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Revision as of 20:29, 25 May 2007

The O.C.
The O.C. intertitle
Created byJosh Schwartz
Starringsee below
Opening theme"California" by Phantom Planet
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes92 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersDave Bartis
Robert De Laurentiis
Doug Liman
McG
Josh Schwartz
Running timeapprox. 42 min.
Original release
NetworkFOX
ReleaseAugust 5, 2003 –
February 22, 2007

The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on FOX in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. The series, created by Josh Schwartz, portrays the fictional lives of a group of teenagers and their families residing in Orange County, California.

The O.C. has been broadcast in over 50 countries worldwide. However, despite being one of the most popular new dramas of 2003, the series' ratings dwindled over the subsequent two seasons, causing FOX network to order only 16 episodes for the fourth season. When the ratings fell even further, the network decided not to renew the show for a fifth season. Consequently, the final episode of The O.C. was broadcast on February 22, 2007.[1] The O.C. went out with ratings similar to the seasons 2 and 3, attracting an audience of 6.7 million. After the series concluded, the fourth and final season became available on iTunes, along with its animated spinoff series "Atomic County." The complete series has been made available on DVD in the United States, with the release of the fourth season pending in the United Kingdom and Australia.

The O.C. has been noted for its music selections, which has led to some hitherto unknown bands (such as alternative band Phantom Planet, who performed the theme song to the show, "California") gaining exposure, so much so that the show's producers have released six compilation albums featuring highlighted performers.

Production

Origin

File:The oc premiere poster.jpg
Promotional poster for the show's premiere.
File:Cohen House.jpg
The set of the Cohen household.

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 met with producers McG and Stephanie Savage and developed the story of Ryan Atwood, young teenager 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, different, and specific than the kinds you usually see in (the) genre."[2] In an interview, Schwartz stated, "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."[3]

Adam Brody originally wanted the part of Ryan Atwood, but later in auditions, he returned at the producers' requests to audition for the role of Seth. Chad Michael Murray was originally offered the role of Luke Ward's good friend, but declined so he could be on the show One Tree Hill. The role of Luke's friend was later cut.

Melinda Clarke, who plays the role of 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 Kirsten.[4] The role of Kirsten eventually went to Kelly Rowan.

Filming

Due to labor union salary rules about filming outside of Los Angeles County, The O.C. was 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, including the Cohen household, were shot at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach,[5] while most exterior shots (e.g. the pier, diner, and "the Bait Shack") were filmed in neighboring Redondo Beach[6] and Hermosa Beach.[7] This is the actual home used as the Cohen mansion as featured in Zillow's Famous Homes series. The Newport Group was represented in the The O.C. by the same building used for the Miami-Dade Police HQ in CSI: Miami.[8] The UCLA campus - particularly Schoenberg Hall - was used in lieu of UC Berkeley in an episode where Ryan visits college.

Broadcast

The first season of The O.C. premiered on Fox in the United States on August 5 2003 at 9:00pm ET. The series finale of The O.C. aired on February 22, 2007. The O.C. has also premiered in other countries around the world including non-English speaking countries. The cable network SOAPnet has purchased the syndication rights to The O.C.. As of April 9, 2007 the channel has been airing reruns of the show as part of an afternoon, high school drama line up, together with Beverly Hills, 90210 and One Tree Hill.[9]

Cancellation

On January 3, 2007, FOX officially decided to end the series.[10] Many people attributed the cancellation due to the untimely death of Marissa Cooper when many fans "boycotted" the show. A large number of fans signed petitions[11] and e-mailed FOX. There were conflicting reports as to whether The O.C. would 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 O.C., I know a lot about parties..."[12] 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".[13] 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."[14] The series finale, titled "The End's Not Near, It's Here", was written by creator Josh Schwartz and aired on February 222007.

Storyline

Main article: List of The O.C. episodes

Season One

File:OC-101.jpg
"Premiere", the first episode of The O.C.

