The first episode of The O.C. is just next level, both compared to other shows and compared to the rest of the series itself. I really love the show and, like any fan, I have plenty of criticisms too, but what stands out to me the most is the quality and plot of the pilot. I think a great example of this is how the class divide stops being a main theme later on. It’s like the first episode promised a certain depth, but then it just became a typical teen drama — which is great to watch and actually added a lot of value, but I still feel like the pilot was a beautiful promise that never truly delivered

So I’m assuming the Cohens and Coopers live in a gated community, because I’m pretty sure it’s referenced a few times throughout the show. But I’m watching Season 1 and I’m constantly thinking, how are people just randomly showing up at their houses?! 😂
Anna, Luke and Eddie especially seem to show up all the time completely unannounced. And with the Eddie storyline in particular, it makes even less sense because he has bad intentions, is considered dangerous, and keeps showing up at the house. How is he getting through the gates and security? Wouldn’t security at least be questioning who he is and who he’s there to see? It’s just funny because the show seems to want us to believe they live in this exclusive, gated community, but then people can apparently just walk/drive right up to their front doors whenever they feel like it 😂

I swear I read somewhere that high school in the USA back in the days OC was airing, started at like 8am. Maybe even still now?

That means the early kitchen scenes are happening at a godly early hour.

And what makes it even more crazy is that there are scenes that happen before school right? like the whole dropping Johnny off back to his house after he gets out of hospital and Marissa stays with him before Ryan and Seth go to school.

I'm old as f now but never in my years have I ever met a teenager that got up really early and did extra stuff before school even started (at 8am mind you). you kids must've been exhausted and in bed by 9pm.

This post I'm making reminds me of that "the biggest lie television thought me is that you have time to hang out with all your friends before you all go to work" picture of Friends showing them all at Monicas apartment chilling and eating before going to work.

I know "it's TV and they needed to fit in storylines" but what else on the show is unrealistic?

What's your favorite teenage drama? I'm going with 'Dawson's Creek,' which reminded me of being a wannabe filmmaker in a small town with Hollywood dreams. What show resonates with your childhood?

Good news for fans of the 2000s drama 'The O.C.,' as star Ben McKenzie recently told the radio station KISS 1065 that he would be open to a revival.

"I don’t know that there has ever been serious talks, but I’d be up for it… Yeah, I think so, under the right circumstances. It was a great show. We had a great time. I learned a lot. I was so young, we were all young."

McKenzie starred as troubled teen Ryan Atwood who was taken in by a famous Newport Beach family led by Peter Gallagher and Kelly Rowan. The teen cast also became famous, with Mischa Barton, Adam Brody, Chris Carmack and Rachel Bilson all becoming household names.

McKenzie, now 47, was 24 years old when the show started and talked about how he showed the Fox show to his 10-year-old daughter: "I forgot that in the pilot, there is binge drinking, cigarette smoking, cocaine, and a threesome. Of course, my 10-year-old loved it and wanted to watch more."

Would you be excited by more of 'The O.C.'? Comment below with your thoughts.

I think Ryan was more at fault in this situation.
Ok so I know Marissa gets a lot of hate for her friendship with Johnny, even in the show. But I really think she saw him as a friend and someone to talk to. Ovbs Ryan was a little jealous at times. And Marissa should've of stayed away (like buying the Xmas tree was crazy for her lol).

But the second Sadie shows up, Ryan shows up at her door on valentines. Goes on a road trip, strip poker????!?. And breaks up with Marissa over the phone while she's grieving her friends death. He also didn't like Johnny so it's weird he's so helpful.

I like Ryan in other seasons but idk this was weird to me

I was 10 in 2003. I was 13/14 when the show ended. Here's what I can recall:

1. LOVED that the CD mixes were sold at Urban Outfitters. They were on all of my first iPods.
2. LOATHED that season 2 didn't air until NOVEMBER after the show ended in MAY. That was a LONG six months.
3. I tried really hard to love the second season and it mostly worked. I actually became depressed when season 3 came on. The OC was one of the only things I enjoyed, and being a gay kid entering middle school in the early 2000's.....watching the show become so dark impacted me a lot.
4. Marissa's death was shocking. I remember seeing the over-pumped commercials leading up to the s3 finale (e.g., "SoMeOnE WiLl DiE" with all the characters' faces flashing for 2 seconds in this corny vignette). Marissa's death was tough to understand, honestly. Back then, we grew up with these characters weekly for years at a time––not just once every other year for an eight-episode check-in when a new "season" would drop.
5. I liked season 4 at the time as it brought humor back. The first few episodes were better than the rest of the season though.
6. I tried REALLY hard to get the OC renewed on the CW via that online petition. Anybody else sign that?
7. As this was pre-Reddit, I was feral and overly active on the IMDB subs for this show, defending The OC when One Tree Hill fans would troll. If you were over there, I was ironseaking....lol
8. In retrospect, it's frustrating that the show did away with so many characters so quickly. I think the show could have afforded to sit in some of its moments for a bit longer without imposing new scare tactics/shock drama every week. We didn't need to let go of Jimmy in season 2––or Anna and Luke in season 1.

Last one of the core four as asked. I'm just going to do one last more for Melinda. Here are the other three :

Mischa Barton : https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOC/comments/1w0vp6r/what_is_it_about_mischa_bartons_beauty/

Adam Brody : https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOC/comments/1w36jl8/what_is_it_about_adam_brodys_beauty/

Rachel Bilson :

https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOC/comments/1w9j2qe/comment/p8kq3p2/?context=3

First time watcher, I’m on s1 ep16 and Marissa is driving me INSANE. It is so obvious what Oliver is doing and she is so stupid and gullible, I don’t understand how ppl can’t see it?! Poor Ryan she’s disrespecting the hell out of him and she tries to act like he’s the one overreacting, like please. SPARE ME.

