The O.C.

The O.C.
File:The OC poster.jpg
Created by	Josh Schwartz
Starring	Peter Gallagher Kelly Rowan Benjamin McKenzie Mischa Barton Adam Brody Melinda Clarke Rachel Bilson
Country of origin	USA
No. of episodes	68 (to date)
Production
Running time	44 minutes
Original release
Network	FOX
Release	August 5, 2003 – present

The O.C. is an American television drama program broadcast on the Fox Network in the U.S. and on various networks around the world. It was an immediate hit upon its release in 2003 and was the first teen drama to capture critics and audiences alike since Beverly Hills 90210 a decade earlier. "O.C." is short for Orange County, California. The series, created by Josh Schwartz, debuted on August 5, 2003, with the tagline, "The best new show of the fall is coming this summer." The show's third season originally aired in the U.S. on Thursday nights at 8:00 Eastern, the same time slot it held in the second season, before moving to 9:00 PM Eastern in January 2006. The series has been noted for its music selections, which have helped some previously little-known bands gain exposure, so much so that to date, the producers have released five compilation albums featuring highlighted performers. To date it has aired in more than 35 countries worldwide. Mixing comedy, drama, melodramatic soap conventions and tongue-in-cheek humor, the O.C. helped bring young viewers back to FOX and has launched its stars onto magazine covers around the globe.

Plot

Template:Spoilers The show revolves around two upper-class families in the southern California city of Newport Beach, in Orange County. Ryan Atwood, a troubled teenage boy from a dysfunctional family in Chino, California, is transplanted to an upper-class community. He is taken in under the care of Sandy Cohen, a successful lawyer who himself rose from humble roots; and his wife Kirsten, daughter of enormously-wealthy Orange County real estate mogul, Caleb Nichol. Ryan becomes good friends with the Cohens' geeky misfit son Seth, and falls in love with the beautiful girl next door, Marissa Cooper, whose best friend, Summer Roberts, is the girl Seth has been infatuated with for years.

Unlike many other family-friendly teen shows, The O.C. takes on the gritty issues of the wealthy, such as marital problems, drugs and alcohol, and familial relationships.

The show also often makes fun of its soap opera elements and often includes self-referential jokes. Notable examples include comments about Benjamin McKenzie's likeness to Russell Crowe, Peter Gallagher's eyebrows, and Mischa Barton's weight - things often cited by fans. In one episode after discovering he vomited at the Bait Shop when he was drunk the night before, Seth asks Ryan if it was "like the little girl in The Sixth Sense or like the fat guy in Monty Python" - "the little girl in The Sixth Sense" was played by Mischa Barton. In addition, the show features a soap opera entitled The Valley, which is similar to The O.C. An episode of the first season titled "The L.A." introduced the viewers to some of the actors from that show. In that episode, Ryan comments on the actor's age: "How can they play high school kids?", by which Seth replies: "Hollywood, man!". This could be seen as a self-irony, since most of the actors playing the teens on the show are over 25. Additionally, many of the characters make fun of their stereotypes, such as when Ryan escapes a conversation by saying, "I'm going to go brood silently".

