User reviews

We just need to pretend that the show ended one season earlier

You really can't go wrong with The OC!

Great characters, writing, location and style! Full of teen angst, family dynamics, love, heartache, tears and laughter.

If I had to rate the seasons from amazing to just ok, they would be;

1 - Season 2 2 - Season 1 3 - Season 4 4 - Season 3

With that said, it is a great show!

Description: This show is about a rich Newport Beach family, with the father Sandy Cohen working as a defense lawyer. When he takes on a case of a young man named Ryan Atwood from a real life city in California called Chino, he feels a connection to him because he reminds him of himself when he was growing up. He decides to help this kid out when he meets Ryan in juvenile hall where he was arrested. Ryan leaves his neglectful and abusive family behind to live with the Cohen family, when Sandy offers to take him in. Even though he runs into some trouble, he tries to fit into the life that he never knew, of wealth and realizing that people tend to have problems everywhere, even in the richest of places.

This show gets a lot of things right. There has been no teen drama with a more realistic family dynamic than the Cohen's. They are not overly sappy, stereotypical, two dimensional, annoying as most families on TV. They are actually very real and embody how a really grounded family in America actually acts. Sandy Cohen is one of the best television fathers of all time and is the best character on this entire show. He is charming, funny, caring, and really empowering. His wife is not nearly as charismatic but she is sweet and dignified. She also embodies very much the modern, educated woman with a fulfilled career and wonderful husband. She is also a great mother to her kids and is very much the central maternal figure on this show, written in a very realistic way. These parents have problems like anyone else, do not claim to be perfect, have problems in their own marriage but always seem to work it out and really show the rest of Newport what it is like to be a functioning couple. Then, there is Seth, played by Adam Brody, who is easily the best and most charming actor out of the core group of the four teenage stars of the show. (Three out of four of the actors, including Adam, are not actually teenagers but play them on the show) In fact, he is probably the only talented actor of the core four. His character is the star level performance of this show. Without him, there would be no humor and the show would probably take itself way too seriously. The creation of Seth Cohen made nerds popular in modern society and he is the one character that is full of relevant pop culture references that makes the show funny and incredibly self aware. He can be incredibly selfish a lot of the time but he is also a very good friend to most people and is very good at making the other characters on the show feel better when they are down.

The least interesting after Kirsten, who is the mother previously mentioned, is the character Ryan Atwood. Now, there is a lot of things that the writer got right with the character, Ryan. He grew up in a troubled environment but he is more misunderstood and not exactly troubled himself the way most people think of him. He is completely sweet and selfless. He is also probably the most realistically and well written bad boy turned good character any teen drama show has seen. I am not saying that because he is the most interesting or the most charismatic but I am saying that he is the best written in a sense that his story actually makes sense. Most bad boy turned good characters are always rich guys who have daddy issues and terrible relationships with their mothers. Majority of the time, those stories seem unbelievable considering the fact that wealth seems to have an effect on how people treat their kids most of the time and you do not meet a lot of abused kids who turn out bad in an environment where their parents are rich. I am not saying it never happens but it seems that every show tries to make us feel bad for the poor little rich boy rather than a character like Ryan who grew up in a terrible environment. Ryan comes from poverty, his mother is an alcoholic, and his father and now brother in the pilot are in prison. He grew up around terrible crimes and in an environment where school was not encouraged or even of high quality, no matter how smart he is himself and how high he tested on a college aptitude test.

Now, the downfall of the Ryan character is two things: There is the actor himself. Now, Ben Mckenzie does embody the characteristics of the Ryan character and he himself is a very charming human being but he does not have any screen charisma nor does he stand out at all. He has the tendency to blend in to the background, especially when the characters Sandy and Seth just overpower the screen with star quality. He also is not the most expressive actor and is just very stiff throughout. It almost feels underwhelming and he also has the tendency to have tension in his face, which is more distracting than the audience connecting with the anger that the character is feeling. The other thing is the Ryan's backstory. Instead of making the struggle long and hard for Ryan to feel like he belongs to the Cohen family and the city of Newport, they just brushed it under the rug for a romance with the troubled girl next door, Marissa Cooper, who has become the revolving story. Her melodrama grows tiresome to the point where the show loses it's spark.

The show is definitely a step in the right direction compared to most earnest teen dramas that tend to talk down to it's viewers, unlike the O.C., I recommend everyone check it out.

The OC starts off fast but it took some time for me to connect with the characters.

It does a good job at not making the beginning feel like you already know what'll happen as best as possible even though you don't need to be a genius to guess.

I loved the day to day life of Ryan, Seth, Marissa and Summer in Newport that really makes you feel like a part of the gang.

The final season is horrible IMHO!

Idk how those episodes are rated above and near 8s on IMDb.

How do you condense the season into 16 episodes and still make it this hollow and invaluable?!

I can't glaze the final season just because it's got famous actors like Chris Pratt and Willa Holland in it, I'm sorry.

The only worthwhile storyline is that of Ryan and his real father. Everything else is a pain to get through and forced!

