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The O.C.
The title screen of The O.C.
Created byJosh Schwartz
Starringsee below
Opening themePhantom Planet - California
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes89 (to date) (list of episodes)
Production
Running timeapprox. 44 min (without advertisements)
Original release
NetworkFOX
ReleaseAugust 5, 2003 –
Present

The O.C. is an American television comedy-drama program broadcast on the FOX Network in the United States and on various networks around the world. The series, created by Josh Schwartz, debuted on August 5, 2003. The show details the lives of young adults and their families growing up in affluent Orange County, California.

To date, The O.C. has aired in more than 50 countries worldwide. Despite being one of the most popular new dramas of 2003, the series' ratings dwindled to the point where it was canceled by Fox in early 2007, midway through the fourth season. The final episode will air on February 22, 2007.[1]

The series has been noted for its music selections, which have helped some previously little-known bands (such as alternative band Phantom Planet, who performed the theme song to the show, "California") gain exposure, so much so that the show's producers have released six compilation albums featuring highlighted performers.

Template:Spoilers

Cast and characters

The main cast

  • Peter Gallagher plays Sandy Cohen, the idealistic public defender who takes in Ryan Atwood. Early in Season 1 he took a job at a private law firm. He was fired from the firm in Season 2 after helping Caleb with his case, after which he started his own private law office. He later became the CEO of the Newport Group until he decided to return to the public defender's office. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall law school.He is going to become a father for the third time.
  • Kelly Rowan plays Kirsten Cohen, the linchpin of O.C. society. She is the wife of Sandy Cohen and the mother of Seth Cohen. She was the former CEO of her late father's (Caleb Nichol) real estate company, the Newport Group. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Art History. She is also a recovering alcoholic. Currently, Kirsten is the co-founder of the NewMatch dating service with Julie. She is also currently pregnant with her and Sandy's second child (third if you include adopting Ryan as the second child].
  • Benjamin McKenzie plays Ryan Atwood, a troubled teenager from Chino thrown headlong into the privileged community of Newport Beach, California, having been taken in by Sandy Cohen after his mother (Dawn Atwood) threw him out of their family home. He had an on/off relationship with Marissa Cooper before she was killed. He is the love interest of Taylor Townsend who he is now dating on the show.Because of his adoptive parents,he is going to be an older brother.
  • Adam Brody plays Seth Cohen, the awkward adolescent son of Sandy and Kirsten Cohen. He is known for his quick quips and pop-culture references. He is also the love interest of Summer Roberts. Seth has battled drugs in the more recent season. He recently has proposed to Summer, knowing that she might be pregnant. After he learns she is not pregnant the thought of marriage begins to scare him.He is going to become a big brother.
  • Melinda Clarke plays Julie Cooper-Nichol, she is mother of Kaitlin Cooper and the late Marissa Cooper. She was married to financial planner Jimmy Cooper, but after learning that he had stolen large sums of money from his clients, Julie divorced him. She later married Caleb Nichol. Following Caleb’s death, she became engaged to Dr. Neil Roberts. The engagement fell apart after the death of Marissa, and she became single again. Love interests in the fourth season include: "The Bullit" and Frank Atwood.
  • Rachel Bilson plays Summer Roberts, the socialite of the four main teen characters (Ryan, Seth, Marissa and Summer). She is the love interest of Seth, and best friend to Marissa. She is the daughter of Dr. Neil Roberts. She recently became engaged, accepting only because she thought she was pregnant. She wants to marry Seth someday, just not now.
  • Autumn Reeser plays Taylor Townsend, a student who battled Marissa for full control of Harbor High School's social scene. Summer and Seth became friends with Taylor after learning how lonely she was. In the season three finale, Seth tells her she has become inner circle material, making her a part of the short-lived “Fab Five.” In Season Four, Taylor becomes the love interest of Ryan Atwood who she is now dating on the show. She is the daughter of the ill spirited Veronica Townsend.