The main cast

• Peter Gallagher plays Sandy Cohen, a lawyer and former public defender who brings Ryan Atwood to his home. He is currently the CEO of the Newport Group.
• Kelly Rowan plays Kirsten Cohen, the wife of Sandy Cohen and the mother of Seth Cohen and former CFO of her late father's real estate company and has an off and on alcohol problem.
• Benjamin McKenzie plays Ryan Atwood, a troubled outsider from Chino who comes to live with the Cohen family in Newport after Sandy rescues him from a troubled life. He has an on/off relationship with Marissa.
• Adam Brody plays Seth Cohen, the only child of Sandy and Kirsten. Seth is known for his quick quips and popular culture references.
• Mischa Barton plays Marissa Cooper, a local teenage girl whose once-seemingly-charmed life has many problems (alcohol abuse, her dysfunctional family, her romantic relationships, and exploring her sexuality among them)
• Melinda Clarke plays Marissa's mother Julie Cooper-Nichol (soon to be Julie Cooper-Nichol-Roberts) (formerly Julie Cooper), who was married to financial planner Jimmy Cooper in the beginning of the series. After learning that he stole a large sum of money from clients, she eventually divorced Jimmy and married Caleb Nichol. After Caleb's death, Julie showed signs of wanting to reconcile with Jimmy. However, she eventually lost everything when it was discovered Caleb was broke at the time of his death. Part of the fallout included being evicted from the mansion where she had been living; living in a condominium purchased for her under questionable circumstances and living in a trailer park. The underlying motivation in Julie's actions comes from her effort to keep all aspects of her life far from a humble past in the decidedly less fashionable community of Riverside. By extension, she struggles to keep her daughter Marissa away from Ryan, whose own background in Chino is as far removed from Newport as is Julie's.
• Rachel Bilson plays Summer Roberts, the socialite of the four main teen characters — the love interest of Seth, and best friend to Marissa.
• Autumn Reeser plays Taylor Townsend, a Harbor School outcast who befriends Seth and Summer, never wanting to leave their side. (Rumored to join main cast in Season Four)

Former regulars

• Chris Carmack played Luke Ward, Marissa's jock ex-boyfriend and regular cast member episodes 2-24.
• Alan Dale played Caleb Nichol, Kirsten's businessman father and eventually Julie Cooper's husband. His character was recurring throughout the first season until he became a regular during the second season. Additionally, his is the first main character to be killed off when he had a heart attack. It was found out that he was broke at the reading of his will, leaving Julie with nothing.
• Tate Donovan played 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.Unfortunatly, 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.

Notable Guest Stars

Season one

• Ashley Hartman played Holly Fischer for six episodes. Holly was best friends with Summer and Marissa until she got caught making out with Marissa's boyfriend Luke.
• Bradley Stryker played Trey Atwood for two episodes as Ryan's older brother.
• Daphne Ashbrook plays Dawn Atwood, appearing in 2 episodes in season one, and returning for season three.
• Samaire Armstrong played Anna Stern, a female version of Seth who initially appeared for one episode but was brought back at fan request for several episodes. Her character left in season one for Pittsburgh and will be returning in season three when Seth and friends go to visit Universities.
• Bonnie Somerville played Rachel, a colleague of Sandy's.
• Rosalind Chao played Dr. Kim, the Principal at Harbor High School where Ryan and his new friends attend.
• Navi Rawat plays Theresa, an old girlfriend of Ryan's.
• Taylor Handley played Oliver Trask, a mentally unbalanced teenager who infatuates over Marissa after meeting her in a therapy clinic.
• Amanda Righetti played Hailey Nichol, Kirsten's little sister and love interest for Jimmy, who eventually left for Japan to pursue a job in the fashion industry.
• Shailene Woodley played Kaitlin Cooper for six episodes as Marissa's younger sister.
• Eric Balfour played Eddie, Theresa's abusive fiancé.
• Linda Lavin plays Sophie Cohen, Sandy's mother, referred to as "The Nana." She returned for another episode in Season Two.
• Michael Nouri plays Dr. Neil Roberts, Summer's father. He returns for more appearances in Season Three.

Season two

• Michael Cassidy played Zach Stephens, who had an on-again/off-again relationship with Summer after Seth left at the end of Season 1. He eventually decided to let the two be together after realizing that they still loved one another. Creator Josh Schwartz has said "He's off in Marin County working for Lucasfilm."
• Nicholas Gonzalez played D.J., the Nichol's gardener and one of Marissa's love interests in the beginning of season two.
• Shannon Lucio played Lindsay Gardner, a fellow student, Ryan's love interest, Kirsten's sister and Caleb's daughter, who 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 is 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 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 is released from jail. At the end of season two Trey is shot by Marissa. He survives the gunshot and eventually leaves the hospital and heads for Las Vegas.
• Marguerite Moreau played Reed Carlson, the executive of the graphic novel company for which Seth and Zach pitched their graphic novel.
• Nikki Griffin played Jess Sathers, a cocaine-addicted blonde to whom Trey was attracted. She returns in season three and is helped by Ryan with issues dealing with her boyfriend Jim.

