An out-of-the-way San Diego-area beach town has a starring role in the upcoming HBO series "John From Cincinnati."

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The San Diego Union Tribune said Saturday that the filming of the surfing-oriented series has become a veritable circus in the seaside city of Imperial Beach where residents are divided on their feelings about the project.

Rosa Adams, whose Imperial Beach driveway is used as a shortcut on the way to a fictional motel set in a real-life rundown inn, told the Union-Tribune that she gets up early every day to observe all the commotion. "When they're gone, the place is dead," she said.

The show, which will debut June 10 following the final episode of "The Sopranos," has been described as "surf noir" -- part surf story and part mystery. David Milch, who has produced or created such hits as "Hill Street Blues" and "Deadwood," is at the helm of the show.

"I prefer to work down here because I don't really plan the story in advance," Milch told the newspaper when discussing his creative style. "I like to respond to what I see, and I see so much here."