Former regulars

File:The oc premiere poster.jpg
Promotional poster of the show's premiere.
  • Chris Carmack played Luke Ward, Marissa's jock ex-boyfriend and regular cast member episodes 1-24. The first main character to leave the show, Luke and his father moved to Portland after the people of Newport learned that his father was gay.
  • Alan Dale played Caleb Nichol, Kirsten's businessman father and later Julie Cooper's husband. His character was recurring throughout the first season until he became a regular during the second season. Caleb was the show's first main character to die (from a heart attack). The reading of his will revealed that Caleb was broke, leaving his widow Julie with nothing.
  • Tate Donovan plays Jimmy Cooper, Marissa's (and sister Kaitlin's) father (and Julie's husband). He was a regular cast member for episodes 1-34, but his character left the O.C. for Maui. He returned following Caleb's death at the end of the second season and almost remarried Julie. After running into financial troubles (and being attacked), he decided to leave Newport again early in the third season. He used to live on a boat. He is currently the captain of ship that is sailing in the Greek Islands. He returned in season 4 in the Episode "The Christmukk-huh", but only in a parallel universe, where he is married to Kirsten.
  • Mischa Barton played Marissa Cooper, the first of the "core four" to leave the series at the end of season three (episodes 1-76). Marissa was arguably the most conflicted of the main characters, frequently battling with drugs and alcohol. Marissa's relationships with her parents, boyfriends, and fellow classmates were often tumultuous. She was Summer's best friend and Ryan's on and off love interest. She was killed in a car accident after her last boyfriend, Kevin Volchok, ran her and Ryan off the road. She was on her way to the airport to catch a flight to Hawaii, where she would have worked on the boat her father was captaining. They would have been taking the boat to Greece.

Episodes

Main article: List of The O.C. episodes
Season Ep # First Airdate Last Airdate
Season 1 27 August 5, 2003 May 5, 2004
Season 2 24 November 4, 2004 May 19, 2005
Season 3 25 September 8, 2005 May 18, 2006
Season 4 16 November 2, 2006 February 22, 2007

Notable guest stars

Main article: List of recurring characters in The O.C.

Season 1

File:OCcastS1.jpg
The O.C. Season 1 Cast

Season 2

File:OCcastS2.jpg
The O.C. Season 2 Cast
  • Michael Cassidy played Zach Stevens, who had an on-again/off-again relationship with Summer after Seth ran away at the end of Season One. He eventually decided to let the two be together after realizing that they still loved one another. Creator Josh Schwartz said, "He's (Zach) off in Marin County working for Lucasfilm."
  • Nicholas Gonzalez played D.J., the Nichol's gardener and one of Marissa's love interests at the beginning of the season.
  • Shannon Lucio played Lindsay Gardner, a fellow student, Ryan's love interest, Kirsten's half-sister and Caleb's illegitimate daughter, who now lives with her mother, Renee Wheeler, in Chicago, Illinois.
  • Kathleen York played Renee Wheeler, Lindsay's mother, who had an affair with Caleb Nichol.
  • Olivia Wilde played Alex Kelly, who worked at the Bait Shop, who was Seth's, and later Marissa's, love interest.
  • Kim Delaney played Rebecca Bloom, an old flame of Sandy's who started to come between his marriage with Kirsten.
  • Billy Campbell played Carter Buckley, the former editor of Newport Living Magazine. He left Newport Beach after he got a new job, and came close to having a relationship with Kirsten.
  • Johnny Messner played Lance Baldwin, an opportunistic man from Julie Cooper's past.
  • Logan Marshall-Green played Trey Atwood, Ryan's older brother who was released from jail. At the end of Season Two, Marissa shot Trey after he tried to murder his own brother. He survived the gunshot and eventually left the hospital and headed for Las Vegas.
  • Marguerite Moreau played Reed Carlson, the executive of the graphic novel company for which Seth and Zach pitched their graphic novel. ‘‘Note:’’ The character of Tanyon Carlson, the brother of Reed, was credited in but one episode, Season Two's The O.C. Confidential. The character's lone appearance was portrayed by actor Steve Termath.
  • Nikki Griffin played Jess Sathers, the troublemaking love interest of Trey Atwood. She reappeared in one episode of Season Three.

