When I think of Laguna Beach, naturally, I think of Snoop Dogg.

This fall, however, MTV -- the same network that brought you the pimpin-est MC alive -- introduced a whole other perspective of the infamous beach.

Stephen, LC and Kristin headline the show, along with five other whining rich teenagers who don't matter 'cause they're only "wingmen" and sidekicks and just aren't as pretty as those three.

Basically, every week there's mad drama, complaining, hookups, gossip and $10,000 trips to exotic places where more of the same fuss transpires.

I was first drawn to the show because I was perplexed by the commercials: Was this a reality show or was it a real show with actors? I watched it with my roommate, arguments ensued; I was convinced that it was about as real as Joan Rivers' face.

Turns out that it's actually a "docu-soap," and the clique really does exist. The crew was followed for six months around Laguna Beach's hotspots, their wonderful houses and basically anywhere else except school. I, for one, am thinkin' that there is no way that the plots were not somewhat staged.

But these are merely details.

Whether or not the show really is the real Orange County is not important.

What is important is that the people are poppin' sexy, it's so dramatic that it's funny, and, most of all, I love that it's shallower than Hal, making it the perfect relaxant in my all-too-stressful life.

-- Reviewed by Eszter Gordon

Quick; there's still time to run out and buy the Arrested Development(AR) season one DVD and watch all 22 episodes before season two premieres at 8:30 Sunday night on Fox.

Shameless plug? You betcha. But no worse than the Fox Network, which only just decided to actually promote the series now that it won a couple Emmy Awards. Including -- what's that one called? Right, Best Comedy.

To think, only a few months ago a friend of mine actually signed a petition to keep AR (a misnomer that stuck) on the air when it was in danger of being cancelled.

Not everyone can shell out $35 though, even if it's for pure gold, so here's the rundown: Michael Bluth is a widowed 30-something dad who takes over the family business when his father, George Sr., is imprisoned for shady accounting practices. On top of that, he's got the world's most eccentric family to look after.

But be warned: that promotion I mentioned earlier is misleading. Commercials for the show seem to pick out the slapstick moments, going in for the cheap laugh.

AR is not that kind of show. The comedy can be very subtle, sometimes even demanding a second viewing to pick up on it. But when you do, then baby, you got a stew going. Trust me.

-- Reviewed by Dave Tatasciore

While the premise sounds trite, there is nothing (okay, very little) corny or clichéd about Lost, one of ABC's new powerhouse shows this season.

When a full commercial airline crash-lands on a deserted tropical island in the middle of the pacific, its 40-some survivors must band together to survive. The hour-long drama may sound like Survivor meets Gilligan's Island, but nothing could be further from the truth, thanks in part to an injection of originality and unique flavor from Alias creator J.J. Abrams.

Sporting a cast of 14 main players, this dramatic and intense action-drama keeps the interest level high through its character-driven plot lines. Although some may find the show's pace a bit slow -- each episode only covers a day or two on the island -- the character development and relationships really keep the show on a higher plateau of entertainment than most action dramas of its genre.

Toss in the occasional hint of supernatural elements onto the island, none of which have yet been fully revealed or understood, and you've got a recipe for an addictive show.

-- by Jason Cox

I'm glad people other than me like Salt-n-Pepa, because I listen to those girls in my car like what up.

This, in a nutshell, is the beauty of VH1's stellar new reality series Motormouth, which combines hidden cameras and car radios to hilarious and bizarre effect; it's sick, twisted voyeurism, but it just so happens this time, absolutely everybody gets punk'd.

You can't watch these unsuspecting motorists loudly crooning Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler" to themselves and not think of a time when you got away with doing something far worse in a car (you should see me whenever "Shoop" comes on -- I'm an animal).

It's just like our newly rekindled fascination with synch-sister Ashlee Simpson; it's fun to watch people doing harmless, dumb things, particularly when you can sing along. But Motormouth is ultimately about something deeper, a little-explored human truth: given an SUV and a radio, people will act crazy, just because.

-- by Paul Thompson