The first season of The O.C. premiered on August 5, 2003 in the United States, featuring a total of 27 episodes. The premiere shows a new life for Ryan Atwood, a 16 year old living in Chino, the Cohens and the Coopers, and everyone else in the wealthy, picturesque, secretive, turbulent community of Orange County, California. Faced with the prospect of life in a group home, Ryan decides to run away from Newport, but Marissa convinces him to stay. During the season, Ryan and Marissa develop a relationship, known as the hottest couple on The O.C., Seth and Summer fall in love even with a confusing love triangle with those two and Anna and Jimmy lands in financial trouble, so Julie leaves Jimmy. Luke has an affair with Julie. Near the end of the season, Julie and Caleb get married. Ryan discovers that he may be the father of the unborn child of his ex-girlfriend, Theresa, and decides to leave the Cohen family and his current girlfriend, Marissa, to support her through her pregnancy. Upon finding out that Ryan is moving back to Chino with Theresa, Seth sails away in his boat, leaving farewell notes for his parents and Summer.

Season Two

File:OC-214.jpg
"The Rainy Day Women".

The second season began on November 42004 in the United States. It featured a total of 24 episodes. At the start of the season, it is revealed that Seth ran away to Portland, Oregon, where he has been staying with Luke and Luke's father. Ryan has spent the summer in Chino, living with Theresa Diaz and her mother, and working on a construction site. Realising he would be happier back in Orange County with the Cohens, Theresa tells Ryan that she lost the baby. This prompts Ryan and Seth to return to Newport, where Seth ends up working under Alex at the Bait Shop. They have a brief relationship, but Alex, revealed to be bisexual, starts dating Marissa. Also, Ryan starts a relationship with Lindsay, a new girl at school. Their relationship flounders when Newport finds out that she is the love child of Caleb and half-sister to Kirsten. After Lindsay and her mother move to Chicago, Ryan's brother Trey is released from prison. As he has nowhere else to go, the Cohens invite him to stay with them while he gets his life in order. However, he soon gets into trouble with drugs, and while high, attempts to rape Marissa. Meanwhile, Kirsten begins drinking heavily, a problem that is further aggravated after her father dies of a heart attack. As the season ends, the Cohens and Ryan stage an intervention and Kirsten leaves for rehab. Ryan then discovers his brother's attempted rape of Marissa, and confronts Trey. The two fight and Trey is about to kill Ryan when Marissa arrives and shoots Trey to save Ryan.

Season Three

File:OC-325.jpg
"The Graduates", the third season finale.

The third season began on September 82005 in the United States and featured a total of 25 episodes. The season begins with Kirsten still in rehab and Trey in a coma. Trey eventually comes out of his coma and, after Julie Cooper briefly attempts to blackmail him into blaming Ryan for the shooting, he leaves town. Marissa escapes charges over the shooting, but is expelled from Harbor and is forced to attend Newport Union, a nearby public school. There she meets Johnny, a surfer and his sidekick Chilli. Johnny falls in love with Marissa, and she eventually has to choose between him and Ryan. After choosing Ryan, a drunk Johnny falls to his death from a cliff on the beach. Marissa is re-admitted to Harbor after her friends stage a campaign, with the assistance of Marissa's former rival Taylor Townsend. Seth and Summer continue their relationship. Problems include Seth doing pot and skipping his college interview but the two work things out and their relationship stabilizes. Unable to come to terms with Johnny's death, Marissa becomes involved with Volchok. another surfer with a "bad boy" reputation. However, she catches him cheating on her during prom and ends their relationship. In the third season finale, an intoxicated Volchok, still reeling from his break-up with Marissa, rams Marissa and Ryan off the road and over a cliff. Ryan survives the crash and pulls Marissa from the wrecked car. Marissa then dies in his arms.

Season Four

File:The OC final ep.JPG
"The End's Not Near, It's Here", the series finale of The O.C.