Season 3

File:OCcastS3.jpg
The O.C. Season 3 Cast
  • Jeri Ryan played Charlotte Morgan, a con artist Kirsten Cohen met in rehab. She seemed to share a lot of the same traits of Kirsten, but used this to try and manipulate the latter. She tried to get Julie to scam people out of their money with a fake charity, but Julie had the cheques made out to a real substance abuse organization instead of the fake one. Charlotte fled.
  • Ryan Donowho played Johnny Harper, a 17-year-old student at Newport Union who was into the beach and surfing. Johnny loved Marissa, and Ryan and Marissa had (often unspoken) arguments about whether Marissa returned this love, although Marissa always maintained it was not true. In Episode 65, Johnny died by falling from a cliff while he was intoxicated.
  • Kayla Ewell played Casey, Johnny's ex-girlfriend who cheated on him with Kevin Volchok.
  • Johnny Lewis played Dennis "Chili" Childress, a surfer, skateboarder and, best friend of Johnny.
  • Richard Voll played Glen Morgan, the husband of Charlotte and co-conspirator in her scams.
  • Eric Mabius played Jack Hess, the devious new Dean of Discipline at the Harbor High School who was ultimately thrown out of the school by Sandy's bluff (he was caught making out with Taylor Townsend).
  • Blake Robbins played Don, a mafia soldier, who badgered Jimmy for money. When he failed to pay back the money, Jimmy was severely beaten and left Newport on a boat to Maui.
  • Paula Trickey plays Veronica Townsend, Taylor's mother who continuously hounds her daughter about her appearance and the fact that she doesn't have much of a social life.
  • Jeff Hephner played Matt Ramsey, the former Vice-President under Sandy Cohen at the Newport Group. Sandy fired him at the behest of the Henry Griffin, chair of the hospital board, partially because of his past relationship with Griffin's daughter and his wild social life. He left for Chicago to start his own business.
  • Lisa Rotondi played Gwen Harper, Johnny's mother.
  • Cam Gigandet played Kevin Volchok, a surfer and drug abuser who decided to try and make Ryan's life a living hell after picking on Johnny. He had a relationship with Sadie some years before, but the nature is unclear. Formerly dated Marissa and ultimately caused her death[2][3]
  • Nikki Reed played Sadie Campbell, a cousin of Johnny Harper, whom Ryan became very interested in and developed a relationship with. However, she left Newport Beach to develop her jewelry-making business.
  • Nicole Garza played Chloe, a co-worker of Ryan's mom in Albuquerque. She and Ryan had a one-night stand.
  • Matt Barr played Wes Seifer, Ryan's college orientation buddy who developed an attraction for Marissa.
  • Shaun Duke played Henry Griffin, chair of the hospital board.
  • Autumn Reeser plays Taylor Townsend, a student who battled Marissa for full control of Harbor High School's social scene. Taylor was extremely lonely, and upon realizing this, Summer and Seth became friends with her. In the season three finale, Seth tells her she has become inner circle material, making her a part of the short-lived “Fab Five.” She is the daughter of Veronica Townsend. She became a season regular in season four.
  • Jackson Rathbone played Justin, Kaitlin's ex-boyfriend from boarding school.
  • Lucy Hale played Hadley Hawthorne, a friend of Kaitlin's.
  • Willa Holland plays Kaitlin Cooper, Marissa's younger sister who returned from boarding school in the middle of season three. Jimmy Cooper and Julie Cooper are her parents and her personality is more like her mother's than father's. In the Season three finale, she tells her mother that she's moving back to Newport permanently, thus becoming a regular in season four.
  • Lisa Tucker played herself, an American Idol singer who lives in Orange County.
  • Erin Foster played Heather, a public school-enemy of Marissa's. It's revealed she has a relationship with Volchok and was also saved by Marissa in a dangerous rape situation.

