Look out America, the Hoff is back. You didn’t know he was gone? Neither did I, but apparently after he helped Ian Ziering save the world in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, Hasselhoff traveled to the U.K. and shot a mockumentary. Now the UK is shipping the Hoff back home to the U.S. of A., where he belongs. No word yet when Hoff the Record will premiere, but it definitely has a great production team behind it and Hoff is fantastic at poking fun at himself.
Full disclosure: while David was appearing on The Young and the Restless as Dr. Snapper Foster, his parents lived next door to my family. And one night, the Hoff stayed at our house because his parents’ loud party was hassling him.
From an AXS TV release:
AXS TV is bringing season one of the U.K. scripted mockumentary series Hoff the Record to the U.S. for the first time ever, making its network prime time debut in early spring. The six-episode series stars international superstar, “The Hoff” (aka David Hasselhoff) playing a fictionalized version of himself who moves across the pond to get his career back on track, while navigating through increasingly surreal—and hilarious—circumstances. Hoff the Record , produced by the award-winning makers of Ricky Gervais’ An Idiot Abroad and distributed by BBC Worldwide North America, is the second British series to premiere on AXS TV, following the success of Simon Cowell’s megahit singing competition The X Factor UK.
This critically acclaimed series, which originally debuted in the U.K. on June 18, 2015, is a semi-scripted comedy shot in a verité style following David’s portrayal of the American TV icon “The Hoff”—the star of Baywatch and Knight Rider, and the man whose voice single-handedly brought down the Berlin Wall. Coming off his fifth divorce and finding his stateside popularity fading, The Hoff decides to head to London in a last-ditch effort to save his legacy. Lured by promises of starring in a new biopic about his life, The Hoff quickly finds that nothing is as he thought it would be, as he finds he has to audition to play himself — and is told in no uncertain terms by the director that he’s not right for the role.
The series surrounds a brilliantly self-deprecating David Hasselhoff’ with some of the best established and new comedy talent from the UK. Throughout the six-episode season, The Hoff has to don devil horns and face paint to hawk aftershave; gives up acting for a new career as a UN Ambassador; performs at a psychotic warlord’s birthday party; and unwittingly gets caught up in a high-speed police chase after being accused of abducting a child. But, will any of it be enough to put The Hoff back on top? Only time will tell.
“Hoff the Record is the perfect addition to our prime time programming roster, starring David Hasselhoff in rare form, as he gamely invites viewers to laugh along with him in crazy scenarios that poke fun at his legendary career. Hoff the Record is an excellent testament to what a great and self-assured guy David is, and AXS TV is proud to be able to bring the inaugural season to the States for the first time ever,” said AXS TV Founder and CEO Mark Cuban. “It’s not often you get the chance to have the most watched male star in the history of television (according to the Guinness Book of World Records) on your network, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.”
“Hoff the Record is what happens when an American superstar meets cheeky British comedy,” says Matt Forde, EVP Content Production, Sales and Distribution, BBC Worldwide North America. “Now, through a deal with BBC Worldwide North America, AXS TV is bringing that irreverent British humor stateside to The Hoff’s country of origin.”
Show runners Richard Yee and Krishnendu Majumdar of Me + You Productions explain, “We grew up watching David Hasselhoff on TV so we are thrilled to be working with such a legend and amazed that he is game to play a jaw dropping version himself for us. This is our first series for AXS and it’s great to be on such a supportive broadcaster making an ambitious cutting edge comedy series.”
“So happy to join the AXS TV team, it’s the perfect home for Hoff the Record . Mark Cuban is a force of nature and I am honored to be a part of the team. The Hoff train is smoking!” said series star and Producer David Hasselhoff.
