The CW boards surf drama

US network The CW has picked up a script for a dark comedy-drama set in a surfing community from Los Angeles’ Carol Mendelsohn Productions (CMP) and former 90210 showrunner Rebecca Sinclair.

Set in 1961, the as-yet untitled show explores the lives of a tight-knit group of friends, each an outsider in their own way, who find a community of kindred spirits on the shore at Malibu, California.

Sinclair (Freaks and Geeks, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, 90210) will write, exec produce and showrun the hour-long project, which Carol Mendelsohn and CMP president Julie Weitz will also exec produce.

“We wanted to tell a different kind of story about the 60s, one that explored the real events that led to the birth of California’s surf culture,” said Mendelsohn.

Since its inception in 2010, Carol Mendelsohn Productions has sold and produced a variety of projects for The CW, CBS, TNT, FX, USA and Showtime. The first two shows to premiere under its banner were The Defenders and Dogs in the City, both on CBS.