Season 4

File:TheOC - Season 4 cast promo.jpg
The O.C. Season 4 Cast
  • Chris Pratt plays Winchester, more commonly known as Che, a friend of Summer's who attends Brown University with her. He was the driving force behind Summer's political activism early in Season Four. However, the revelation that his family is extremely rich - his father owns a pharmaceutical company - has led to speculation that his activism is just a phase he is going through. After he and Summer faced breaking and entering charges, Che sold Summer out to Brown officials by revealing her involvement, as well as using her as a scapegoat for all of his past actions. This led to Summer's suspension from the university.
  • Michelle Ongkingco plays Summer's former roommate Amber. She is known for being very sexual and being very honest.
  • Steve-O makes a cameo appearance in the second episode as a Marine who talks Seth into getting a tattoo.
  • Tia Carrere plays Dean Torres, whom Kaitlin frequently visits.
  • Kim Oja returns as Taryn Baker, one of the Newport Beach locals. She is consistently referred to as a "Newpsie."
  • Wayne Dalglish plays Brad Ward, one of Luke Ward's younger twin brothers. Brad is slightly dorkier than Eric, and at a rager did a keg stand and passed out.
  • Corey Price plays Eric Ward, Brad's twin brother. He plays water polo, and is seen as hot by Harbor's female community. He is more like his older brother than Brad.
  • Gary Grubbs plays Gordon Bullit, an oil merchant who 'owns Texas'. He has southern flavour, and has been involved in bad deals. His introductory storyline is based around pursuing Julie. After he travels to Dubai, Julie assumes they are off, while Kaitlin, who has grown fond of him, sends thoughtful emails posing as her mother to keep Bullit interested. He proposes but Julie declines, saying that she doesn't know him well enough, but will give it a shot.
  • Brandon Quinn plays Bullit's son Spencer and was Kaitlin's tennis instructor, whom she attempted to entice before her mother snatched him up. Later, he orchestrates making himself and his friends prostitutes for NewMatch.
  • Kevin Sorbo plays Frank Atwood (aka Frank Perry), a business associate of Bullit's, later revealed as Ryan's biological father. He comes to Newport to find Ryan and the Cohen's and pretends to be dying to see Ryan. Sandy finds out he was lying and punches him for what he's done. He also seemed interested in Julie Cooper during his stay. It is later revealed him and Julie are seeing one another, but she breaks it off when she resumes her relationship with Bullit. He proposes to her all the same.
  • Chris Brown plays Will Tutt, a band geek at Harbor High School. He tutors Kaitlin and later becomes her love interest.
  • Henri Lubatti plays Henri-Michel, Taylor's French ex-husband. He comes to Newport to support his new book. Taylor moves in with him, but he leaves when he realizes Ryan and Taylor really love each other.

Music from the show

See also: List of songs in The O.C.

The series is also known for its music, specifically indie rock and other non-mainstream bands.

The Beastie Boys single "Ch-Check It Out" debuted on the show in the episode The Strip that aired April 28 2004.[4] U2 debuted their song "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own"on the show before it was released as a single, as did Coldplay with their song "Fix You", Gwen Stefani with her single "Cool" and former member of Frou Frou, Imogen Heap and her single "Hide And Seek". The song was featured twice in the episode The Dearly Beloved. The Shins also featured their song "Turn on Me" before the album was released on the episode The French Connection.

During the first season series co-producer McG organised a video of the cast singing the 1979 old school punk classic "California" (not the Phantom Planet song), originally released on the 'Beach Blvd. album released on Posh Boy Records. Intended as a secret bonus feature for Music from the OC: Mix 1, the recording was pulled at the last minute and remains shelved.

Guest artists

Many popular indie artists have also guest-starred on the show, the majority playing at the venue, the 'Bait Shop' that was introduced in the second season and became a regular hangout (although was featured less in the third season and so far only mentioned in season four) purposely to showcase indie rock bands on the show, following the success of Rooney in the first season.

International distribution

Production information

Casting

Adam Brody originally wanted the part of Ryan Atwood. His improv during the first audition led Josh Schwartz to never want to see Adam again. Producers later had Adam come back and audition for the role of Seth. Chad Michael Murray was originally offered the role of Luke Ward's friend, but declined so he could be on the show One Tree Hill instead.The role of Luke's friend was later cut.

Melinda Clarke, who plays the role of the manipulative Julie Cooper-Nichol, actually read for the part of the perfect mother, Kirsten Cohen. In The Pilot, there just wasn't enough material for her to read as Julie, so she was brought in to read for the Kirsten part[5]. The role of Kirsten eventually went to Canadian actress Kelly Rowan.

Filming

Filming of the series began at the end of May, 2003.

Due to labor union salary rules about filming outside of Los Angeles County, The O.C. is actually filmed in several southern California Beach Cities (40 miles away from the actual Newport Beach) to reduce costs. Most interior shots of homes and offices are shot at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach,[6] while most exterior shots (e.g. the pier, diner, and "the Bait Shop") are filmed in neighboring Redondo Beach[7] and Hermosa Beach.[8]

Another important place, the building used for The Newport Group is the same one used for the Miami-Dade Police HQ in CSI: Miami.[9]

A recent episode brought O.C. characters Ryan, Marissa, Seth, and Summer to Cal and Brown respectively on college tours. These scenes were really shot on two Los Angeles universities: USC was used for Brown and UCLA for Cal.