The fourth and final season began on November 2 2006 in the United States, and featured a total of 16 episodes. The season begins with everyone coping with the death of Marissa Cooper. Ryan has moved out of the Cohen household and becomes a cage fighter to deal with his anger. Summer begins attending Brown University, where she throws herself into environmental activism, and avoids calls from Seth, who stays in Newport and finds a job at a comic book shop. Marissa's younger sister Kaitlin returns to Newport from boarding school and starts attending Harbor. Julie, meanwhile, hires a private detective to track down Volchok, who had fled to Mexico. She plans to have Ryan take revenge on Volchok, presumably by killing him. Ultimately, with Seth and Sandy's help, Ryan allows Volchok to turn himself into the authorities. Ryan subsequently moves back in with the Cohens. In the meantime, Taylor Townsend, who is previously thought to have been in Paris, attending the Sorbonne, secretly returns to Newport after impulsively marrying a Frenchman, who then refuses to grant her a divorce. Ryan helps her by posing as her lover to get her husband to agree to the divorce, after which she and Ryan begin a romantic relationship. After releasing rabbits from a laboratory, Summer is suspended from Brown for a semester and returns to California where she and Seth reconcile. Julie Cooper begins a relationship with wealthy Texan businessman Gordon Bullit, however, she soon becomes conflicted when she falls for Ryan's biological father, Frank, who was released from prison. Near the end of the fourth season, Kirsten becomes pregnant with a baby girl, and she and Sandy consider whether Newport is the right place to bring up another child. A powerful earthquake hits Newport, and the Cohens' house is damaged beyond repair.

The series finale documents the characters' lives six months after the earthquake. In a flashforward, Seth and Summer get married, Julie graduates from college, Sandy becomes a law professor, and Ryan becomes an architect. The series concludes with Ryan reaching out to a troubled teenager just as Sandy did for him.

Specials

The O.C. has had two television specials, containing behind-the-scenes information, interviews and bloopers. The two specials were broadcast prior to the second season.

Main characters

Further information: List of recurring characters in The O.C.
Photo Character Portrayed By Description Main Cast Season(s)
Sandy Cohen Peter Gallagher The idealistic public defender who takes in Ryan Atwood. Early in Season 1, he takes a job at a private law firm. He is fired from the firm in Season 2 after helping Caleb with his case, after which he starts his own private law practice. Later, he becomes the CEO of the Newport Group until he decides to return to the public defender's office. Sandy is a graduate of UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall law school. In the final episode, after returning to the Berkeley home, Sandy is shown teaching law at Berkeley.
1-4
File:OC-304.jpg Kirsten Cohen Kelly Rowan The linchpin of O.C. society. She is the wife of Sandy Cohen and the mother of Seth and Sophie Cohen. She is the former CFO 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. A recovering alcoholic, Kirsten is a co-founder of the NewMatch dating service with Julie.
1-4
File:Coopshot.JPG Marissa Cooper Mischa Barton The only member of the original "core four" to leave the series at the end of season three. 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 would have worked on the boat her father was captaining to Greece. She is survived by Kaitlin and a half-brother via Frank Atwood and Julie.
1-3
Seth Cohen Adam Brody 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. He proposed to Summer in the fourth season, knowing that she might be pregnant. After he learns she is not pregnant the thought of marriage begins to scare him. In the finale six months after the tragic earthquake, Summer leaves for awhile to help the environment, but they do stay together, and sometime later they are married with Ryan as the best man and Taylor as a bridesmaid.
1-4
File:Summer Roberts Season 3.JPG Summer Roberts Rachel Bilson 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 Cooper until Marissa's tragic death. She is the daughter of Dr. Neil Roberts. She and Seth thought Summer had fallen pregnant in the fourth season and they planned to get married. After they found out she wasn't they broke off the engagement, but remained together. Six months after the earthquake, Summer and Seth say farewell in the finale as she leaves to join G.E.O.R.G.E, but sometime later they get married.
1-4
File:Luke ward.jpg Luke Ward Chris Carmack Marissa's jock ex-boyfriend and regular cast member episodes 1-24. Luke is the oldest of the three sons of Carson and Meredith Ward, and the older brother of Brad and Eric Ward. 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.
1
File:OC-3033.jpg Julie Cooper Melinda Clarke The 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. Julie became involved with Frank Atwood in the fourth season and in the finale before Julie's attempted wedding to Bullit, we found out Julie was carrying Frank's baby. Julie also graduates from college sometime in the future.
1-4
File:Taylor2.jpg Taylor Townsend Autumn Reeser 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 4, Taylor becomes the love interest of Ryan Atwood but they break up after the earthquake. Six months later they realise they still love each other and get back together. She returns to Paris and whether they still stay together in the end is left unanswered. She is the daughter of the ill spirited Veronica Townsend.
3-4
File:Caleb nichol.jpg Caleb Nichol Alan Dale 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.
1-2
File:Kaitlin cooper.jpg Kaitlin Cooper Willa Holland The daughter of Jimmy Cooper and Julie Cooper-Nichol and sister to the late Marissa Cooper. After returning from boarding school, began high school in Newport. Her personality is more of her mother's rather than her father's, quite different from her older sister Marissa. In the finale, Kaitlin is shown congratulating her mother for graduating. She has a younger half-brother courtesy of Frank Atwood and Julie.
3-4
File:OC-3032.jpg Jimmy Cooper Tate Donovan Marissa's and Kaitlin's father (and Julie's ex-husband). Jimmy struggled with monetary and relationship issues until 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. Jimmy invited Marissa to work on the boat in Greece, but she was killed in a car crash on her high school graduation night.
1-2

