Watch Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach, also known as Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, is a reality television show which presents viewers with the lives of teenagers living in Laguna Beach, a rich and elegant seaside town found in Orange County, California. The filming of the series is different compared to most reality television shows, as the camera follows separate narratives of each starring member. The series overtime became a popular success, leading to multiple popular spin-offs after it's end.

The show is considered a coming-of-age documentary, mixed in with a glamorized dramatic view of wealthy teenagers. The production crew based it's location, style, and cast narration on other popular shows which expose rich living in seaside communities. Although not as dramatic as other television shows based on lives of the rich, Laguna Beach is praised for being more based on reality and lesser problems, such as personal relationships and career choices.

Cast members become popular celebrities due to the show's success. For example, Lauren Conrad starred in a number of Laguna Beach's spin-offs. Because of her Hollywood notoriety, she was praised during her entrance into fashion studies and magazine internship, which has lead her to design and create her own successful fashion line. She has also written books based on her life, career, and success, which became bestsellers.

Each season included new narrations of the starring cast, revolving around mostly simple issues and groups of people in the cast members' lives. For example, season 1 revolved around Lauren Conrad's dismay for close friend Stephen's love interest, who split up with him multiple times to date other men. Season 2, in the perspective of Kristin Cavallari (Stephen's ex-girlfriend), focused on the drama between 2 rival cliques. Season 3, narrated by Tessa Keller, revolves around the problems and resolutions of relationships found in the cast members' lives.

During the filming of all 3 seasons, cast members were in high school. Due to the sensitivity of the situation, the production company was not allowed to film inside of the school, nor were they allowed to film cast members entering or exiting school grounds. Although it received relatively high ratings during each season, Laguna Beach was later criticized and accused of being scripted, with many instances of scene and relationship manipulation being used to cast doubt and drama on cast members. Stars of the show continue to argue that Laguna Beach and it's reality-based spin-offs are in fact not scripted.