Creating the show

"I think, maybe from the early ads, people thought they were going to get a kind of melodrama. What we've done instead is something a little bit different, something that has a little bit more irony and a little bit more self-awareness and maybe is a little more successful because of that."
-Josh Schwartz[10]

Josh Schwartz, The O.C.'s creator, used a "Trojan horse" strategy to get Fox's attention. He was a fan of quirky character-driven shows like Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, and My So-Called Life but those shows had short runs and "Fox was looking for their next 90210". He got together with producers McG and Stephanie Savage and developed the story of Ryan Atwood, a gentle young hoodlum who finds himself living among the beautiful people of Orange County. Schwartz recalls that they hoped the characters "were a little bit funnier and more soulful and different and specific than the kinds you usually see in (the) genre."[11]

Societal impact

U.S. television ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of The O.C. on FOX.

Season Timeslot Season Premiere Season/Series Finale TV Season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
1st Tuesday 9:00PM
(from August 5, 2003 to September 16, 2003)

Wednesday 9:00PM
(from October 29, 2003 to
May 5, 2004) 		August 5, 2003 May 5, 2004 2003-2004 #53 9.7[12]
2nd Thursday 8:00PM November 4, 2004 May 19, 2005 2004-2005 #85 7.0[13]
3rd Thursday 8:00PM
(from September 8, 2005 to December 15, 2005)

Thursday 9:00PM
(from January 12, 2006 to
May 18, 2006) 		September 8, 2005 May 18, 2006 2005-2006 #105 5.6[14]
4th Thursday 9:00PM November 2, 2006 February 22, 2007 2006-2007 ' '

According to The Futon Critic, "for its seven-week summer [of 2003] run, The O.C. averaged 8.43 million viewers and increased its viewership by more than 17% from its premiere by the end of the summer."[15] However, its viewership numbers from the summer were not factored into their 2003-2004 season average because it aired before the start of the 2003-2004 U.S. television season.

The FOX soap's audience perked up, starting from February 2004, when it started airing directly after episodes of the third season of the mega-hit American Idol.

The FOX network gave the show a vote of confidence when it moved The O.C. to Thursdays 8:00pm for the fall of 2004 to boost their dismal Thursday nights. The move resulted in some moderate success by improving the 8:00-9:00 (Eastern & Pacific time) timeslot yet the network was unable to find a program in the 9:00-10:00 (Eastern & Pacific time) timeslot to hold on to the O.C.'s audience numbers.

The show's overall audience declined sharply in its third season. An example of this decline was shown when it attracted 7.36 million viewers[16] for the March 9, 2006 episode, which aired after a special Thursday night results show during the fifth season of American Idol. Although these numbers were a small improvement of its third season average, it retained just 28% of Idol's audience,[17] which is well below the rate earned by most programs that air following hit shows and especially well below its post-Idol retention rate in the spring of 2004.

The fourth season of The O.C. faced stiff competition in the form of Grey's Anatomy and CSI on Thursdays 9/8c. To boost ratings, FOX network launched a "Save The OC" webpage, containing a petition to be signed by viewers who want to keep the show alive.[18]

Despite The O.C continuing to suffer from decreased ratings in its fourth season, critics have reacted positively to the "quality" of the show, noting that it has managed to become "fresh" and closer to the quality of the first season of The O.C. Creator Josh Schwartz has admitted in being more involved in the writing of the show this season.

In Orange County

Before the show aired, Orange County residents referred to their county by its full name, or just 'O.C.'. The abbreviation 'O.C.' was also used by local radio and television stations, but without 'The'. At first, the name of the show was met with scorn, but since then, some people have begun to refer to Orange County as 'The O.C.' as a joke. Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby went as far as to propose changing the name of Orange County's John Wayne Airport to The O.C. Airport, John Wayne Field but backed down the next day after his office received negative phone calls and emails from angry county residents. This somewhat negative sentiment toward the moniker is reflected in the running gag featured in the former Fox television show Arrested Development, which also takes place in Orange County: a number of the characters use the name "The O.C." (in various settings), to which main character Michael Bluth consistently responds, "Don't call it that."

The O.C. has been mentioned on other T.V shows; In House, Hugh Laurie's character, Gregory House shows a keen interest in the show, Lisa Simpson from The Simpsons, Larry Gold from The War at Home, Roger from American Dad and Stewie from Family Guy are all fans of the show. Michael on the British sitcom My Family is also asked by his mother if he wants the show recorded while he is on an army training course. In the Australian soap opera Neighbours, some of the characters (particularly the Timmins family, and Summer Hoyland) are avid fans of The O.C. However, Bree Timmins claims the show's "storylines never move on" and has now lost interest. Jack McFarland on Will & Grace made a remark about "25 year old children and 35 year old parents" in the episode Christmas Break written by Bill Wrubel. In The Blaze Of Glory, Carter Buckley criticizes Julie Cooper as being amongst Newport's "fifty-five year-old women with twenty-five year-old breasts" (Melinda Clarke is 35).