===Season Three=== (Warning: Spoilers)

• Jeri Ryan played Charlotte Morgan, a con-artist Kirsten Cohen meets in rehab. She seemed to share a lot of the same traits of Kirsten but uses 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 checks made out to a real substance abuse organization instead of the fake one. Interestingly, the character's first name resembles the word 'charlatan.'
• Ryan Donowho played Johnny Harper, a 17-year-old student at Newport Union who was into the beach and skateboarding. 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 14, Season 3, Johnny dies by falling from a cliff.
• Kayla Ewell played Casey, Johnny's ex-girlfriend who cheated on him with Kevin Volchok.
• Johnny Lewis played Dennis "Chili" Childress, a surfer and skateboarder at Newport Union, a 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 of the Harbor School who was ultimately thrown out of the school by Sandy's bluff (he was caught making out with Taylor Townsend).
• Autumn Reeser plays Taylor Townsend, a student who battles Summer for full control of Harbor School's social scene. Taylor is extremely lonely, and upon realizing this, Summer and Seth become friends with her.
• 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 (?).
• Paula Trickey plays Veronica Townsend, Taylor's mother who continuously hounds her daughter about her own appearance and the fact that she doesn't have much of a social life.
• Rob Brownstein played Kurt Williams, a potential buyer of the Newport Group.
• Jeff Hephner plays Matt Ramsey, Kurt Williams' former associate and currently the Vice-President under Sandy Cohen at the Newport Group.
• Cam Gigandet plays Kevin Volchok, a fellow surfer who decided to try and make Ryan's life a living hell after he tried to pick on Johnny. Years before, he went out with Sadie, and in future episodes may attempt something with Marissa.
• Lisa Rotondi played Gwen Harper, Johnny's mother.
• Willa Holland played Kaitlin Cooper, Marissa's little sister.
• Shaun Duke plays Henry Griffin, Chair of the Hospital Board.
• Nikki Reed plays Sadie Campbell, a cousin of Johnny Harper, whom Ryan becomes very interested in, and he then splits up with Marissa in Episode 16: "It's hard to believe that through everything we've been through, we've got nothing left to say" (Ryan).

Notable plots

Main article: List of episodes of The O.C.

Season 1

The first season ran from August 2003 - May 2004. It comprised 27 episodes, including a seven-episode "season zero" that began in late summer, with a 43-day hiatus before the next twenty episodes. This was due to the FOX network's coverage of Major League Baseball playoffs and the World Series. Notable plots included:

• Ryan's introduction and integration by Sandy into Orange County society, and his growing relationship with Marissa Cooper.
• The destruction of Marissa's relationship with her boyfriend Luke, and his subsequent change in personality from an egotistical and spoiled rich kid into a good guy.
• Seth's love for Marissa's best friend, Summer Roberts, becoming a strange relationship.
• The marriage breakdown of Marissa's parents, Jimmy and Julie, as his business fraud was made public.
• Sandy's jealousy over Kirsten and Jimmy's old relationship.
• Sandy's changing of jobs from public defender to private attorney, which soon saw him disillusioned with the industry.
• Sandy and Jimmy eventually going into business with a restaurant, only to be bought out by Caleb.
• Ryan dealing with the manipulative Oliver, who tried to take Marissa away.
• Caleb's manipulations and dirty business deals.
• Marissa dealing with a substance abuse problem of drinking and drugs.
• Seth having to choose between Summer and his good friend Anna.
• Julie's short-lived relationship with Luke, and her subsequent engagement to Caleb (which many suspected was simply for money).
• Ryan's ex-girlfriend and good friend Theresa, from Chino, who came to stay for a while and whose abusive fiancé Eddie forced her to flee.
• Sandy's overbearing mother, Sophie, (nicknamed 'the Nana') coming to stay and announcing that she was dying of cancer.
• Luke's discovery of his father's homosexuality and eventual moving away from Orange County (and the series).
• Kirsten's outgoing and spoiled younger sister Hailey, notorious for not doing anything with her life, coming to stay and developing a relationship with Jimmy.