Milestone Episodes

  • "The Ties That Bind" (May 5, 2004)- The first season ends with Ryan leaving Newport with Theresa, Seth sailing away on his boat, and Marissa moving in with the newlyweds, Caleb and Julie.
  • "The O.Sea" (May 12, 2005)- Caleb becomes the first main character to die when he suffers a fatal heart attack.
  • "The Graduates" (May 18, 2006)- In the third season finale, the core four graduate from Harbor. At the end of the episode, Marissa dies in Ryan's arms.
  • "The Chrismukk-huh?" (December 14, 2006)- The show's final Chrismukkah episode has Ryan and Taylor in a coma. They dream that they are in an alternate universe in which neither of them exist.

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 Finale TV Season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
1 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[15]
2 Thursday 8:00PM November 4, 2004 May 19, 2005 2004-2005 #85 7.0[16]
3 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[17]
4 Thursday 9:00PM November 2, 2006 February 22, 2007 2006-2007 #123 4.3[18]

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."[19] 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 American Idol.

The FOX network gave the show a vote of confidence when it moved The O.C. to Thursdays at 8:00 during the fall of 2004 to boost Thursday night ratings. The move resulted in some small 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) time slot to hold on to The O.C.'s audience.

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[20] 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,[21] 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 at 9:00. To boost ratings, FOX network launched a "Save The OC" webpage, containing a petition to be signed by viewers who wanted to keep the show alive.[22]

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

The series finale of The O.C., titled "The End's Not Near, It's Here", received a ratings surge with a total 6.676 million viewers, with a peak of 7.6 million viewers. This is in contrast to the penultimate episode of The O.C., titled "The Night Moves", which only received 3.63 million viewers.

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 also been referred to on several other T.V shows:

  • MADtv had a recurring sketch in its ninth and tenth season called The B.S., which was a teen drama like The O.C., only it took place at a huge retail store similar to Wal-Mart. MADtv also had an O.C. parody with the real castmembers of The O.C. housing American Idol losers Justin Guarini (Jordan Peele), William Hung (Bobby Lee), and Clay Aiken (Ron Pederson).
  • 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 2007, an SNL Digital Short did an O.C. parody (albeit a subtle one) mocking the second season cliffhanger ending. In it, a man (Bill Hader) gets shot by his best friend (Andy Samberg), which leads to an elaborate murder of two other people (played by host Shia LaBeouf and castmember Kristen Wiig) and ends with the deaths of two police officers (Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis) all set to Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek". It became an Internet phenomenon, inspiring parodies and re-enactments on YouTube, in which violent scenes from movies, television and real life were set to the song.
  • In the British teen drama Skins, in the episode 'Sid', Chris states "Its like an episode of The OC in here" when Tony is being attacked verbally and 'bitch slapped' in class.
  • The following TV characters are said to be fans of The O.C.:
  • Conversely, Dr. Cox from Scrubs mentioned in one episode that he could not care less about "The O.C."
  • 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 lost interest. Though she did use Ryan and Marissa as an example of true love to her sister.
  • Even The O.C. has made references to itself. On the episode 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 38).
  • On the British sitcom My Family, Brian is asked by his mother if he wants The O.C. recorded while he is on an army training course.

