Back in 2009, a gang of fist-pumping party animals stormed Seaside Heights, New Jersey and breathed new life into a formerly iconic basic cable network.
Thirteen years later, MTV has decided to try and recreate the success of the original Jersey Shore with a slew of spinoff projects that piggyback on the title and basic premise of the original.
In an upfronts presentation to advertisers on Wednesday, announced two new shows:
Buckhead Shore, which will focus on a group of lake house roommates in Georgia, and Jersey Shore 2.0, which “chronicles a new generation of share house roommates hitting the same famed beaches and boardwalks along the Atlantic [as the original] to make new memories all summer long.”
But if network execs thought that they could rely on the support of the original gang of guidos, they’ve got another thing coming.
There’s no bigger star in the Shore universe than Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, and the TV icon just made it very clear that she and her castmates will not be supporting the new iterations of their show.
“As a cast that took a chance on a network in need, we put our most vulnerable moments on TV for the world to see,” Snooki tweeted on Thursday.
“We gave our all over the past 13 years, became a family and continue to open our lives for the world,” she added.
“So please understand that we are not in support of a version that will exploit our original show, our hard work and authenticity to gain viewers.
“Don’t forget to tune into an all new season for Jersey Shore Family Vacation,” she concluded, referencing the show that still stars the original cast,” Snooki concluded.
She added the hashtag “#WeAreJerseyShore”.
MTV has yet to respond to this criticism, but the network is eagerly promoting its two planned spinoffs.
“They may have traded their poofs for plumped pouts and UV rays for spray tans, but when things heat up in Jersey, the Shore is still the place to be to make memories all summer long,” reads a press release about Shore 2.0.
Another statement from the network explains that the other series, Buckhead Shore, will focus on “the interpersonal lives of a group of friends making a name for themselves in the ‘Beverly Hills of the South’ as they escape their everyday life and head to the lake shore to let loose.”
Snooks and company mostly kept mum when MTV tried to capitalize on their success with the pseudo-spinoff Floribama Shore.
That show has been surrounded by controversy, and there are many who believe its lack of success has diluted the potency of the Jersey Shore brand.
We’re sure Snooki harbors no ill will toward any newcomers who might take up the Shore mantle in the future, but her objections to the spinoff make perfect sense.
For one thing, she and her castmates spent most of their adult lives building a franchise, and they probably don’t love the idea of entrusting it to a bunch of untested nobodies who could bring the whole thing crashing down with a single instance of cancellable behavior.
On top of that, the original Shore cast is still filming new episodes, and Family Vacation remains one of MTV’s most popular series.
In the eyes of Snooki and company, the network is fixing something that isn’t broken — and they may pay a hefty price for that.
Snooki has quit Shore before, and we’re sure that she’d be willing to do so again.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.