In the season finale, many events came to a head: Caleb and Julie were married in a surprisingly uneventful ceremony; however Caleb later revealed to Sandy that he was on the verge of bankruptcy. Marissa moved in with Julie and Caleb, but had redeveloped her drinking problem. Jimmy and Sandy's restaurant seemed likely never to open. Seth and Summer had problems after her father did not take a liking to him. Ryan discovered Theresa was pregnant, possibly by him, and decided to move back to Chino to support her. Most of all, Seth ran away on the Summer Breeze, his sailboat, distraught by Ryan's departure.

Season 2

The second season, November 2004 - May 2005, contained 24 episodes and once again ended with a cliffhanger. Notable plots included:

• Theresa lying to Ryan, telling him that she had a miscarriage to drive him away after seeing how unhappy he is living with her.
• Seth's refusal to leave Portland, Oregon where he was staying with Luke and his recently divorced father after running away in the season one finale.
• Seth and Ryan's eventual return to Newport Beach.
• The introduction of two new boyfriends, Summer's Zach Stevens, a "WASP version of Seth", and Marissa's D.J., her family's yard worker (who breaks up with her after realizing that they were together to anger Julie)
• Ryan's relationship with Lindsay, fellow student at Harbor High School on an academic scholarship, which complicates under the realization that Lindsay is actually Kirsten's illegitimate half sister.
• Caleb's arrest on bribery and related charges, ending with his acquittal after former employee, Renee Wheeler, testifies about their past affair.
• Caleb's resignation as CEO of the Newport Group, and corresponding appointment of Julie as CEO and Kirsten as CFO.
• The introduction of Alexandria 'Alex' Kelly, an emancipated 17-year-old who works at The Bait Shop nightclub with Seth, and both of them having an ensuing relationship.
• The discovery of Caleb's affair with Renee Wheeler, with whom he has a child, Lindsay, and attempts to develop a relationship with, culminating in his offer to adopt her.
• Jimmy Cooper's affair with Julie, who leaves for Maui to discover himself.
• Julie's ego-driven project of "Newport Living", a lifestyle magazine.
• Zach, Seth (and Summer) creating a comic book (and then graphic novel) based on the lives of their friends.
• Alex having a genuine and passionate, but short-lived, relationship with Marissa, and her low-key departure from Newport Beach.
• Caleb suffering a minor heart attack, and his subsequent desire to become more-family oriented.
• The arrival and departure of Rebecca Bloom, Sandy's previous flame, wanting to clear her name for a crime that occurred years ago (and the death of her father, Sandy's mentor).
• Lindsay being confirmed by a DNA test to be Caleb's daughter, only to leave for Chicago with her mother.
• Summer breaking up with Zach after realizing she still has feelings for Seth, with whom she gets back together.
• The arrival and departure of Lance Baldwin, a man from Julie Cooper's past, who blackmails Julie with an 80's pornographic videotape (The Porn Identity) starring herself and Lance, which debuted at the Newport Living launch.
• The arrival and departure of Carter Buckley, the new magazine editor for Newport Living, and his sexual tension with Kirsten.
• Trey Atwood's release from jail, temporary lodge with the Cohens, and move into Alex's old apartment.
• Trey's arrest (and subsequent acquittal) on charges related to a local bad girl, Jess, overdosing on drugs and nearly drowning at his 21st birthday party, with whom he begins to have a sexual relationship.
• The deterioration of Caleb and Julie's marriage, and his deliverance of divorce papers partially because of her affair with Jimmy, Caleb's ensuing death occurred before the papers were signed.
• Trey (while under the influence of drugs) attempting to rape Marissa.
• Kirsten's addiction to alcohol and consequential car crash.
• Seth meeting George Lucas and Zach taking Summer to the prom, which eventually switches as Zach meets Lucas and Seth goes after Summer.
• Caleb's death from a heart attack.

