ii lOve Summerland!*

Ava Gregory (Lori Loughlin, Full House) was exactly where she wanted to be in life. In her thirties, with a close-knit circle of friends, a great house in a beautiful California beach town and a growing career as a fashion designer, the last thing on her mind was settling down and starting a family. That all changed the day Ava's sister and brother-in-law were killed in an accident, leaving Ava to raise their three children. 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.
Produced by Spelling Television, Inc., a Paramount/Viacom company, Summerland is from executive producers Remi Aubuchon (24, Lyon's Den) and Stephen Tolkin (All Souls, Kate Brasher) along with Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent. Spelling and Vincent are also executive producers of The WB's 7th Heaven and Charmed.

--TheWB.com