BaywatchBaywatch was not only one of the most inspired beach shows of all time, it was also inspiring: Suddenly, we were donning red bathing suits and running in slow-mo. (It probably boosted the practices of more than a few plastic surgeons, too.)
2 of 11 The N
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Beyond the BreakDespite the less-than-stellar dialogue, this one won us over with just one word: Bikinis. The girls on the Wave Sync pro circuit and their male neighbor/boy toy bring the beach to us, no matter what time of year it is.
3 of 11 John Shin/LOGO
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Curl GirlsLOGO's Curl Girls was a documentary series that chronicled the dramas and surf sessions of six lesbians in SoCal. It interwove their lives in the bedroom with their lives in the water, a sure bet for steamy, summertime viewing.
4 of 11 Andrew Eccles/ABC Family
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Falcon BeachSet at Canada's Winnipeg Beach, the show was an O.C.-like take on a small town with rich kids, poor kids and lots of girls in bikinis. After ABC Family canned the American version in 2007, the lakeside days were over.
5 of 11 John P. Johnson/HBO
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John from Cincinnati After Deadwood, David Milch's bar was set maybe a little too high for John. A heavenly power couldn't make this attempt to create an ode to SoCal surfers and the story of a failed, drug-addicted surf pro work.
6 of 11 Courtesy MTV
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Laguna BeachRemember when Lauren Conrad was just an average high schooler who lived in a beautiful coastal town with pretty friends and nice cars Yeah, we don't either, but we're told it was called Laguna Beach. Thanks to it, we now have Speidi.
7 of 11 Courtesy Everett Collection
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Pacific BlueA young Mario Lopez played Bobby Martinez, one of the badass police officers patrolling the seamy streets of Santa Monica. The 1996 show was instantly derided as a lame Baywatch knockoff, but at least there were men in bike shorts to be had.
8 of 11 Reudi Hoffman/The WB
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SummerlandSummerland was a short-lived WB relic that featured (you guessed it!) a small beach community in Southern California. Lori Loughlin was the matriarch of a trio of kids who experience intense on-the-beach heart-to-hearts.
9 of 11 Courtesy Everett Collection
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Sunset Beach Aaron Spelling's first soap opera, this made a big splash on NBC daytime. Geared toward younger viewers, the show featured a SoCal beach community that had all the prerequisites that later informed The O.C., down to its self-satirizing.
10 of 11 Fox
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The North Shore Perhaps one of the greatest recent attempts at a gratuitous skin show, the series featured a group of hot young things whose lives intersected at Hawaii's Grand Waimea. North Shore hoped for O.C.-like success, but its wave quickly died.
11 of 11 Fox
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The O.C.O.C., how could you leave us, with all your smirking sensibility, adorable cast and beachside perfection Oh that's right - you followed Josh Schwartz to Upper East Side. Who wants to host a bonfire where we can reminisce