The O.C.
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The O.C. is an American television comedy-drama program broadcast on the Fox Network in the US and on various networks around the world. The show details the lives of young adults and their families growing up in the affluent Orange County, California. It was an immediate hit upon its release in 2003Cynthia Littleton, "Fox living high life with 'Seth and Summer'," Hollywood Reporter, 28 August 2003, 6-7. and was the first teen drama to capture critics and audiences alike since Beverly Hills 90210 a decade earlier. The series, created by Josh Schwartz, debuted on August 5, 2003, with the tagline, "It's nothing like where you live, and nothing like you imagine." The show's third season originally aired in the U.S. on Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, the same time slot it held in the second season, before moving to 9:00 p.m. Eastern in January 2006. 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 to date, the producers have released five compilation albums featuring highlighted performers. This show frequently uses Indie Music.
To date, it has aired in more than 50 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.
Contents
The main cast
- Peter Gallagher plays Sandy Cohen, a lawyer and former public defender who brings Ryan Atwood to his home. He was the CEO of the Newport Group until he decided to return to the public defender's office at the end of season three.
- 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 (Newport Group) and a recovering alcoholic.
- Ben 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 had an on/off relationship with Marissa .
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Former regulars
- Chris Carmack played Luke Ward, Marissa's jock ex-boyfriend and regular cast member for episodes 2 to 24. He was the first main character to leave the show when he moved to Portland with his dad after his dad came out about being gay.
- 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. 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 a ship that is sailing in the Greek Islands.
- 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, battling with alcohol addiction due to tumultuous relationships with her parents and boyfriends. She was Summer's best friend and Ryan's on and off love interest. She was killed in a car accident after her vengeful last boyfriend, Kevin Volchok, who was driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, ran her and Ryan off a cliff. Marissa died in Ryan's arms.
Notable guest stars
Season 1
- 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, Ryan's older brother, for two episodes.
- Daphne Ashbrook played Dawn Atwood, appearing in two episodes in Season One, and returning for a few more episodes during 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 returned in Season Three, where she, once again, helped Seth get Summer back.
- Bonnie Somerville played Rachel, a colleague of Sandy's.
- Paris Hilton played herself in an LA nightclub, catching Seth's attention momentarily.
- Rosalind Chao played Dr. Kim, the principal at Harbor High, where Ryan and his new friends attend.
- Navi Rawat played Theresa Diaz, an old girlfriend of Ryan's, who returned in Season Three.
- 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 younger sister and love interest for Jimmy, who eventually left for Japan to pursue a job in the fashion industry.
- Shailene Woodley played Marissa's younger sister, Kaitlin Cooper, for six episodes.
- Eric Balfour played Eddie, Theresa's abusive fiancé.
- Linda Lavin played Sophie Cohen, Sandy's mother, referred to as "The Nana." She returned for another episode in Season Two.
- Michael Nouri played Dr. Neil Roberts, Summer's father. He played a much bigger role in Season Three.
- Kim Oja played Taryn, one of the Newport Beach locals. Referred to as a "Newpsie."
Season 2
- 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 illigetimate 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, Trey was shot by Marissa 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.
Season 3
- 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 version of Seth at Newport Union, 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. He was fired by Sandy 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 contributed to her death[link][link]
- 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 Summer 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 will become a season regular during season 4.
- 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, becoming a regular in Season four.
- Lisa Tucker played herself, an American Idol singer who lives in Orange County.
Episode list
Season 4 Details
It will be a battle for Ryan's soul as the Cohens fight to keep him focused on his future and as he seems to be reeling back to his old ways. When Sandy goes back to the public defender's office he finds himself reaching out to another troubled teen - Marissa's younger sister Kaitlin. The person most excited about leaving high school finds themself going back to Harbor as a teacher. This season will have 16 episodes instead of the usual 22 and starts Nov. 2; however, if ratings are good, more episodes will be produced. Entering the new season, The O.C.s timeslot is also expected to face increased challenges for ratings both from current competitor ' on CBS, and a relocated Grey's Anatomy'' on ABC.[The O.C. Season 4 Spoilers]
Trivia
- 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.
- Like their characters Summer and Seth, Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody are dating in real life.
- The Nichol surname, which is Kirsten's maiden name and Caleb's last name, is the real life last name of show producer McG.
- Adam Brody originally wanted the part of Ryan Atwood.
- The Cohens' pool is only 4 feet deep, making the cast have to kneel to do scenes in the pool.
- Chad Michael Murray was originally offered a role on the series as Luke Ward's good friend, but declined so he could be on One Tree Hill instead. The role of Luke Ward's friend was dropped.
- According to commentary, the writers originally were going to make Seth a part of the popular clique before they decided to make him an outcast, and the idea that Ryan was an illegitimate child of Sandy Cohen was also considered.
- Chris Carmack and Tate Donovan both were regular cast members during the first season while Rachel Bilson started as a guest star, even though Carmack and Donovan were not in every single episode during the season and Bilson was. Bilson was later added as a regular cast member, as was Melinda Clarke, while Carmack and Donovan were eventually dropped from the regular cast and soon thereafter removed completely from the show.
