David Chokachi: 'Baywatch' available on Amazon

PLYMOUTH – There were young nubile blondes running on the beach in red bathing suits. There were young, strapping men running on the beach in Speedos.

There was a lot of running, all in all, and tans – there were tans and, well, there was the running.

“Baywatch” wasn’t exactly a cerebral fix, but it was the 1990s answer to I-don’t-want-to-think- right-now entertainment. A generation of viewers around the globe tuned in to see these quintessentially American beach babes save people from drowning and other catastrophes. There were romances and an occasional lesson. It was TV gold, and Plymouth’s own David Chokachi enjoyed his status as one of Baywatch’s most popular characters – Cody Madison, a lifeguard who got to date Pamela Anderson’s character before moving on to Carmen Electra’s.

Life’s a beach.

“Entertainment Weekly” dubbed Baywatch “the most popular show in the history of the planet,” and the Guinness World Record determined that “Baywatch” boasted the largest global TV audience in history.

Chokachi is excited to announce that all the seasons of “Baywatch” are now available on Amazon Prime Video in the United States, Canada and Australia, remastered with 350 original songs to score the Baywatch montages. Originally filmed in 35 mm, it is now available in high definition.

Chokachi, for all his fame and accolades about his appearance, is a breath of fresh air – fresh beach air – because he doesn’t take himself all that seriously. In an industry known for pulling the red carpet right out from under you, Chokachi has managed to keep his footing. For more than 30 years, Chokachi has continued to land parts in movies and TV shows. Hollywood insiders confirm that, while looking the part is paramount, flexibility and a good attitude are keys to success; directors and producers like to work with actors who are positive and cooperative. It would appear that the affable Chokachi has those qualities and then some.

Most recently, Chokachi wrapped “As Long As I’m Famous,” in which he plays heavyweight champion Gene Tunney. The 1940s drama was an important project – important enough that he helped produce it. He said he’s not sure when this film will be released; work to find a distributor is underway.

Chokachi is of Turkish and Finnish ancestry and grew up in Plymouth, where his dad, the late Dr. Modhaffer Khalaf Al-Chokhachy was a celebrated surgeon. Chokachy (yes, David Chokachy simplified the spelling of his surname) attended Tabor Academy, where he played lacrosse and football, then Bates College in Maine, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Chokachy and his family live in Los Angeles and were lucky enough to avert the catastrophic brush fires that tore through Malibu last year where the family kept a rental property. But they were unlucky enough to lose their home.

“Everything burned in the fire,” Chokachi said. “We couldn’t believe it when it was happening. It was surreal. And it felt personal the way it hit your property and jumped over another property. It was a like a living, breathing thing. It had tornado fires within it burning horizontally to the ground. It was crazy.”

For Chokachi, the magic of Los Angeles is this unpredictable quality – the world of make believe is interwoven with the harsh realities of earthquakes and fires; it’s an exciting land for a New England ex pat who is always on the lookout for that next big opportunity, that next part.

“What I’m really hoping is that we could do it again,” he said of “Baywatch.” “I think it would be amazing. I mean, why don’t we reboot the series? If we shot it in today’s world, we could do magic with that thing.”

If the response to the Amazon Prime series is positive enough, Chokachi may be in luck and get cast in another incarnation of a show that helped a lot of people escape to the beach.

“What I’m really hoping is that we could do (“Baywatch”) again. I think it would be amazing. I mean, why don’t we reboot the series? If we shot it in today’s world, we could do magic with that thing.”

David Chokachi