The actors of Fox‘s reboot of the popular lifeguards-and-love series “Baywatch” will get some assistance on land as they go about their ocean-based rescues.
Fox has struck a season-long sponsorship deal with Toyota that will essentially make the automaker’s Tacoma another member of the cast. A customized Tacoma will be featured as the lifeguards’ official vehicle in the series, while various “Baywatch” characters will be spotted using a range of Toyota models as their personal transportation. No other automaker will get such treatment in the series, and, in a handful of episodes that put a spotlight on specific Tacoma in-vehicle features, no other auto advertiser will be able to run commercials.
“The crux of the opportunity is featuring their iconic vehicles in the show itself,” says Katrina Cukaj, executive vice president of ad sales and portfolio marketing at Fox, during a recent interview. “But most important, they are part of the ‘Baywatch’ story.”
“Baywatch” first gained traction as a series on NBC and, subsequently, via syndication. Over an 11-year period, the series, with storylines that were often as light and sunny as its beach setting, became a pop-culture powerhouse, making stars out of actors including Pamela Anderson, Nicole Eggert, David Charvet and Yasmine Bleeth. The new series is co-produced by Fox Entertainment and Fremantle, and began shooting this week on L.A.’s Venice Beach and on the Fox Studio Lot in Century City. Matt Nix serves as showrunner and executive producer.
Cars have often taken on starring roles in TV series, thanks to Madison Avenue manevuering. Ford’s F-150 had a prominent role in Fox’s “24,” for example, and for two years, the automaker sponsored commercial-free broadcasts of the series’ season premieres. Nissan enjoyed appearances in NBC’s “Heroes.” General Motors was able to make a Chevrolet Camaro an integral part of CBS’ remake of “Hawaii Five-0.” A kiwi-green Hyundai Tucson figured prominently in AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” and a contract between the automaker and the network prevented the vehicle from being used to smash the zombies at the center of the popular drama.
But the practice may not have been as prevalent in recent years. Auto advertising hasn’t flowed as smoothly to media outlets since the coronavirus pandemic, with various carmakers contending with supply-chain issues that kept them from producing as many vehicles as they might like in timely fashion. The rise of interest in electric vehicles, meanwhile, has spurred many large automakers to earmark ad dollars to promote many new technologies to consumers, leaving less money for special — and costly — alliances with specific programs.
Indeed, overall auto spending on TV ads has decelerated in recent years. In 2023, automakers spent $2.71 billion on national TV advertising, according to iSpot, a tracker of ad spending. In 2025, however, their national TV spend came to $2.32 billion — a decline of about 14.4%.
“Baywatch,” however, offered something unique to Toyota, which has played sizable roles in series such as “Modern Family” in the past. The car manufacturer already supplies its trucks for use by lifeguards, says Tiffany Shido, Toyota’s general manager of brand, cross-vehicle line and media. Indeed, the company serves as the official vehicle sponsor for LA County and Huntington Beach Lifeguards. Those connections mean the “Baywatch” association might seem more authentic than most. “Various lifeguard communities across the country already depend on Tacoma’s power and capability, which makes it the perfect partner as Baywatch returns for a new generation,” she says.
In the past, TV networks might have pitched car companies on assigning a new vehicle to a particular character, says Jerry Daniello, senior vice president of entertainment partnerships at Fox. “It feels like manufacturers or brands are moving away from character alignment, and maybe one moment in a 12 to 20 episode season,” he says. In the new “Baywatch,” Daniello says, “the vehicle is front and center. It’s crucial to the storytelling. It’s part of the characters’ everyday lives.”
TV networks typically announce deals such as these in the fall, just as the new programming season gets underway. Indeed, “Baywatch” won’t debut until Fox’s 2026-2027 cycle. To ensure great placement in a show and its storylines, says Cukaj, the network had to get the word out earlier, and not leave such matters to the last minute. “We have done a really good job of opening up our slate of programming to partners,” says Cukaj. ” We have done this very discreetly but in a collaborative way.” The executive says Fox is talking to advertisers from a range of categories about potential deals with the program. “I’ve never seen so much inbound interest for a show from advertisers,” she notes.
Toyota has already begun stepping on to the beach on behalf of the new series. Customized Toyota Tacomas, complete with red finish, were recently spotted at a ceremony in California opening up a lifeguard stand set to be used in the show.
