"The O.C." (2003) TV series 2003-2007

Creator:

Josh Schwartz

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

5 August 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The O.C. Orange County, It's where all the beautiful people live

Plot:

A troubled youth becomes embroiled in the lives of a close-knit group of people in the wealthy, upper-class neighborhood of Newport Beach, Orange County, California.

Plot Keywords:

California | Orange County California | Love | Lawyer | Teen

Awards:

14 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Peter Gallagher	...	Sandy Cohen (92 episodes, 2003-2007)
Kelly Rowan	...	Kirsten Cohen (92 episodes, 2003-2007)
Ben McKenzie	...	Ryan Atwood (92 episodes, 2003-2007)
Adam Brody	...	Seth Cohen (92 episodes, 2003-2007)
Rachel Bilson	...	Summer Roberts (92 episodes, 2003-2007)
Melinda Clarke	...	Julie Cooper / ... (88 episodes, 2003-2007)
Mischa Barton	...	Marissa Cooper (76 episodes, 2003-2006)
Tate Donovan	...	Jimmy Cooper (39 episodes, 2003-2006)

Also Known As:

Orange County (USA) (working title)
The OC (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

44 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (season 2) | Brazil:12 | Australia:PG (some epiosodes) | Malaysia:18SX | Singapore:M18 (season 1) (season 2) | Singapore:NC-16 (episodes 1-3) (season 3) | USA:TV-PG | Malaysia:U | Germany:12 (DVD re-rating) | Germany:6 (tv rating) | Singapore:PG (season 4) | Netherlands:6 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/6 | UK:12 (some episodes) | UK:15 (some episodes) | UK:PG (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Federal Aviation Administration Credit Union - 14600 Aviation Blvd., Hawthorne, California, USA

Company:

Wonderland Sound and Vision

Trivia:

Every episode title begins with "The".

Quotes:

Seth: How was the party dad?... I think someone called the cops.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "ER: I Don't (#13.21)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

California

Surprisingly good

When my girlfriend told me she was going to start watching this show, I figured it would give me 60 minutes a week to myself. But when I actually watched part of the first or second episode, I was surprised to find myself starting to get drawn in.

Here's what I like about this show: First, the kids talk like kids (even if some of them look like adults!). I don't know about anyone else, but after Dawson's Creek and The Gilmore Girls, I find it refreshing to see a show about teenagers who have trouble expressing themselves instead of speaking in pithy, self-aware sound bites.

Second, this show does a believeable job of presenting the class issues involved in having a "poor kid" move in with a "rich family". Others have pointed out that it avoided the initial cliche by having the two teenage boys become friends, but later episodes have shown that in spite of their friendship and common interests (e.g. comic books), there are still deeper issues of class and sexuality that show how different their "worlds" really are.

And finally, I was surprised to see that the writers were actually able to make me care about the problems of the rich characters! (The adults, anyway). For too many nighttime soap operas, portraying the "problems of the rich" are just a way to get us "unwashed" types to sneer at the "problems" that money brings ("I wish I had those problems!"). In "The O.C.", the writers actually explore questions of money, class (again) and love in the various adult couples in a way that brings Jane Austen to mind; we can relate to the struggles the characters are going through even if their day-to-day lives are completely foreign from our own.

All in all, a surprisingly enjoyable TV soap opera that doesn't require you to check your entire brain at the door.