MTV’s Newest Docuseries: ‘Siesta Key’

Is sleepy Siesta Key ready for the national fame that is coming its way? MTV’s newest drama, Siesta Key, is set to premiere on July 31st at 10/9c.

The new docuseries is set to follow the familiar drama similar to that on popular shows such as Laguna Beach, Jersey Shore, and The Hills. However, we’ve been told that Siesta Key residents have nothing to fear–the show won’t give the area a poor reputation. According to Variety, the 10-episode season follows the relationships between seven friends living on the 3½-square-mile stretch of barrier island along Sarasota County as they return for their first summer home from college. “Throughout the series, you’ll see that each character has their own complicated stories,” says Chris McCarthy, president of MTV, VH1, and Logo.

“We’re looking at the emotional health and mental health of these people in a way we haven’t done in other series.” This time around, the storytelling in Key aims to delve deeper into the emotional lives of the cast, rather than take the frothier approach of past MTV serials. Key and other shows on MTV’s summer slate are laser-focused on reflecting the way teens and twenty-somethings live today… meaning the cameras capture in real time their lives played out on social media. “The digital component is what’s new, but we’re still looking at the tried-and-true principles that young people face,” McCarthy tells Variety. “So much of it plays out in the social and digital world. Our shows need to reflect that.”

“We’re looking at the emotional health and mental health of these people in a way we haven’t done in other series.”

The waterside mansion in which the stars spend much of their time is shielded from prying eyes by manicured hedges. But for one day in June, several members of the press were invited to step inside the house, which is owned by Dr. Gary Kompothecras. Better known as Dr. Gary, the wealthy chiropractor of Physicians Group LLC and 1-800-Ask-Gary fame.

Interestingly, Dr. Kompothecras is the mastermind behind a new MTV reality series debuting later this month. He even has executive producer credits, he said. His son, Alex Kompothecras, 22, is one of the tanned young stars of the show. Alex said it was his dad who pitched turning his friends’ lives into a watchable drama.

Sarasota County Film Commission director Jeanne Corcoran told The Tampa Bay Times that the agency helped with production more than a year and a half ago when the pilot was being shot. She called the reality series “unscripted or partially scripted, with lots of attractive, energetic young people enjoying the lifestyle and culture of Siesta Key.” She also calmed some doubtful locals by saying that the series isn’t supposed to show anything more risque than a PG-13 movie. 

Interviews with the cast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx2FrVOg6SY.

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