The Season Finale opens with Caleb's funeral, for which Hailey and Jimmy return. After Kirsten gets drunk yet again, Sandy decides to send her to a rehabilitation clinic. Initially unwilling to go, Kirsten is convinced by her family. Jess and Trey become involved in a drug deal at the Bait Shop. Ryan finds out about Trey's attempted rape of Marissa, and confronts him. They fight, and Marissa arrives as Trey is in the process of strangling Ryan. She shoots Trey in the back, and it is unsure if he lives or dies (though it is revealed in the third season that he fell into a coma).

Season 3

Season 3, 2005-2006, premiered on September 8, 2005. Notable plots include:

• The departure of Trey Atwood, who was shot last season by Marissa and left Newport on a Greyhound bus to Las Vegas.
• The arrival and departure of Charlotte Morgan, a con artist who tries to manipulate Kirsten while at rehab. Her plans to steal money from the people of Newport were thwarted by Julie Cooper, after she found out who Charlotte was and sending the money to a real organization.
• Kirsten learning about Charlotte's real intentions from Julie, she forgives her and decides to try and start up a business with her.
• Marissa being expelled from Harbor, after what happened in season 2. She is introduced to Johnny Harper, Casey (his girlfriend), and Dennis "Chili" Childress (his best friend). Later, she is readmitted by the school board.
• The arrival and departure of Jack Hess, the new Dean of Discipline, who leaves after Summer finds out about his relationship with Taylor Townsend and blackmails him to let Ryan back in Harbor.
• The introduction of Taylor Townsend, Summer's rival, the two of whom fight over the social chair position previously occupied by Marissa. She begins to start a friendship with Summer and Seth, after they look at how mean-spirited her mother is.
• The return of Jimmy, who was deep in debt with a loanshark, named Don. Jimmy eventually fails to pay back the money and as a result, he is severely beaten by Don and his cronies. Jimmy originally plans to marry Julie for her inheritance, but leaves after discovering that Caleb was bankrupt.
• Sandy taking over control of the Newport Group, and hiring newcomer Matt Ramsey to help run it.
• The introduction of Matt Ramsey, Sandy's assistant in running the Newport Group. His personal life conflicts with his job, notably when he was temporarily fired for taking Ryan to a strip club, screwing up a presentation for a project, and currently dating a board member's daughter in order to persuade him on doing the hospital project.
• Julie & Marissa are evicted from the mansion. Julie officially hits rock bottom as she is forced to live out of a low-rent motel room, while Marissa moves in with Summer. Julie eventually abandons her motel room for a trailer park.
• Seth and Summer both applying for college; in particular, Brown University.
• The introduction of Kevin Volchok, a surfer who was Johnny's rival. He had an affair with Johnny's ex-girlfriend and it is apparent that he and Sadie Campbell have an estranged relationship while Johnny was still alive. Later, he begins a relationship with Marissa.
• Summer shocking Seth with her exceptional SAT Score of 2300.
• Julie and Kirsten deciding to turn their catering business into a high-end dating service.
• The return of Dr. Neil Roberts, Summer's father. He starts to develop a loving relationship with Julie Cooper, after a conversation during the Chrismukkah season. They soon leave for a cruise, and when they return, are engaged.
• The return and departure of Kaitlin Cooper. She was more rebellious and devious than she was before, when it was revealed that she stole money to go back home, smokes marijuana and supplies Seth with some, and sparked more trouble in the Ryan-Marissa-Johnny love triangle. She decided to leave after her classmate starts a new relationship with her during Valentine's Day.
• Seth starting to smoke marijuana, which was supplied by Kaitlin to relieve college pressures. He ends up skipping his interview with a Brown scout and makes up an elaborate story, Summer finds out that he eventually skipped the interview and also that he is "rocking the ganja."
• The arrival and death of Johnny Harper, a former schoolmate of Marissa's while she was at Newport Union. He develops a love for Marissa, for helping him out when he couldn't make the surfing team, and her sister, Kaitlin. Johnny dies from head injuries sustained from a drunken fall off of a cliff.
• The introduction of Sadie Campbell, Johnny's cousin, who moved from Oregon to establish her jewelry-making business. Ryan begins to fall for her during a road trip to find Johnny's dad and obtain money from his child support. The end result is Marissa and Ryan breaking up, while Volchok goes for Marissa and Ryan goes for Sadie.
• The somewhat return of Dawn Atwood, who is found in jail by Sandy for Ryan's 18th birthday. Unfortunately, she cowardly leaves Ryan a note as a present.