I wanted the season to be an end for the character development of OG characters and not some random storylines with characters like Che and Taylor. I wish they focused more on the original characters and wrote the episodes based on them.

I was in my early 30s when this originally aired so I couldn't relate to the teens or the adults. I got desperate for something to binge so I figured what the hell.

Just like any melodrama, there is a lot that is ridiculous but I have laughed out loud more at some of the lines than I do when watching sitcoms that are meant to be nothing but funny. Adam Brody, Peter Gallagher (who I already loved) and Kelly Rowan are the standouts for me. They deliver their lines with such cheekiness. They make every episode so far.

Granted it's still a teen drama and I'm a little old to be watching it, but there is enough adult drama in it to keep me interested.

and Peter Gallagher always deliver. While TV sinks lower and lower with reality trash, shows like this which are reminiscent of "90210" do provide an escape, have some talented actors, interesting story line s (by actual writers) and some plot twists.

I agree with another reviewer in that he stated TV soaps provide a needed escape. Not sure what is going on with producers of dreg TV shows like Fox reality, etc., but ever since "The Apprentice" caught on (That was 2001 ...NINE years ago) that does not mean American audiences want to watch garbage. Shows about bad hair days, Paris Hiltons latest drug charges and sex toys, realtor's having to deal with pet urine...PLEASE give audiences the benefit the doubt. While the economy in this country is tanking people need a fun escape, we do NOT want to see the excruciating negative minutiae that is offered up to the American public by the likes of Jerry Springer, Bravo TV... ad infinitum.

Watch the O.C. for positive entertainment. 8/10.

Can't believe how the show took such a nose dive after the incredible first season.

Yes, 27 episodes were probably too much. If this was Californication (which was between 27-33 mins; 12 episodes in the 1st season) this could've been two, if not three seasons.

They wrote out popular characters, changed the looks of everyone (why?) and introduced shallow new ones.

By season 3 and 4 it became irrelevant.

But back to season 1: that was my youth. I'm still grateful what it brought to my life. It made me dream bigger.

Another teen drama down :(( summer roberts, seth cohen, taylor townsend, julie cooper YOU HAVE MY HEART !!! So much character development in so many of these characters (except marissa, she remains awful oops) and i love that they kept up kirsten's alcoholism throughout the show, not just as a one time fix sort of thing bc addiction is a forever struggle and i appreciate how they showed that here !! Season 4 did veer on the more weird and rushed side, especially that series finale but i cant fault the show because everything else was just so real,, it showed struggles and endings that aren't always so happy. I'll miss that theme song so much and this one was a JOURNEY but i would recommend to those of us who love those dramas that just have random thanksgiving christmas new years eps ,,, also marissa's mental health was so well done i just wish i didn't hate her so much like wow is this how i am???

Great show. It contained alit of realistic high-school experiences and also has great actors. Despite what others say, some of the teenagers are actually played by teenagers for example mischa barton joined the show at 17.

Four seasons was not enough in my opinion. Fox could of tried another season or two to give the show a chance to recapture the spark after the season three final episode.

The show circulates around a troubled teen adopted by a rich family from, you guessed it, The OC, Orange County. He quickly befriends the families son and neighbor girl.

Though this family changed his life for the good, he also changed their lives for the good as well.

A good teen drama and the challenges they face growing up.

Overall I do recommend this show for anyone who likes teen drama series. Not bad, not bad at all.

This series popped up as a 'You might like this" so I have given it a try, So far, so good with a good story line and characters.

I finished up the original Roswell series a while back and while watching the O. C. I got to thinking I had seen the plot before in Roswell.

The outcast boy (alien in the case of Roswell) meets and falls in love with the popular girl in high school causing her to break up with her big jock on campus boyfriend. Big jock has several confrontations with the new boyfriend. Later on, jock boyfriend becomes a friend. Meanwhile the new boy's sidekick (fellow alien in Roswell) falls in love with popular girl's also popular best friend. And so it goes. I will keep watching because I do like the stories.

I have just finished the series and was really pleased that I took the time to watch. A lot of things happened in the first 3 seasons mostly dealing with the yo-yo romance of Ryan and Marissa which was annoying at times. The parenting of Sandy & Kirsten was fantastic and showed that there are differences and disagreements among couples, unlike 50s TV families, but love always wins out.

On casting I thought Marissa was mis-cast. I think Mischa Barton was too tall and skinny to be cast as the most popular girl in school. She just didn't come across as sexy. I saw several other actresses throughout the series who would have been a better fit. I really enjoyed all of the other characters and the actors who played them. The biggest waste was the character Che, so annoying.

All in all I would highly recommend watching this series.

How about developing Ryan into a business savvy executive? Seeing Sandy and Kirsten have been fine role models to Ryan, perhaps he can be developed to join Sandy in office and be the most successful, and powerful business executive in Orange County! Lets get Ryan completing university with outstanding results and translating his acumen in the business world. I don't want Ryan to be perceived as a misguided delinquent any more. I also want to see more of Julie Cooper in 'A list' social functions and being the fashion trend setter in OC. I love the tortured character of Seth and his love her/lover not relationship with Summer, that is entertaining in the plot.