One of the reasons The O.C. gained a cult following was the constant flow of references to musicians, films and comic books below the mainstream cultural radar, mainly coming from the character Seth Cohen. One prime example would be in the episode entitled 'The Best Chrismukkah Ever' in which Seth creates the 'Seth Cohen Starter Pack' as a Christmas gift to give to Anna and Summer. This starter pack consisted of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, The Goonies, and CDs by Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie and The Shins. Bright Eyes and Death Cab for Cutie are also referenced in a handful of other episodes, more so than any other bands. Seth and friends have attended shows by The Walkmen, Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers, Modest Mouse, The Thrills and The Subways at their local music venue, the Bait Shop. Films referenced include The Goonies, Risky Business, Akira, Ghost in The Shell, Hellboy and a set of scenes loosely parodying Spider-Man in the episode 'The Rainy Day Women'. Seth also has a large Ben Folds Live poster above his bed, and in one scene there is a close-up of him reading the book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto. The writer Thomas Pynchon was also mentioned quite subtly in one episode. Additionally, Seth plays a variety of games on his PlayStation 2 console. The most frequent example comes from season one, which includes a handful of scenes showing Seth and various other characters playing a game from the Dynasty Warriors series. He makes numerous references to various comic books throughout the series, including X-Men and L.E.G.I.O.N., and cited Brian Michael Bendis as one the greatest comic book authors of all time

Seth's obscure tastes were backed up by other characters - Anna Stern shared Seth's love of comic books and Death Cab for Cutie, and in one episode she gets the two of them tickets to see Bright Eyes as a surprise (although this aspect of the storyline isn't covered and there is no further mention of the concert, possibly due to how unlikely it would be to get Conor Oberst to agree to taking part in the show). In the second season, the character Zach is introduced into the show and shares Seth's love of comic books and superhero movies. Marissa spends most of one episode listening to Interpol in her room and in the second ever episode she mentions that she likes punk because she's angry, specifically The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and The Cramps. Alex has a concert poster of The Postal Service on the wall of her living room. In season three, Taylor Townsend eventually bonds with Seth over a mutual love of Japanese anime. And Julie Cooper occasionally recalls a youth spent listening to Whitesnake, Bob Seger and Mötley Crüe.

Summer is the only character who seems detached from all of this, expressing a dislike for comic books in general and Death Cab for Cutie at various points in the show.

This side of the show was spoofed on a few occasions - firstly, when Ryan developed a passion for the band Journey, going against the hip references made by Seth Cohen. In one episode Seth decides to dwell on his troubled love life not by listening to his usual obscure indie tastes, but with Boyz II Men's song "End of the Road". Paris Hilton made a guest appearance in one episode, playing an ironic parody of herself - Seth met her and expected her to be as she is on TV, and instead she started a conversation about cult author Thomas Pynchon, stating that "Gravity's Rainbow is his masterpiece!". Seth was suitably stunned. The writers also invented a fictional animé called Yakuza Prep in the third season, perhaps to wind up people becoming interested in certain bands and films just because The O.C. mentioned them; for example, when a song by Imogen Heap shot up the download charts the day after it was used in The O.C.'s season finale for season two.

The writers also created a fictional show called The Valley, which was basically the in-show equivalent of The O.C.. Characters will frequently make ironic (and perhaps self-mocking) comments about The Valley and its fictional reality TV counterpart, obviously referring back to the show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and its bold claim to be real. Comedic group The Lonely Island did a parody of "The O.C." called The 'Bu.

Specials

The O.C. has had two television specials, detailing behind-the-scenes information, interviews, and bloopers.

