Life's a Beach: The Top TV Shows About the Beach

School's out, summer is on the horizon -- and what better time to take a look back at some of the top TV shows that are set at the beach? So grab some sunscreen and let's catch some waves!

"Laguna Beach"- Long before Heidi and Spencer hit "The Hills," we had L.C., Stephen, and high school junior, Kristin Cavallari. MTV hand plucked some of the most beautiful kids from Laguna Beach High and voila'"a reality show was born. But this filmed docu-series (was it scripted? was it real?) looked different than most. Credit it to the gorgeous backdrop of Orange County's beautiful beach, where it always looked like summertime and the livin' was easy.

"The O.C."- This show, set in Orange County's Newport Beach, may have been the impetus for "Laguna Beach," which later boasted itself as "The Real Orange County." But this fictional account of teens and beach life was just as entertaining-- and possibly just as fictional.

"Baywatch""- This drama about southern Cali lifeguards starred 1980s hunk David Hasselhoff -- and it made Pamela Anderson a household name. The hugely-popular series ran for over a decade'"spinoffs included-- ensuring that our red-swimsuited heros encountered everything from bomb scares to a serial-killing mermaid. And you thought "Jaws" was scary?

"Gidget" - Long before she was "The Flying Nun" or the matriarch on "Brothers and Sisters," a teenaged Sally Field starred as a surf-lovin' Malibu beach bunny. Hard to believe this series ran for only one season in the mid-1960s, although it later spawned TV movies and an animated Hannah-Barbera special.

"The Real World" - MTV's long running reality series has had several seasons set in beach houses, but the most notable may have been the series' second season in 1993, which was set in Venice Beach, California. The cast of characters included stand-up comedian David, whose altercation with female cast mate Tami led to his eviction from the show.

"The Barefoot Contessa"- So how does a Food Network show make this list? Celeb chef Ina Garten's cooking show is set in the ritzy Hamptons and it includes plenty of beach scenes (Ina cooking up a beachside lunch or a beach BBQ). Of course, after eating some of her meals, you may not be bikini ready!

"Jersey Shore" - While this raunchy reality show admittedly focuses more on the Jersey club scene than the Jersey beach scene, it is set at the shore (although for the 4^th season the gang inexplicably moved to Italy and they also spent some months in Miami for Season 2). But like it or not, "Jersey Shore" has proved to be one of MTV's highest rated shows ever, with the added perk of bringing fist pumping, GTL, and Snooki into our lives.