Love to hear any responses! sharmla dharamalingam Johannesburg South Africa

I personally think that Fox is first of all dumb for writing Marissa out of the show and second of all dumb for canceling it. Honestly if you think about it Marissa and Ryan were the core of all problems for this show, basically the main storyline. It was not a good idea to kill off one of the main characters and then try to continue on after the few grieving episodes. Did they really think that it would be good with out her? And while I must admit, i do like Taylor and Ryann a lot now, the first couple episodes were absolutely awful of season four!! I believe that turned away several viewers, therefore killing the show and everything that was ever good about it. Unfortunately there are only 5 episodes left of this amazing show and fox is totally to blame for it. If they had kept Marissa, the shows ratings would not have slumped. I really think that this is an amazing show and for those of you who have not seen seasons 1-3, you really need to!!

I love the O.C because it has it's drama, teen angst, fantastic mansions and many romances but most of all for it's comedy, mostly generated from Seth and sandy. I've read a lot of comments and many are correct when they say that Seth is the main star of the show, some of his performances have been show stealing, when you think that the show is based primarily on Ryan's adventure into the rich world of Newport. Which by the way is a beautiful setting, and makes me want to fly right over to California to get an apartment, even though a pricey one at that.

I feel as though it is a very dedicated show and deals with many issues. The main reason I watch the show is because of the chemistry it produces between it's characters. Ryan and Seth have become a duo that can't be reckoned with and the relationship between Seth and summer is probably the cutest. I know everyone loves Marissa but she has started to do my head in, and I was quite pleased with the finale of season three. She was supposed to be the victim of her wicked mother but in season 3, it's her choices that gets her into trouble and you just want to slap her and say, shut up you spoilt brat. Thankfully I didn't have to do that and volchuk did that for me by ramming Ryan's car off the side for the road.

Still the show is entertaining, there have been many good scenes and story lines, like Luke and Julie cooper, Julie cooper and Caleb Nichols, Julie cooper starring in a porn movie, Julie cooper moving into a caravan and julie cooper being evil self cnetered witch from hell(even though she got a lot nicer as season 3 went on) but you can see where I'm going with this can't you.

It is addictive television, season 3 waned a little, I don't know why the writers tried to break up seth and summer, and then tried to make sandy into an evil man hell bent on securing his goals and forgetting his family, thank god they came to their senses at the end of season 3.

Love it, Love it, Love it. But not as much as one tree hill and smallville.

When I thought of the prospect of a brand new show all about the lives of teenagers in Orange County,I decided to watch. I really felt as if I wanted to be there; the guys,the sun, great houses and much more.

The O.C is amazing for people or both sexes,whether you're 24 or 15 you're sure to love it because it contributed to aspects of boy and girls dreams and desires!

One downside to the show is Marisha's acting skills and the fact nearly all of them are over 20 years old!

Overall the O.C is an amazing show which I'll probably be telling my children in years to come about it!!

Review of The OC – The Complete First Series.

As teen soaps go, The OC is outstanding. With a banter so witty, courtesy of creator Josh Schwartz, you'll instantly forgive the tired clichés and the sometimes over-dramatic story lines.

However, if one is inclined to point out the weaknesses of the show – I volunteer – one finds that the personalities of the young characters often lack just that, personality. Even for a show pitched at teenagers Mischa Barton's character, Marissa Cooper, is incredibly insipid. She lacks the brains and independence of Joey Potter (Dawson's Creek) when she's modeled as the girl-next door or the brazenness and determination of Brooke Davis (One Tree Hill) when she's modeled as the party girl-next door. In fact, we know very little about HER except for her problems with her family and her on-off boyfriend, Ryan. At least Summer – her best gal-pal – is given great lines once in a while and we know that she has an obsession for the show, "The Valley". Clearly, the show's creator is a guy which is evident when you consider how many great lines are given to Ryan, Seth and Sandy as opposed to the female cast.

Still, the show has several important, redeeming qualities. As before mentioned the dialogue is exceptional. Never mind that Californian rich kids could never have a vocabulary this extensive, the dialogue is so clever and witty that you won't mind in the end.

Secondly, there is the hidden weapon called Seth Cohen (played by Adam Brody). He's mostly played for comic relief when the rest of the cast are indulging in their oh-so-serious problems, but I found that he was actually the most endearing character of the show. I guess he might be an acquired taste for some, but I think his acting is comic genius. He reminds me of early Tom Hanks (especially in Big) and Topher Grace in "In Good Company" and that's a compliment! He plays the lovable, quirky goof to perfection. And anyone wondering whether or not he can play drama – check out the episode of Judging Amy where he plays a pseudo suicidal goth who made a death pact with his girlfriend, but "chickened out" in the final moment.

The show also differs from other teen soaps by being significantly more upbeat than other teen shows – all in all; less drama, more fun. Highly addictive.

The intro music was appropriate for the first season, and maybe the second, but by the third season the intro music gets REALLY tedious and should have been updated or replaced.