Show trivia and miscellany

• The show's producer, McG, attended Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, and he originally intended to film the high school scenes at CdM's crosstown rival Newport Harbor High School.
• Due to labor union salary rules about filming outside of Los Angeles County, The O.C. is actually filmed at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach (40 miles away from the actual Newport Beach) to reduce costs.
• Though the show isn't shot on location, characters frequently mention popular Orange County hangouts like South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island. The Harbor School is a fictional private school which may have been inspired by the Sage Hill School, an elite private school in the hills of Newport Coast. There exists a Newport Harbor High School, but it is a public school. Furthermore, many of the other schools mentioned on the show, such as Mater Dei High School and UCI, are all actually there. Newport Union High School, however, does not exist. Additionally, the TV show's Balboa Wetlands appear to be based upon real-life Orange County's Bolsa Chica Wetlands.
• 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 call it "The O.C." as a joke.
• The show is called "The O.C.", and not "Orange County" as originally planned, because a movie of that name was released a year before the show premiered.
• 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.
• The trailer for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith aired during the March 10th episode of the second season, precursored by a scene with OC star Adam Brody (acting as Seth).
• The Newport Group HQ is also the same building used for the Miami-Dade Police HQ in CSI: Miami
• The Newport Group seems to have been inspired by the Irvine Company, which owns a large portion of the real estate in southern and central Orange County.
• The onscreen parody of the show, "The Valley", refers to the San Fernando Valley, a region of LA which is home to many of the large media conglomerates. The parody of Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, "Sherman Oaks: The Real Valley," is set in Sherman Oaks, an affluent community in northern LA.
• Many of the newer wealthy housing developments seen on the show are actually in Newport Coast (which was recently annexed by Newport Beach) and Crystal Cove, a few minutes drive down the PCH from Newport Beach. Appropriately enough, most of these developments are owned by the Irvine Company
• The Beastie Boys single "Ch-Check It Out" debuted on The O.C. in "The Vegas" from Season 1 which aired April 28 2004. Yahoo Launch News Story. 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" and Gwen Stefani with her single "Cool".
• Adam Brody improvises some of his lines. They hinted at this when Summer reveals the star of "The Valley" improvises his lines.
• Before the start of the 3rd season, Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson, and Ben McKenzie were Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher or his crew members.
• Both season premieres from Season 2 and 3 feature an opening scene after the credits with both Summer and Marissa sitting by a pool.
• Chrismukkah is a holiday that the Cohen household celebrates to blend Seth's combined Jewish and Christian heritage.
• Tate Donovan, who played Jimmy Cooper on the show, directed an episode of The O.C., "The Game Plan."
• According to The Simpsons episode Milhouse of Sand and Fog, Lisa Simpson enjoys watching The O.C.
• Matt Ramsey is a real person. He's actually an editor for many episodes for The O.C.
• The theme song for The O.C., "California", is performed by Phantom Planet.
• In an episode of House, M.D. it is revealed that Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) watches "The O.C."
• Seth occasionally speaks in Object Subject Verb format, much like the character Yoda from the Star Wars movie series. This is seen several times in the second season. Other references to Star Wars and Lucasfilms pop up throughout the series.
• Chris Carmack who played Luke Ward in seasons 1 & 2 is often referred to as "Abercrombie & Fitch" in a derogatory manner. Carmack was a model for the clothing company.
• The young lady who inspired the bathtub in Lindsay Lohan's music video "Confessions of a Broken Heart", Anna Pokorny was announced as being cast as Ryan's illegitamate sister Autumn Buttar. The character is said to be extremely sexual in comparison to the rest of the cast.
• Julie and Kirsten's company New Match actually has a web site ([1]) which is also mentioned in the third season episode "The Road Warrior".