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.[23] 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,[24] Death Cab for Cutie,[25] The Killers,[26] Modest Mouse,[27] The Thrills[28] Tom Vek and The Subways at their local music venue, the Bait Shop. Films referenced include The Goonies, Risky Business, Akira, Ghost in The Shell, Blade, House of Flying Daggers, Hellboy and a set of scenes loosely parodying Spider-Man in the episode The Rainy Day Women.[29] Seth also has a large Ben Folds Live poster above his bed, as well as posters for various other bands including Death Cab for Cutie, The Ramones and Nirvana. In one scene there is a close-up of him reading the book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto and the writer Chuck Klosterman was also mentioned quite subtly in one episode,[30] as was Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road.[31] 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.[32] 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.[33]

Seth's obscure tastes were backed up by other characters - Anna Stern shared Seth's love of comic books and Death Cab for Cutie,[34] and in one episode she gets the two of them tickets to see Bright Eyes as a surprise[35] (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.[36] Seth is extremely surprised to find out that he and Marissa share an extremely similar taste in music and literature, sharing an interest in the aforementioned punk bands and Jack Kerouac novel. 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 Poison, Whitesnake, Bob Seger and Mötley Crüe.

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.[37] In The Rainy Day Women 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".[38] Paris Hilton made a guest appearance in an episode, playing an ironic parody of herself - Seth met her and expected her to be as she is on TV, but instead she started a conversation about cult author Thomas Pynchon, stating that "Gravity's Rainbow is his masterpiece!"[39] Seth was suitably stunned. The writers also invented a fictional anime called "Yakuza Prep" which is based on the Japanese movie Battle Royale, 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 Dearly Beloved".

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, "Sherman Oaks: The Real Valley" 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. At Boston College, students created and produced a parody titled "The BC" that received nationwide acclaim and features in The New York Times and CBS Evening News.

"Save The O.C." Webpage

Towards the end of 2006, FOX inserted a webpage on their website entitled Save The OC, asking people to sign an OC loyalty oath.[40] It was stated on the webpage that "not enough people out there have come back to Newport this season". On the webpage, fans were able to send the oath to a friend, sign up for the OC newsletter, and they were also asked to send an email to lovetheoc@gmail.com explaining why they loved the show. According to the webpage, "a very important and powerful person" would be reading the emails. The oath reads as follows:

I PROMISE to cancel dinner dates, skip night school classes, trade shifts with a co-worker, walk the dog after dinner and do whatever else is necessary to ensure that I am on my couch each and every Thursday night at 9pm. Or 8 central. And when I am on that couch at that time, I will do nothing but watch The OC. I vow to do this every week to show my support for Ryan, Seth, Summer, Sandy, Kirsten, Julie and all of those new people that I love. With my humble effort each week, I will help build a groundswell of support for one of the best shows on television, The OC. With this virtual signature, I THEE WATCH.[41]

Although the oath had a humorous tone to it, few of the fans were laughing after the show was actually canceled. At the time of the cancellation, the webpage had received tens of thousands of signatures on a daily basis. Soon after the cancellation though, the number of daily signatures steadily began to decline, eventually leveling off at between roughly 1,500 and 5,500 per day. Slight increases in daily signatures were noticeable around the airing of each week’s episode. This trend was broken on the air date of the final episode, when more than 18,000 signatures were brought in.

Music

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.[42] 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 only mentioned in season four) purposely to showcase indie rock bands on the show, following the success of Rooney in the first season.

