Laguna Beach: The Complete First Season

Just when you think television, especially the so-called “reality” genre, can't get any worse, along comes MTV's Laguna Beach to put that quaint little notion to the test. Here we have a show, with 11 episodes spread out over two discs and a third disc devoted to bonus features, that makes Cheaters look like Noel Coward, The Real World like Chekhov, and The Anna Nicole Show like an interview with Einstein. Unless, of course, you get your jollies watching a bunch of rich, spoiled, unbearably solipsistic teenagers as they make their way through their final year of high school and face leaving their cozy California enclave. There's not a lot to like about this group, which includes a couple of cute guys, a girl whose dad is pastor at the Crystal Cathedral in nearby Garden Grove, and three frosted blondes who are virtually impossible to tell apart. These are teens with names like Trey, Talan, and Morgan, whose bedrooms have extra closets just for shoes and purses, who talk on cell phones while lying on tanning beds, and whose lives revolve around gossip, parties, shopping, and underage drinking (and, presumably, sex, although we don't see any of that). But Laguna Beach's cardinal sin is not that it's shallow, but rather that it's just plain boring: there's no drama (you know you're in trouble when an SUV overheating is a big moment), no conflict (the “love triangle” involving Stephen, Kristin, and Lauren is tepid at best), no humor (at least not the intentional kind)…in short, nothing happens. DVD extras include deleted scenes, cast interviews, a guide to Laguna Beach, and more. Not recommended. (S. Graham)