Episode list

Main article at: List of episodes of The O.C.

Specials

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

• The O.C. - Obsessed Completely (First Aired 9-16-04)
• Welcome to The O.C. - A Day In The Life (First Aired 9-23-04)

Region 1 DVD releases

• The O.C.: The Complete First Season (October 26, 2004) — 7 Disc DVD set that contains all 27 episodes from the show's first season. Bonus features include featurettes, deleted scenes, commentary on the Pilot episode, and pop-up music guides on certain episodes.

• The O.C.: The Complete Second Season (August 23, 2005) — 7 Disc DVD set that contains all 24 episodes from the show's second season. Unlike Season 1, the episodes will be presented in widescreen for the DVD set. Bonus features include featurettes, Gag reel from Seasons 1 and 2, Extended cut of "The Rainy Day Women", Commentary on "The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn't" and "The Rainy Day Women", and "The O.C.: Obsessed Completely" Retrospective Special. The Region Two DVD set does not come with the seventh disc.

International distribution

Australia

• Aired originally on Nine Network, for three episodes before being taken off air due to lack of advertising, promotion and therefore poor ratings. Later in the year Network Ten picked up the show and owns the rights today.
• The third season can be seen on Network Ten, Tuesday at 8:30 pm.
• The complete first and second seasons are available on DVD.
• Australian Pay-TV network Arena is currently airing the first season at 9.30pm Wednesdays with the episode repeated the following afternoon at 2.30pm. Arena+2 (exclusive to Foxtel Digital) repeats the episodes 2 hours later at 11.30pm Wednesdays and 4.30pm Thursdays.

Brazil

• Presented firstly by Warner Channel on cable TV, currently showing Season 3 on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm and Thursdays at 1:00 pm with Portuguese subtitles.
• The complete first and second seasons are also available on DVD.
• SBT - public channel - broadcasts previous season dubbed on Sundays at 11:00 am. The dubbed version of the show is called "O.C.: Um Estranho no Paraíso", which translates into "O.C.: An Outsider at Paradise".

Canada

• Broadcasted by CTV (airs simultaneously with FOX).
• Airs Thursdays at 9:00 PM (in synch with FOX as of March 2006).
• During the second half of season 1, CTV (on Mondays) aired the episodes before FOX (on Wednesdays) except for a few episode including the last 2. Also, in Season 3, when FOX changed their time to 9:00 PM, CTV changed their airing time to 7:00 PM, an hour earlier instead of an hour later as FOX did, for one episode. Now, both stations air at 9:00 PM.
• The complete first and second season are available on DVD.

Finland

• Broadcasted by MTV3
• Showing on Tuesdays at 8:00 pm
• Currently showing the second season
• The complete first season DVD out in stores

Germany

• Broadcasted by ProSieben.
• Aired on Wednesday at 9:15 pm.
• ProSieben is now repeating the first season on Saturday at 3:00pm.
• Changed name: "O.C., California"
• The complete first and second seasons are available on DVD.

Greece

• Broadcasted daily by Star Channel in July 2004, August 2005, Christmas 2005 (Season 1 repeated three times)
• The channel says it will broadcast season 2 on July 2006
• Came out with the name "California Teens"
• Seasons 1 and 2 are available on DVD (2 Complete seasons or four episodes on each of the 14 stand-alone packs)

Hong Kong

• Dual broadcasted by TVB Pearl in English and dubbed Cantonese, with Chinese subtitles.
• Season 1 was shown on Monday to Thursday at 9:30 pm in August 2005 (the last Thursday after episode 27 was the television special "The O.C. - Obsessed Completely"), then Season 2 immediately started on the next Wednesday (which was already September) at 9:30 pm. Again, Season 3 started right after the last episode of Season 2 (March 2006).
• It's still showing on Wednesdays at 9:30 pm.
• Unlike other series, this drama does not have a Chinese-translated name, or is just simply called "OC".
• The complete first and second seasons are available on DVD with Chinese subtitles.

