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The O.C.

The O.C. (O.C. stands for Orange County) is an American television drama/soap opera program broadcast on the Fox Network. It debuted on August 5, 2003, with the tagline, "The best new show of the fall is coming this summer." It airs on Thursdays at 8/9c on FOX. Season 2 begins on November 4th 2004.

Plot

The show revolves around two upper-class families in the southern California enclave of Newport Beach. The story follows Ryan Atwood, a troubled teenage boy from a dysfunctional family in Chino, California, who is transplanted to a high-class society focused on wealth and reputations. 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 an enormously-wealthy Orange County real estate mogul. Ryan becomes good friends with the Cohens' geeky misfit son Seth, and falls in love with beautiful girl next door, Marissa Cooper.

Unlike other family-friendly teen shows, The O.C. takes on the gritty issues of the rich and wealthy in soap-opera style. As Seth remarks to Ryan when he introduces the baffled youth to an extravagant Newport party, "Welcome to the dark side."

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, and Peter Gallagher's eyebrows - both things often cited by fans - and the show features its own soap opera called The Valley, which is similar to The O.C. An episode of the first season entitled "The L.A." introduced us to some of the actors from that show.

Season 1

The first season ran from 2003 to 2004 and was comprised of 27 episodes. Notable plots included:

• Ryan's integration into Orange County society, and his growing relationship with Marissa.
• The destruction of Marissa's relationship with her boyfriend Luke, and his subsequent change in personality.
• Seth's love for Marissa's best friend Summer becoming a strange relationship.
• The marriage breakdown of Marissa's parents, Jimmy and Julie, as his 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.
• Ryan dealing with manipulative Oliver, who tried to take Marissa away.
• The manipulations of Kirsten's father Caleb.
• Marissa dealing with a substance abuse problem.
• Seth having to choose between Summer and his good friend Anna.
• Julie's short-lived relationship with Luke, and 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 fiancee Eddie forced her to flee.
• Sandy's mother 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.
• Kirsten's 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 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 broke up after her father, and closest friend, did not take a liking to him; Ryan discovered Theresa was pregnant, possibly to him, and decided to move back to Chino and support her.

Cast

• Peter Gallagher as Sandy Cohen
• Kelly Rowan as Kirsten Cohen
• Benjamin McKenzie as Ryan Atwood
• Mischa Barton as Marissa Cooper
• Adam Brody as Seth Cohen
• Tate Donovan as Jimmy Cooper
• Mindy Clarke as Julie Cooper Nichol (Credited as Melinda Clarke)
• Rachel Bilson as Summer Roberts
• Alan Dale as Caleb Nichol
• Chris Carmack as Luke Ward (Season 1)

- Melinda Clarke and Rachel Bilson were originally only to be guest cast members, as evidenced by their minimal appearances in the pilot episode. Despite both initially being unlikeable characters, they soon won the support of the fans and - beginning with episode 14 - were added to the main credits.

- Alan Dale initially only guest starred in a few episodes, but his character similarly became a fan favorite and his appearances became increasingly regularly. In the second season he became a main character.

Notable Recurring Cast

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 of the first season.

Bonnie Somerville played Rachel, a colleague of Sandy's, for several episodes of the first season.

Rosalind Chao plays Dr. Kim, the dean at the local high school.

Navi Rawat plays Theresa, an old girlfriend of Ryan's.

Taylor Handley played Oliver Trask, a teenager who became obsessed with Marissa.

Amanda Righetti plays Hailey, Kirsten's sister and love interest for Jimmy.

Shailene Woodley plays Kaitlyn, Marissa's rarely seen younger sister.

Eric Balfour played Eddie, Theresa's abusive fiancee.

Linda Lavin plays Sophie Cohen, Sandy's mother, often referred to as "The Nana".

Michael Nouri plays Dr. Neil Roberts, Summer's father.

Show Trivia

• Due to labor union salary rules about filming outside of Los Angeles County, The O.C. is actually filmed in Hermosa Beach (40 miles away from the actual Newport Beach) to reduce costs.
• Though the show isn't shot on location, characters frequently mention popular OC hangouts like South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island. Newport Harbor High School is also a real high school as are other schools mentioned on the show, such as Mater Dei High School and UCI. 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. At first, the name of the show was met with scorn, but since then, some people call it "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.

Episode list

Season 1

1. Pilot
2. The Model Home
3. The Gamble
4. The Debut
5. The Outsider
6. The Girlfriend
7. The Escape
8. The Rescue
9. The Heights
10. The Perfect Couple
11. The Homecoming
12. The Secret
13. The Best Chrismukkah Ever
14. The Countdown
15. The Third Wheel
16. The Links
17. The Rivals
18. The Truth
19. The Heartbreak
20. The Telenovela
21. The Goodbye Girl
22. The L.A.
23. The Nana
24. The Proposal
25. The Shower
26. The Strip
27. The Ties That Bind

Season 2 will return in November 4, after the MLB World Series, with a time slot of 9/8 central on Thursdays (FOX). The DVD (season 1) is expected to be released on October 26, 2004, shortly before the premiere of the second season*.

Specials

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

• The O.C. - Obsess Completely
• The O.C. - A Day In The Life (First Aired 9-23-04)

See also

• Chrismukkah