', but don't believe it, it's ultra tame)

I can't believe this is on the air. It's hilarious. Everyone should check it out. SOB is the least politically correct thing I've ever seen, but it manages to stay relatively non offensive by offending everybody equally.

Tim Stack, where have you been hiding all these years?

Now that the show has been gone from the air for a year or so I find I truly miss it. Not just for the fact of missing Jaime Bergman, Leila Arcieri and the other girls in their tiny bikinis but the rude and crude humor that even as you might occasionally grimace, you still found yourself laughing. From the perfect comedy deliver of Timothy Stack, Jaime and the others, you just couldn't help but get sucked into the world of Malibu Adjacent. Even the over top performances of the guest stars [who can ever forget Notch pursuing Lee Majors to the theme of "the Six Million Dollar Man" in slow motion] were more than enough to bring a smile to any viewer's face. Though I have to admit that season 3 didn't quite equal up to the first two [I have to believe dumping the Mayor and her son might have had something to do with that. Why do producers feel the need to tinker with a formula that is working, when experience shows that 9 out of 10 times that spells doom for the show?]. Just glad I got them all on tape as I have already watched them all a time or two since and still find myself laughing at the crude jokes and the wild misadventures of Notch and his unit. FX hasn't shown anything good since they pulled the plug. Seems in today's television of witless reality shows and unending clones of fairly successful shows [Just how many Law and Orders and CSIs do we need? Can't they come up with something original or even try a new spin on a classic instead of taking the same show and just moving it to a new locale? And they wonder why ratings are eroding.] anything as crude and different as "Son of the Beach" just never really stood a chance. Guess we are lucky it made even three seasons.

Over the summer I watched a couple episodes of the new series "Son of the Beach" and I saw right away the show had "Baywatch" parody. You have it there's three beautiful lifeguards played by rising young stars Jaime Bergman, Kim Oja, and Leila Arcieri. And most all the scenes feature the trio in swimsuits or scenes in which they are exposed wearing sexy lingerie, in some episodes the trio were damsels in distress being held hostage in the funniest situations. "Son of the Beach" always has the funniest stories and parody skits along with gags that you love to quote there's your "Saturday Night Live" parody. Does yourself a favor and watch "Son of the Beach" on Tuesday nights at 10PM on the FX channel, you will laugh and enjoy drama at the same time.

I saw my first episode last night (the one with Erik Estrada who, by the way, is bigger than he was on the CHiP's 99 reunion!). It made me laugh. I like Howard Stern and I knew this would be a crazy show.

Somebody had to make fun of Baywatch and I am glad it was Stern. He really hits the mark. I hate Baywatch. I hate David Hasselhoff.

Someone mentioned that the humor on this show is Mel Brooks kind of funny- not Jim Carey. This is very true. And Timothy Stack was the perfect choice for the lead. I remember watching him on the show where he spoofed talk shows (don't remember the name) and he had the same kind of inuendos.

I noticed in last night's episode that Maureen McCormick tried to revive her long dead career (she used to Play Marcia Brady) but, alas, she was no better than she was on Brady Bunch. And Erik Estrada (who I mentioned before) is just as cheesy as he was on CHiP's.

Watch this show just once. It's great.

I don't watch FX very much, usually only for the Best Damn Sports Show Period or an occasional MASH but the other night I ran into the funniest show I've seen in years. Son of the Beach is hilarious! I've never seen Get Smart but I have seen Police Squad and I agree with the comparisons. Like Police Squad this show is stupid and wacky with someone on the show who is grounded in reality enough to be offended by a seemingly obscene remark that isn't or incredulous to an idiotic idea that somehow works. It's that tongue in cheek humour that either has been lost or done with too much hipness to really work (see any teen movie over the last 6 years). Tim Stack is great as the world's greatest lifeguard Notch Johnson leading his unit through the funniest situations this side of The Simpsons. This show is easy on the eye and hard on the belly.

Well, the first episode just went to air 10 hours ago & I already want them to release the series on DVD.

It's just hilarious & a lot more subtle than I thought. I was very hesitant at the name "Howard Stern" being involved but this is one of the best surprises I've had all year (True this year is only 14 days old but...)

I've always enjoyed Tim Stack's work. To me, he always seemed like a comedic genius in need of the proper place to showcase his talents. Luckily Howard Stern recognized this, too, and put our man Tim Stack in his "role of a lifetime" as Notch Johnson. Finally he is allowed to show the world his many talents. The writing for this show is outstanding and the delivery is impeccable. Jamie Bergman (as BJ Cummings) has maybe the best comedic delivery in show business. Kim Oja (as Kimberlee Clark) and Leila Arcieri (as Jamaica) are outstanding "straight men", while Lynne Marie Stewart (as Ellen) does an underrated job as the lusty lesbian. And the list of guest stars is impressive and they are allowed to be as funny as the regular cast. My favorite guest stars have been Alan Thicke, David Arquette, and Mark Hamill, but even "wholesome" stars like Maureen McCormick (Marsha Brady) have been part of the raunchy fun. This is a show that works because it isn't afraid to be funny. Notch says that his "unit isn't the biggest but it's the best" and this show just may be the best comedy on television. Bravo to Howard Stern.

I just recently started getting FX for the NASCAR races, so I didn't know much about it. I saw ads for "Son" during the races, and I thought it looked like the dumbest thing I'd ever seen. One night I couldn't find anything else to watch, so I thought I'd watch "Son" just once to confirm my suspicions. Boy was I WRONG! The show is stupid and offensive, but that's what it's supposed to be. That's what makes it hilarious! Hyper-sensitive people should not watch this show, but if you don't have a problem with laughing at yourself, tune in! You don't know what you are missing! The cast of "Son" is excellent, especially Tim Stack. I remember seeing him in guest roles on "Night Court" years ago, but I had no idea how funny he is. I can't believe it took Howard Stern to get Tim his own show. Watch "Son of the Beach" one time and you'll be hooked!