Iceland

• Broadcasted by Skjár Einn
• Airs Season 3 Mondays at 8:00 PM.
• The complete first and second seasons are available on DVD.

India

The OC is broadcast in India on both Star World and Zee Cafe. Two episodes are aired back to back on both channels. The OC occupies the Tuesday 9 PM time slot on Star World. On Zee Cafe it is aired on Sundays at 8 PM. It was first released in India in January 2006 under the tagline "The REAL American idols". So far the series has had tremendous success in India and critics say it will probably become Zee Cafe's most watched show after the said channel finishes airing the final season of Friends.

Ireland

• Broadcast by TG4.
• Is shown on Mondays at 9.05pm

Israel

• Broadcasted by Yes (satellite) every Thursday at 9:30 pm on the Yes Stars channel.
• Israel 10 also repeated the first season on Saturday at 6:30 pm. The second season will be shown on Israel 10 in the near future (Summer 2006).
• The complete first and second season are also available on DVD with Hebrew subtitles.

Italy

• Broadcasted by Italia 1(Mediaset).
• Italia 1 showed the 1st and the 2nd season.
• The O.C. is named simply "O.C."
• The complete first season is available on DVD.
• As Dawson's Creek and Beverly Hills, 90210, The O.C. is successful in Italy.
• Rachel Bilson and particularly Adam Brody are very successful among the Italian audience.
• In Italy, two episodes are consecutively broadcasted every week, as all other American sitcoms.

The Netherlands

• Broadcasted by NET 5.
• Airs Season 3 Sundays at 5:00 PM.
• Veronica airs reruns of Season 1 & 2 from Monday til Thursday at 6:30 PM.
• The complete first and second seasons are available on DVD.

New Zealand

• Season 3 currently airing, on TV2, Saturday at 7:30pm.
• Seasons 1 & 2 were shown on Friday at 7:30pm.
• Season 1 & 2 are currently out on DVD.

Pakistan

• Broadcast on TV ONE; 1st season being aired.
• All seasons available on DVD as well.

Philippines

• Broadcasted by Solar Entertainment-owned cable channel ETC, and at RPN on network TV, in which Solar owns the primetime block. Also shown at Star World.
• Shows on ETC every Monday at 8:00 pm with re-runs the next Sunday at 1:00pm, and at RPN on Fridays at 9:00 pm.
• The complete first and second seasons are available on DVD and VCD.

Sweden

• Broadcast by Swedish Channel 5.
• The complete first and second season are also available on DVD.

Turkey

• Broadcast by CNBC-E (www.cnbce.com)
• CNBC-E is now airing the second season weeknights at 6.45pm, and the episode is repeated later between 2.00am and 2.45am. Each episode is 1 hour and 15 minutes long (with commercials).

United Kingdom

• Broadcast by Channel 4 as part of their Sunday morning T4 strand of youth-oriented programming, in the slot formerly occupied by Dawson's Creek.
• Currently showing on E4 (first look) on Tuesday nights, and Channel 4 a few days later.
• The complete first and second seasons are also available on DVD.

France

• Broadcasted by France 2.
• Changed name: "newport BEACH"
• The complete first season is available on DVD.
• The complete second season will be available on 21 June 2006.

External links

• FOX's The O.C. website
• CTV's "The O.C." website
• The O.C. at IMDb
• The O.C. En Español
• TV.com "The O.C." Guide
• Television Without Pity >> The O.C.
• OC Drama a public, community-oriented wiki about the O.C.
• Newport Group German unofficial Page
• Music From The O.C. The latest on music featured on the show and the show's soundtracks.
• The TV MegaSite's The OC Site
• The OC Blog A Blog about the OC with all the latest news and info
• Episode Guide