WEIRD & WILD: 'Baywatch' nights (and 'Beach' burlesque)

There are all kinds of TV worth watching, right? Eye-opening, mind-bending brilliance, insight and information. Sure. But also eye-opening, mind-bending, time-killing, camp-courting awfulness.

So long as you realize which kind you're getting yourself into.

With that caution in mind, be aware that Baywatch is back (Monday-Thursday nights at 2:30 a.m. ET on Comedy Central, with additional eps weekdays at 9 a.m. Aug. 9-13).

Yes! David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, tight red swimsuits, slo-mo beach runs, and the crime-fighting craziness that made a brain-dead beach saga the known world's most-watched television program.

Only in America!

Some would argue that Baywatch is actually after all these years airing on exactly the right channel, one that wallows in laffs. And indeed, the show's late-night reappearance is a tongue-in-cheek promotion for Comedy Central's upcoming new Roast of David Hasselhoff (Sunday, Aug. 15 at 10 p.m. ET).

But why quibble? There it is. There they are. Enjoy.

And if you're really feeling frisky, get a gander, too, of Son of the Beach, FX's gleefully taste-free lampoon starring Tim Stack as a pastier lifeguard leader, doing his gosh-darnedest to make life safe for the citizens of Malibu Adjacent. Episodes of this unsung hoot only last a half-hour, and they're just as stuffed with boobs, pecs and gut-busting action.

Only here, that last attribute is intentional.

Below find a cool Son of the Beach featurette (I had actually forgotten its executive producers included Howard Stern). This show isn't on TV right now, but DVDs are for sale here.