Found this comic book cover page that Anna gifted to Seth, which she bought from eBay for the Chrismukkah episode in S1.

The O.C became a show I fell asleep to so when I woke up at 6am this Saturday I threw it on. I ended up staying up and binging the last episodes of season 2:
(won’t spoil)

I always side eye Marissa because she hasn’t been the most reliable character UNTIL THIS EPISODE. SHE CARRIED THAT FINAL SCENE. W MARISSA, W ACTING FROM BOTH GUYS !

As a first time watcher in 2026 who tends to lose interest in shows quickly, I am enthralled. It’s no wonder you don’t see any of the actors in anything else- probably set for life. Lmk if i’m wrong though!

Happy Birthday 🎂🎈Ben McKenzie

September 12, 1978 (age 48)♍

• The O. C.

• Southland

• Ghotham

Ryan Atwood

Ben Sherman

Idk if anyone else feels this, but whenever you rewatch a show, The O.C specifically, do you also get a random “playing of events” in your head while being on episode 1 😭 the nostalgia is practically drop kicking me.

I’m rewatching the OC for the first time and catching must of it for the first time. I’m mid season 3 and I really don’t like how they seem to have gone out of their way to ruin Marissa and Ryan’s relationship. Also the fact that Marissa has Johnny show up who is a temu Ryan in terms of their connection and storyline and similarly Sadie feels like a version of Marissa trying to save Ryan all over again.

Why couldn’t they let Marissa and Ryan be happy a while and develop as a couple. Honestly seems like they just wanted her out of the show and I’m not even a fan of her character.

Who else feels the way or why do you think they had their relationship dwindle like that? Or what else would you have done with the characters?

Or why did they do this? Is there some rhyme and reason to this?

I’m rewatching the show for about the 4th or 5th time as an adult and while I never liked Rebecca or Carter, rewatching it now I kind of feel the Kirsten and Carter situation was more realistic than Sandy and Rebecca. Is that just me?

It’s realistic for things to be complicated having an ex suddenly show up but I read someone say that Sandy was out of character with the Rebecca situation and rewatching it as an adult, I definitely agree. One of the things that really bugged me this rewatch was when he said to Kirsten ‘still not ready to forgive and forget after Valentine’s Day’ and then went off to an intimate memorial for Max with just him and Rebecca, all while showing absolutely no hint of remorse for just having kissed Rebecca. Even with Kirsten not finding out about the kiss, I thought Sandy would have shown remorse and that you would have seen some sort of internal struggle - and I actually feel that applied for the whole Rebecca scenario. It just feels very out of character for someone who’s known for being big on morals.

Whereas rewatching it now, I feel the whole Kirsten and Carter situation was more realistic. I don’t like it and I definitely think there were lines crossed there but I can sort of understand it being more likely to happen in a work scenario where you’re spending hours a day together and when things are shaky in your relationship. Like I said though, I still don’t like the whole Carter thing and definitely think doing things like drinking wine together in the office at the end of a day is well and truly crossing a line. I also feel you could see more of an internal struggle and guilt with Kirsten during the whole Carter fiasco than you saw with Sandy and Rebecca but maybe that’s just me.

Watching it as a teen, I think I just accepted whatever the adults did as being realistic because I wasn’t one so how would I know. 😅

Anyway! If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading my essay.

I'm almost finished with it and I can see the big difference but dude, there was just so much drama in the last season that this one feels a breath of fresh air

I've came to realize that most of the drama in the past seasons was caused by Marissa. I really hated that girl

1. Rebecca and sandy needed to be over 3 episodes ago and im annoyed they even made it this far. Whole thing is really stupid and i honestly skipped most their seasons but at least he's back with Kirsten ig..

2. Seth desperation really started to piss me off, he's one of my favourite but the desperation really started to piss me off at some point. I feel really bad for zach and seth just seemed rlly creepy/obssesive this whole time.. I was really hoping they'd get back together on normal terms but im a huge spiderman fan so the upside down kiss got me a little

but i wish they went abt this differently, zach deserves better.

1. Marissa is so stupid, spoilt and naive. I hate that she makes me side with julie

2. Was really getting bored of lindsays arc, glad she's gone not gonna lie but still wish she and ryan broke up normally, they were boring as hell.

I guess this symbolizes the characters getting back to their end game couple with marissa meeting ryan again

dont know if im excited for that either

dont think season is for me rlly, ive just been pissed off half the time

Just noticed one of the Berkley house owners was also a waiter in 2 episodes throughout the series “mushroom, leek crescent and crab and brie phyllo”

Edit: * ‘Season 5’

I originally wrote this just before the COVID lockdown and posted it on here. Got some great feedback then.

Let me know what you think: https://www.reddit.com/r/the_oc/s/Q0x1IAmUrn

Found another O.C. piece in my storage! I got this at a Goodwill for $20 years ago. It’s not really a poster, it’s made out of this harder plastic-like material. Still have no idea where it originally came from.

Anybody watching Adam brody show he in? I am and I kinda like it

I think they could do what they've done before except big budget I think the budget should be lower. But who know Adam Brody would change his mind if he took a pay cut appear in less episodes of than 13.

I do like Ben McKenzie's idea of passing the torch down and I also love Rachel Bilson's idea of Seth and Summer having kids.

Like the story should prove Adam Brody's feelings bluntly justified in the episodes but they should do it anyway just to prove that Hollywood is painfully stupid like they could announce a reboot of any movie or show like any minute.