Brits Turn Up Noses at 'Baywatch'

LONDON – "Baywatch" (search), the sun-bleached saga of Californian life guards, was voted the worst-ever U.S. television import in a British survey released Thursday.

"Baywatch," which starred Pamela Anderson (search) and David Hasselhoff (search), ran from 1989 to 2001 and was once ranked the world's most popular program, with viewers in 140 countries.

Broadcast magazine's poll of about 20 program buyers from British terrestrial, cable and satellite channels acknowledged the appeal of a "series about a muscular lifeguard and his crew of pneumatic young helpers with raging hormones," but condemned "Baywatch" for scripts "of mind-numbing predictability: beachgoer is saved from drowning."

Second place in the poll went to "The Anna Nicole Show," the reality program featuring Playboy Playmate turned model Anna Nicole Smith (search).

Southern-fried 1970s hit "The Dukes of Hazzard" (search) ranked third, followed by futuristic James Belushi vehicle "Wild Palms" and anthropomorphic action series "Manimal."

The same survey ranked the 25 best U.S. imports, with "The Simpsons," "Dallas," "MASH," "24" and "The Larry Sanders Show" leading the pack.

"Broadcast'"s 10 Worst U.S. Imports:

1. "Baywatch"

2. "The Anna Nicole Show"

3. "The Dukes of Hazzard"

4. "Wild Palms"

5. "Manimal"

6. "The Jerry Springer Show"

7. "Knots Landing"

8. "Falcon Crest"

9. "The Bold and the Beautiful"

10. "Extreme Makeover"