Few reality TV shows captured a certain brand of mid-aughts teendom quite like “Laguna Beach,” the millennial favorite that debuted on MTV more than 20 years ago.
It helped to pioneer the soap-style reality drama, and invited viewers to follow the lives of affluent seniors at Laguna Beach High School in Orange County, Calif. The show was rife with love triangles and Olympic-level mean-girling, and it was shot-through with the yearning and anticipatory nostalgia that the last year of high school often inspires.
The draw of “Laguna” seemed to lie in the charms of its cast, whose lives appeared both familiar (arguments over who to take to prom) and outlandish (many lived in sprawling homes). Although the show aired only from 2004 to 2006, its cultural impact was significant, preceding other genre-defining reality series like “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and “The Real Housewives” franchises. It also inspired successful spinoffs like “The Hills” and “The City,” and it minted reality TV personalities like Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari, whose celebrity endured long after they finished filming.
Now, 20 years after the series finale aired on MTV, and as millennial nostalgia hits its peak, the cast has gathered for the first time to film a reunion-style special debuting on Roku. (Ms. Conrad, Ms. Cavallari and their co-star Stephen Colletti are executive producers.)
The trailer dropped this week, and according to the streamer, the special will feature “behind-the-scenes stories, cast reactions to iconic episodes and a return to Laguna Beach” as the cast reflects “on the friendships, love triangles and drama that changed their lives.” It comes at a time when many millennial-era reboots are hitting screens, including a sequel to “The Devil Wears Prada” and a “Scrubs” revival.
Here are the details on “The Reunion: Laguna Beach.”
What has the cast of “Laguna” been up to since the show aired?
As with all former cast members of reality shows, some have remained in the spotlight more than others. Ms. Conrad, 40, the show’s lead, went on to star in spinoffs like “The Hills” and “The City” before writing a best-selling novel and starting multiple fashion and beauty ventures. Ms. Cavallari, 39, her frenemy, also went the reality TV route, eventually landing her own show on E! called “Very Cavallari” and beginning a jewelry and homeware business called Uncommon James. Mr. Colletti, 40, the subject of the love triangle between Ms. Conrad and Ms. Cavallari, landed a slew of minor acting roles and appeared on the most recent season of “The Traitors.” Lo Bosworth, 39, Ms. Conrad’s best friend in the series, founded a health and wellness company.
Who will be in the reunion special?
All of Laguna’s favorite former seniors are along for the ride, including Ms. Conrad, Ms. Cavallari, Mr. Colletti and Ms. Bosworth, as well as other series regulars like Talan Torriero and Dieter Schmitz.
What drama can we expect?
The trailer opens with Ms. Cavallari admitting that she and Ms. Conrad, her former frenemy, never had an on-camera conversation about the love triangle with Mr. Colletti that originally inspired their “Laguna” feud, and played out on various spinoffs and in the tabloids.
“Are you ready?” Ms. Cavallari asks. “No,” Ms. Conrad deadpans.
But in a recent episode of her podcast, “Let’s Be Honest,” Ms. Cavallari revealed that the two made amends during the reunion and said it was “very therapeutic.”
In addition to hinting at Ms. Conrad and Ms. Cavallari discussing their feud — which they have said was manufactured for TV — the trailer shows cast members discussing the real-life implications of being on a reality show in your teens. They also revisit various iconic “Laguna Beach” spots, like the nail salon and the beach bonfire.
How can I watch?
The special premieres April 10 and will stream on the Roku Channel.
The post The Cast of ‘Laguna Beach’ Reunites Onscreen After 20 Years appeared first on New York Times.