- 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, while most exterior shots (e.g. the pier, diner, and "the Bait Shop") are filmed in neighboring Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach.
- 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.
- 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, and 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: a number of the characters use the name "The O.C." (in various settings), to which Michael consistently responds, "Don't call it that."
- 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. The movie starred eventual O.C. guest star Colin Hanks.
- The Newport Group HQ is also the same building used for the Miami-Dade Police HQ in .
- 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 L.A. city, which is home to many of the large media conglomerates. The parody of , "Sherman Oaks: The Real Valley," is set in Sherman Oaks, an affluent community in the northern part of the city of L.A.
- 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 Strip' 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.
- Samaire Armstrong, who plays Anna, Seth's friend/exgirlfriend, was only scheduled for one episode, but many fans liked the chemistry between her and Seth, so she was brought back for a few episodes. She wasn't on any season two episodes and returned to the show in season three when Seth was up visiting Brown and ran into her.
- Before the start of the third season, Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson, and Ben McKenzie were Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher and his crew members.
- Matt Ramsey is a real person. He's actually an editor for many episodes for The O.C.
- The magazine "Riviera" is a real magazine based in Newport Beach. It's alter ego has been a plot point on the show several times, most notably when Caleb was named its Man of the Year, and then again in 2006 when Sandy Cohen was also named Man of the Year, but turned the honor down. The real Riviera does not have a Man of the Year issue. Melinda Clarke [Julie Cooper] appeared on the cover of the real "Riviera" in February 2005, with a glamorous fashion spread/interview feature story in the issue.
- In the episode in Season 1 called The Secret, the name Stephanie Savage is used as a student that isn't paying attenntion to the teacher. In real life, Stephanie Savage is one of the writers of The O.C.
- 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.
- Julie and Kirsten's company New Match actually has a web site (http://www.ocNewMatch.com) which is also mentioned in the third season episode 'The Road Warrior'.
- In the episode, 'The Undertow', Seth reveals that his returned Brown interviewer was a fellow anime fan and that they were having a critical conversation based on the films Ghost In The Shell and Akira. As it happens, Ghost In The Shell is actually set in a place called 'Newport City'.
- In the episode, 'The Dearly Beloved', Jimmy had said "You would not believe the North Shore." Hailey responsed by saying "So I've heard." Amanda Righetti starred on the short-lived Fox series North Shore.
- The O.C. has been mentioned on other T.V shows; Dr. House, Lisa Simpson from the Simpsons is a fan, Larry Gold from The War at Home and Stewie from Family Guy are all fans of the show. Mikey on the British sitcom My Family is also asked by his mother if he wants the show recording while he is on an army training course. In the Australian soap Neighbours, the Timmins Family and also Summer all are avid fans of the O.C., mentioned multiple times, more often by Janae Timmins, Bree Timmins and Summer
- 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.
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)
Music
The series is also known for its music, specifically indie rock and other non-mainstream bands. See also List of songs in The O.C..DVD releases
| DVD Name | Release Date | Additional Information | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | 
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| 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 & Region Four DVD sets do not come with the seventh disc. The German version of the DVD contains the seventh disc. | 
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| The O.C.: The Complete Third Season | October 24 2006 | 7 Disc DVD set that contains all 25 episodes from the show's third season. Bonus features are currently unknown apart from a 15 minute featurette titled "What's In A Name."http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/0/5F6D55FE5B618CD88025718D002CA4C8?OpenDocument Season 3 will be available in Australia on 13th of September, and on the 4th of September in the UK. | 
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References
External links
- [The O.C. Official website]
- [The O.C. Season 4 Spoilers]
- [The O.C. Filming Locations]
- [The O.C. TV.com - Guide]
- [The O.C. Television Without Pity]
- [Music from The O.C.] Includes the latest music featured on the show and the show's soundtracks.
- [The O.C. Trailers Website.] Includes Trailers and Cast Appearances.
| The O.C. | ||
| Episode List | [Official Website] | ||
| Current Main Characters | Ryan Atwood | Kirsten Cohen | Sandy Cohen | Seth Cohen Julie Cooper | Kaitlin Cooper | Summer Roberts | Taylor Townsend | |
| Former Main Characters | Marissa Cooper (S1 - S3) | Jimmy Cooper (S1) | Luke Ward (S1) | Caleb Nichol (S2) | |
| Recurring Characters |
Dawn Atwood | Trey Atwood | Lance Baldwin | Rebecca Bloom Carter Buckley | Reed Carlson | Sophie Cohen | Theresa Diaz Lindsay Gardner | Johnny Harper | Alex Kelly | Charlotte Morgan Hailey Nichol | Matt Ramsey | Jess Sathers | Anna Stern Zach Stevens | Veronica Townsend | Oliver Trask | Kevin Volchok | |
| Places | Newport Beach, Orange County, California | |
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