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Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County

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Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
GenreReality TV
Teen drama
Created byLiz Gateley
Opening theme"Come Clean" by Hilary Duff
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes43
Production
Executive producerTony Disanto
Running timeApprox. 22 minutes
Original release
NetworkMTV
ReleaseSeptember 28, 2004 –
November 16, 2006
Related
The Hills (2006 - present)
Wikiquote has quotations related to Laguna Beach.

Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County (often referred to as Laguna Beach) was an MTV reality show documenting the lives of several teenagers living in Laguna Beach, a wealthy seaside community located in Orange County, California. It differs from the usual reality show in that it is rather structured as a traditional narrative (seen more commonly in fictionalized television dramas or soap operas) than a straightforward observant documentary.

Overview

Development

During initial development of the show, ideas were to create a reality show which followed the lives of wealthy young people. MTV producers thought about setting a reality show in Beverly Hills, mimicking the successful fictional '90s FOX television show Beverly Hills 90210. Producers scouted numerous other wealthy Southern California towns such as San Marino, Anaheim Hills, Rancho Santa Fe, and Malibu. After being turned down by Palos Verdes, the city of Laguna Beach was chosen as the site of the reality show. Knowing that FOX was also airing the then-popular program The O.C., producers added the tagline "The Real Orange County" to the show's moniker before premiering on September 28, 2004.

In September 2006, MTV launched Virtual Laguna Beach, an internet-based program for Laguna fans, cast members, and various celebrities to participate in a virtual setting of the actual show. This platform was created by Makena Technologies (creators of There).

Format and Structure

Each season documents (all the cast is losely scripted and not a true reality show) the lives of a group of wealthy young people living in Laguna Beach, California and attending Laguna Beach High School. Casting would interview applicants about school, their social life, and any romantic interests in search of a story to document that would be of interest to the target audience. Cameras were not invited into the school, but a single camera was taken into formal dances usually by a cast member and some footage was used on-air. The only event to which cameras were allowed was graduation because it was in a public venue rather than the school itself.

Each season started with the introduction of new characters, in an order tied by friendship or love interest. The season usually follows the same structure in which romantic relationships played a bigger role toward the beginning and rivalries were played up nearing the finale. The major themes throughout the seasons include romance/unrequited love, friendships and rivalries, and the presence of wealth.

In the case of rivalries, production invited cast members and their friends to a "peace bonfire" on the beach, in which cast members were to clear the air of any drama. The bonfire was documented early in season 1 and only caused the rift between Kristin and LC to grow larger based on Kristin's story of a supposed engagement with Stephen. In season 2, Jessica and Alex M were to discuss Alex M's relationship with Jessica's ex-boyfriend, Jason, but Alex M did not comply with "not kissing Jason in front of [Jessica]." In season 3, Rocky and Alex talked about the status of their relationship and later broke up, and Alex went on to ask Lexie for her phone number.

Each season ended with some major event taking place, other than graduation. In seasons 1 and 2, Trey organized fashion shows to help fundraise money for Active Young Americans (season 1) and landslide victims (season 2) with much of the cast either as models or entertainment. In season 3, Chase's band, Open Air Stereo, had its first live show in Los Angeles with much of the cast in attendance.

Spin-offs

Cast Members

For a full list of cast members of Laguna Beach see List of Laguna Beach cast members.

Episode Guide

For a complete episode guide for all seasons, please see List of Laguna Beach episodes.

Season 1

Stephen has fallen for long-time girlfriend, Kristin, much to the dislike of LC, Stephen's close childhood friend. During the times when Stephen and Kristin were at low points in their relationship, Stephen would turn to LC while Kristin went on to hookup with other boys, including Talan. Though these three make a big splash when it comes to romance, much of the trio's close friends had their minds set on other things, including Trey spending time promoting his non-profit organization, Active Young Americans, Christina trying to make singing a professional career, and all their senior friends preparing for college.

Season 2

Kristin has emerged as a leader among her clique, which includes Jessica and Alex H, rivaling the ways of Alex M and Taylor. Both cliques, however, shared one thing in common: Jason, Laguna's biggest heartbreaker, goes on to date both Jessica and Alex M. With this love-triangle on the rise, Stephen comes back to woo ex-girlfriend, Kristin, but also remains loyal to his best girl, Lauren, who moved back home during her second semester. All of the girls eventually grow out of their rivalry and befriend each other, leading to tearful good-byes when leaving for college.

Season 3

Tessa's life changed dramatically after an illness left her with best pal, Rocky, by her side after sophomore year. Tessa is supposedly rivaling Kyndra, her former best friend, and her cohorts, Cami and Nikki. These girls spend their days rekindling romances, shopping around town, and partying with their close friends, including Cameron and girlfriend Jessica (from season 2). When she really needs it, Tessa can always turn to her best guy-friend, Chase, only when he's not spending time rehearsing with Open Air Stereo who eventually signs a contract with Epic Records. According to the season 2 DVD of The Hills, the third season of Laguna Beach will be released on DVD. Although as of now no release date has been confirmed.

Criticisms

  • Perhaps the biggest issue (and most often parodied part) of the show is the fact it often ends or features a bonfire scene which usually serves for the characters to fix whatever problems developed during the show. It was overdone so much, it is often seen as a stereotype and is usually the focal point of any satire.[citation needed]
  • The show has given the city of Laguna Beach a reputation as a city with spoiled, shallow, and superficial residents. One website reported that not all cast members live in mansions and that some live in typical, middle-class houses. It has been reported that MTV only wanted to film in upper-class homes to depict the Laguna Beach as a wealthy community. Cite Laguna's "Going Home With..." web-series (in which cast members give tours of their bedrooms and cars), cast members reveal that not all Laguna Beach teens own designer items or drive expensive vehicles and live like "normal" teens.[citation needed]
  • There has been much debate throughout the series over how "real" and "true" the show actually is due to the quality and quantity of the camera angles and the alleged public discovery that many of the show's scenes are manipulated by the show's producers. Cite "production manipulation" in episode 208 ("What Goes Around") in which production allegedly staged a bonfire before inviting cast members to interact with one another and had also instructed Jason with his entrance and dialogue. Also cite "production manipulation" in episode 209 ("Cabo, Cabo, Cabo") in which cameras asked to set up before Alex M. confronted Jessica about supposed activity with Jason.[citation needed]
  • The Parents Television Council (PTC) argued that the sexually explicit and profane content in the series makes the show inappropriate for its intended audience. It included the series in its 2004 study on profanity, violence, and sexual content on cable television. [1] Although much of the profane language throughout the series is censored, the PTC pointed out that the context in which the censored words were used made them discernible, which in their view rendered the censorship useless. The PTC also criticized MTV for not including content indicators such as "L" (language) or "S" (sexual content) in addition to its television ratings for the show, a move that prevents viewers from being able to effectively use the V-chip feature found on some televisions to control the broadcast of the show into their homes. MTV airs the show several times during daytime hours in addition to its regular timeslots around 10:00 PM (ET), and the PTC claimed that the adolescents whom MTV is targeting are being exposed to "excessive sexual and profane content through inaccurately rated programs." [2]
  • MADtv filmed a parody of the show titled Laguna Bi-otch, featuring Nicole Parker as Kristin; Arden Myrin as Jessica and Lo; Crista Flanagan as Alex H. and LC; and Ike Barinholtz as Jason, Talan, and Jessica's boyfriend Polster. [3]

References

  1. ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/reports/2004cablestudy/main.asp
  2. ^ http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/lbbcolumns/2005/0804.asp
  3. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgW5M08GQ8c
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