After filming at various Newport Beach hot spots, including the Balboa Fun Zone and ferry, Joe's Crab Shack and the Main Street Surf Shop, MTV has wrapped production of the series, which will be very similar to its Laguna Beach predecessor.
"The concepts are the same, it's just a new town and a new cast," said show creator and executive producer Liz Gateley. "It's still about a clique of best friends coming of age in their senior year, trying to maneuver high school romances, friendships and breakups."
After combing Orange County looking for a destination for the new show, producers selected Newport because is was the place where they found the best cast and the best stories, Gateley said, adding that viewers can expect plenty of drama.
For example, Chrissy — as she is known on the show — will have to cope with an overprotective father and a jealous friend as she attempts to forge a relationship with her neighbor Clay, the school's hottest guy.
Besides the revenue generated by dozens of film permits, Newport Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau President Gary Sherwin anticipates that the show will bring new attention to the city, much like "The O.C." did.
"Any time you can get people talking about you or have someone give you a hip personality, that's a good thing," he said. "Thanks to 'The O.C.,' show, when you say OC, people know what you're talking about and I think this show is probably going to do the same thing."
Though Sherwin expects the show will occasionally depict Newport Beach's "young people acting badly," from a marketing perspective, any attention is positive attention.