  • The O.C. - Obsessed Completely (First aired September 16, 2004)
  • Welcome to The O.C. - A Day In The Life (First aired September 23, 2004)

Cancellation

On January 3, 2007, FOX officially canceled the series. [19]. Several people questioned the cancellation due to the untimely death of Marissa Cooper when several fans "boycotted" the show. There were conflicting reports as to whether The O.C. will be picked up for a fifth season by The CW Television Network. Creator Josh Schwartz seemed to be sending mixed signals about the move. In an email to Annie Barrett at Entertainment Weekly, Josh Schwartz reportedly told Ms. Barrett that: "Yeah, this season will indeed be the last. There was some speculation about a Season 5 on another network but we are having a really fun, great run and I feel like better to go out now than stay too long at the party... and after 4 seasons of the OC, I know a lot about parties..." [20]. After being questioned on the move in a separate interview with Michael Ausiello from TV Guide, Schwartz replied, "I don’t want to ever say never, because at a certain point… At this moment? No. Secretly, I would love a Julie-Kaitlin anti-Gilmore Girls show"[21]. On January 19, 2007 at the Television Critic's Association tour, President of Entertainment of The CW Television Network Dawn Ostroff stated the series would not move to the CW. "Obviously, it came up but we really didn't think it made sense for us for several reasons."[22] The series finale will air on February 22, 2007.

DVD releases

The Complete First Season
File:OC 1.jpg Set Details Special Features
  • 27 Episodes
  • 7-Disc Set
  • 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish and French
  • English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
  • Commentary on "Pilot"
  • On-screen Music Track Guide Viewing Mode on Six Episodes
  • Unaired Scenes
  • Featurettes:
    • Casting the O.C.
    • The Music of the O.C.
  • Inside the Real O.C. with Executive Producer McG
  • Season 2 Sneek Peak
Release Dates
 United States  United Kingdom  Australia
October 26 2004 October 18 2004 February 2 2005
The Complete Second Season
File:OC 2.jpg Set Details Special Features
  • 24 Episodes
  • 7-Disc Set
  • 1.77:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish and French
  • English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
  • Commentary on "The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn't" *
  • Beachy Couture: How O.C. Fashion Is Made *
  • The O.C. - Obsess Completely: Retrospective TV Special *
  • Gag and Goofs from Seasons 1 and 2 *
  • Commentary on "The Rainy Day Women"
  • Extended creator's cut of The Rainy Day Women

* Available in Region 1 only.

Release Dates
 United States  United Kingdom  Australia
August 23 2005 August 5 2005 September 7 2005
The Complete Third Season
File:OCSEAS3.jpg Set Details Special Features
  • 25 Episodes
  • 7-Disc Set
  • 1.77:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish and French
  • English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
  • "The Party Favor: From Script to Screen" featurette *
  • Pass the Remote: Selected Scene-Surfing Commentary *
  • Gag and Goofs Reel *
  • "What's in a Name?" Featurette
  • "Making Of The Subways Music Video" Featurette

* Available in Region 1 only.

Release Dates
 United States  United Kingdom  Australia
October 24 2006 September 4 2006 September 6 2006

References

  1. ^ http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/arts_life/story.html?id=47c3e814-d94d-46f4-95f5-6fc3eaf8d67a
  2. ^ http://www.fox.com/oc/recaps/325.htm
  3. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060519/ap_en_tv/tv_the_oc_barton
  4. ^ Yahoo Launch News Story
  5. ^ Patrick Rush: Casting "The O.C."
  6. ^ Seeing Stars: The O.C. -> Studio
  7. ^ Seeing Stars: The O.C. -> Redondo Beach
  8. ^ Seeing Stars: The O.C. -> Hermosa Pier
  9. ^ Seeing Stars: The O.C. -> Newport Group
  10. ^ Daniel Robert Epstein. "Josh Schwartz of The O.C. Interview". UnderGroundOnline. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  11. ^ Ari Posner (2004-03-21). "'The O.C.' Rewrites the Rules of TV Writing". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  12. ^ Viewership numbers of primetime programs in the 2003-04 television season
  13. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: Final audience and ratings figures for 2004-05". May 27, 2005. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
  14. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2005-06 primetime wrap". May 26, 2006. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
  15. ^ FOX Extends 'The O.C.' to 27 Episodes
  16. ^ Viewer numbers for the week of March 6-12, 2006
  17. ^ Sorry, 'Sopranos': 'Housewives' Still Rule the Roost
  18. ^ http://www.fox.com/oc/savetheoc
  19. ^ MSNBC and AP: Plagued by low ratings, ‘The O.C.’ gets canceled
  20. ^ EW.com: Aggggghhhhhhh! Fox cancels 'The O.C.'!
  21. ^ Josh Schwartz to Ausiello: O.C. on the CW? Never Say Never
  22. ^ The O.C.: CW Says No Thanks
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