It's a show about social-climbing mothers, lives of the elite, charity events and finding a place to fit in—all based on life in Palos Verdes.
MTV's "Awkward" tells the story of the struggles and highlights of growing up from the perspective of a teen living in Palos Verdes who attends Palos Hills High School.
The show's creator/executive producer/writer/director Lauren Iungerich grew up in Palos Verdes and spoke with teens in the PV community to better represent the lives of teenagers on the show.
"I wrote a teenage show for my inner 15-year-old self. It’s a love letter to who I was," she said in an interview with collider.com.
One recent episode opens with a not-so-flattering look at mothers on the Peninsula, the narrator saying, "Plastic was the power currency of Palos Verdes."
One upset viewer commented on the interview and about the most recent episode.
"Having grown up in PV myself, you could not be more wrong about the women here, and as a PV mom myself, I’m not about the 'plastic,' both on my body or in my wallet. I have a huge family that lives in RPV, PVE, RHE and RH and I can say the same for them as well. I find the women here to be more friendly and interested in their kids than in most surrounding cities," commenter Amy Smith said.
Iungerich responded to Smith saying her intention was not to offend PV residents, but to "make light of my experience as [a] teenager growing up in Palos Verdes."
"From a teenage point of view, if you are not in the elite, Palos Verdes can feel like a very elitist place to live. It may not be your experience, but it was mine," Iungerich said in the comments.
Another commenter felt the show well-represented the struggles of teens in the community.
"It [perfectly] captures the struggles that many students endure on a daily basis," commenter Veronica said.
Insisting she was not using the show to feed into stereotypes of the Peninsula, Iungerich explained her portrayal of PV in the MTV series and her love for cities on The Hill.
"I clearly have much love for the community or I wouldn’t write about it," she said in the comments. "Had I not struggled growing up in that community, I wouldn’t be the person or the writer I am today."
Read one resident's column on PV stereotypes .
