Last night I got my mTV on - The Hills season premier and the premier of a new show that seemed very similar to Laguna Beach, which I thought was odd, 'cause they already have Laguna Beach...
As it turns out, this new show, Newport Harbor, IS Laguna Beach. The actual name of the show is now "The Real O.C." and the location within O.C. is wherever they think the best chance of big ratings might be, or whatever city will have them.
I think Laguna had kicked out mTV, fed up with the image of LB mTV portrayed and the influx of people coming to see "the real O.C." And sinking ratings meant it was time to move, but to Newport? Why not San Clemente where Nixon wandered the beach in his later years? Or Placentia, which is awfully close to "placenta?" A lot of entertaining things probably happen there.
I enjoyed the first two seasons of Laguna Beach and hated the third. In the first two seasons - scripted or not - there were likable characters and foils. It had characters who were relatable in some way. And it didn't hurt that they were all very pretty, but pretty didn't help season 3.
The third season blew and its ratings tanked. It tanked because there were NO likable characters. All the girls were evil or whiny and the boys were just props. I don't even remember any boys being on the show. There was nothing remotely interesting about any of them.
So last night after The Hills, this other show starts and I'm still thinking it's a different show when the LB opening music begins. It wasn't until a commercial break that they used a voice over to explain that they'd moved up the coast a ways and now it's all about Newport Harbor. Not very usable.
And Newport - wow - boring. It looks just like the third season but with 400% more bleach, 50% more whining and 100% less scenery. There's some chick whose father calls her every five minutes. That's creepy. I'll stick with Lauren and her awesome new LA friends.
If you haven't seen The Hills, enjoy MadTV's version - it's super awesome.