DVD releases

The Complete First Season
File:Oc-season-one.JPG Set Details Special Features
  • 27 Episodes (1186 Mins.)
  • 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 Sneak Peek
Release Dates
 United States  United Kingdom  Australia
October 26 2004 October 18 2004 February 2 2005
The Complete Second Season
File:OC 2.png Set Details Special Features
  • 24 Episodes (1048 Mins.)
  • 7-Disc Set
  • 1.78:1 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. - Obsessed 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"
Release Dates
 United States  United Kingdom  Australia
August 23 2005 August 5 2005 September 7 2005
The Complete Third Season
File:OC 3.png Set Details Special Features
  • 25 Episodes (1089 Mins.)
  • 7-Disc Set
  • 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Subtitles: 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
Release Dates
 United States  United Kingdom  Australia
October 24 2006 September 4 2006 September 6 2006
The Complete Fourth Season
File:Oc4.jpg Set Details Special Features
  • 16 Episodes (727 Mins.)
  • 5-Disc Set
  • 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish and French
  • English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
  • Unaired Scenes
  • Josh Schwartz Commentary on the Series Finale
  • The Magic that is Chrismukkah: Cast, crew and religious experts weigh in on The O.C.'s distinctive holiday celebration
  • Summer Roberts - Beauty Meets Brown: The creation and evolution of one of the shows most lovable characters
Release Dates
 United States  United Kingdom  Australia
May 22, 2007 May 28, 2007 July 4, 2007

* Region 1 Release Only

References

  1. ^ Associated Press (5 January 2007). "Fox's once hot 'The O.C.' cancelled". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved 2007-02-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Ari Posner (2004-03-21). "'The O.C.' Rewrites the Rules of TV Writing". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  3. ^ Daniel Robert Epstein. "Josh Schwartz of The O.C. Interview". UnderGroundOnline. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  4. ^ Patrick Rush: Casting "The O.C."
  5. ^ Seeing Stars: The O.C. -> Studio
  6. ^ Seeing Stars: The O.C. -> Redondo Beach
  7. ^ Seeing Stars: The O.C. -> Hermosa Pier
  8. ^ Seeing Stars: The O.C. -> Newport Group
  9. ^ SitcomsOnline.com, TV Land Upfront 2007, retrieved 2007-05-24
  10. ^ MSNBC and AP: Plagued by low ratings, ‘The O.C.’ gets canceled
  11. ^ [1]
  12. ^ EW.com: Aggggghhhhhhh! Fox cancels 'The O.C.'!
  13. ^ Josh Schwartz to Ausiello: O.C. on the CW? Never Say Never
  14. ^ The O.C.: CW Says No Thanks
  15. ^ Viewership numbers of primetime programs in the 2003-04 television season
  16. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: Final audience and ratings figures for 2004-05". May 27, 2005. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
  17. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2005-06 primetime wrap". May 26, 2006. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
  18. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2006-07 primetime wrap". May 25 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
  19. ^ FOX Extends 'The O.C.' to 27 Episodes
  20. ^ Viewer numbers for the week of March 6-12, 2006
  21. ^ Sorry, 'Sopranos': 'Housewives' Still Rule the Roost
  22. ^ http://www.fox.com/oc/savetheoc
  23. ^ Season One, Episode 13 The Best Chrismukkah Ever
  24. ^ Season Two, Episode 3 The New Kids on the Block
  25. ^ Season Two, Episode 20 The O.C. Confidential
  26. ^ Season Two, Episode 4 The New Era
  27. ^ Season Two, Episode 7 The Family Ties
  28. ^ Season Two, Episode 9 The Ex-Factor
  29. ^ Season Two, Episode 14 The Rainy Day Women
  30. ^ Season One, Episode 22 The L.A.
  31. ^ Season One, Episode 2 The Model Home
  32. ^ eg. Season One, Episode 14 The Countdown
  33. ^ Season Two, Episode 3 The New Kids on the Block
  34. ^ Season One, Episode 18 The Truth
  35. ^ Season One, Episode 17 The Rivals
  36. ^ Season One, Episode Two The Model Home
  37. ^ Season One, Episode 21 The Goodbye Girl
  38. ^ Season Two, Episode 14 The Rainy Day Women
  39. ^ Season One, Episode 22 The L.A.
  40. ^ fox.com, Save the OC, retrieved 2007-05-24
  41. ^ "Save The OC". Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
  42. ^ Yahoo Launch News Story
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