What Is The Real Orange County?

What has Orange County, Ca. contributed to the entertainment landscape of the country? For most, Orange County is known as a place of riches and excess, full of beautiful Orange County jewelry and even more beautiful Orange County people. The reason for this idea? Television. While many residents might point out the many companies that call the OC home as well as industrial contributions and the many fine arts and cultural establishments that blankets the county, many people will never even consider any sort of sophistication because of what they have viewed on TV.

While many people might point to the FOX show “The OC” for showing Orange County as a place of self-centeredness and excess, I would like to point out that the show actually featured well rounded characters who all seemed to have their hearts in the right place. Sure, there were soap opera moments of sex and greed, but in the end I never found the show as anything more that people who had issues ultimately trying to do the right thing.

Now, if you want a show that really made Orange County residents look self centered, you can look no further then the MTV reality show Laguna Beach. Starring such luminaries as Lauren Conrad, Stephanie Pratt and Spencer Pratt (is it sad that I didn’t even have to look up their names, I just knew them off the top of my head *shudder*), “Laguna Beach” showed these “typical” Orange County residents doing what “most” Orange Countians spend their time doing such as going to the beach, buying stuff at Fashion Island (think Orange County’s Rodeo Drive), getting makeovers and spending a lot of time talking about stuff. A lot of time. I can’t stress how much time was spent talking. Anyway, while “The OC” made Orange County look glamorous, this show made the people look egotistical and stuck up. And while some are, it does not represent most people. If anything it did make people from The OC famous, not the actors but the residents. One of my friends from Orange County went to France and actually signed an autograph by someone who was star struck that she lived in the county. True story.

While the best show about Orange County still remains the brilliant “Arrested Development” (the show had so many inside jokes about Orange County it’s obvious someone really knew their county), reality shows have made big business shooting the OC. Shows like the Laguna Beach-sequel “The Hills” (in Laguna Hills) and “The Real Housewives of the OC” continue to show the rich side of the county. It may be entertaining, but don’t think that it’s anywhere near what people are really like there.