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ABOUT
THE SHOW
Until
the accident, the biggest challenge in Ava's life was her
career and the decision to quit her glamorous job at a large
design house to start her own boutique designer label. Ava was
comfortable with her role as the cool aunt who would
occasionally drop in on her niece and nephews at their
isolated Kansas farm or invite them to visit her in
California, where they were dazzled by her exciting life.
Despite the tragedy they've
endured and the sudden transition from rural Kansas to the
beaches of Southern California, the kids are doing pretty
well. Sixteen-year-old Bradin (Jesse McCartney, All My
Children) has his own adolescent angst to deal with, but
he does his best to help his younger siblings. Twelve-year-old
Nikki (Kay Panabaker, The Brothers Garcia) has always
adored her aunt but sometimes resents Ava's attempts to fill
her late sister's shoes. Eight-year-old Derrick (Nick Benson,
the upcoming feature film National Treasure) has enough
on his hands just trying to understand the big issues of life,
death and family.
It's a sense of family that
Ava is determined to provide for her sister's children. Since
college, Ava's main support system has been her three devoted
friends - Johnny, Jay and Susannah. Now her friends are ready
and willing to reach out and become the ultimate surrogate
family, and Ava is about to discover that it really does take
a village (or in this case, a hip beach community) to raise a
child.
Johnny Durant (Shawn
Christian, As the World Turns, Shopgirl) is Ava's
former boyfriend and they have remained very close. He's an
ambitious real estate wheeler-dealer who has the nagging
feeling he hasn't yet found his true purpose in life. At the
moment, however, he's content to be there for Ava and her
instant family, acting as the father figure the kids
desperately need.
A completely different kind of
male role model, Ava's friend Jay Robertson (Ryan Kwanten, Home
and Away) is an Australian surfer with an undeniable Peter
Pan syndrome. Jay owns the local surf shop, but he's no
businessman. In fact, he's only looking for one thing in life
¿ the perfect wave. Ava knows that Jay is still a kid at
heart, and she asks for his help with Bradin, who instantly
identifies with Jay's cheerfully laid-back philosophy of life.
Jay also introduces Bradin to a stunning young surfing
instructor named Erika Spalding (newcomer Taylor Cole). In
Bradin's eyes, Erica embodies all that is beautiful and
desirable about California.
Ava's best girlfriend,
Susannah Rexford (Merrin Dungey, Alias), is also her
partner in the new business venture. Susannah handles the
business decisions, while Ava is the creative force. They've
learned to rely on one another and trust each other
completely. Susannah is the person Ava always turns to when
she needs advice. Although Susannah has no more experience
with children than Ava, she never questions her friend's
decision to give the kids a real home. When it comes to
parenting decisions, Susannah's level-headed objectiveness is
the perfect balance for Ava's more emotional viewpoint.
Ava may have started down a
new path in life, but she won't be traveling alone. Relying on
the diverse personalities and viewpoints of her devoted
friends, Ava can face the day-to-day tasks of parenting
knowing that she and her friends have the collective strength
and skill to raise these kids right. As they spend their first
summer together, Ava will struggle to balance the needs of her
new family with the demands of a career that was once the
entire focus of her life. Eventually, she will come to
understand that the family she thought she didn't need is the
one thing she was meant to have in her life.
Show Summary taken from The
WB Summerland web site.
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