Season 4 News

CURTAIN FALLS ON FOX’S ‘THE O.C.’

 

Four seasons of adolescent angst will come to an end with Thursday’s final episodeAmoment of respectful silence, please, for Fox’s departing ”The O.C.”Yes, the drama wiped out in the ratings like a klutzy Southern California surfer. Yes, it lost its storytelling punch in season three and then really bummed out fans with the violent death of Marissa, played by Mischa Barton.

But credit where credit’s due. ”The O.C.” brought dramatized adolescent angst back to TV, gave the tabloids fresh faces such as Barton and Rachel Bilson and boosted pop artists by showcasing their music (the band Rooney) or just mentioning them (Death Cab for Cutie).

Set in the Orange County city of Newport Beach, the show even managed to make cultural and economic waves: Residents who knew better began referring to the county with the artificially hip ”the” in front of O.C., and the postcard-perfect coastal town enjoyed a bump in tourism.

”The O.C.” generated a reality TV boomlet, with MTV’s ”Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County” and Bravo’s ”The Real Housewives of Orange County” following in its footsteps.

Not bad for a four-season, 92-episode series about the loves and lives of rich, golden California teenagers — one even named Summer, to drive home the point — and the parents that watched over them, or not, depending on their own foibles.

”Overall, I’m incredibly proud of the run the show had,” series creator Josh Schwartz said as production ended this month. Just the day before, he recounted, ”we were filming on location and there were packs of teenagers screaming for autographs when the cast walked by, and crying that the show was coming to an end.

”We were 24 hours away from wrapping the show and it was surreal to have that level of emotion from our audience,” Schwartz said.

The series finale airs 9 p.m. on Thursday, and won’t leave viewers hanging, he vowed.

”We went into this season sort of assuming that it was going to be the last season,” Schwartz said. ”So we were able to build naturally to this final episode and do the finale the way we always planned.”

The conclusion will focus on the show’s core — the affluent Cohen family of Newport Beach and the needy young man, Ryan, they took in, he said. The hope is that fans will find it fun, emotional and ”really satisfying,” Schwartz said.

Will Marissa, killed in a car crash in last season’s finale, manage to reappear?

”All of the characters of the show will be touched on in some way,” Schwartz said. He’s carefully guarding the final plot twists, including the romantic fates of couples Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) and Taylor (Autumn Reeser) and Seth (Adam Brody) and Summer (Bilson).

All that, and an earthquake hit the fictional Newport Beach in the Feb. 8 episode, imperiling pregnant Kirsten Cohen (Kelly Rowan) and others.

”The O.C.” itself rattled the TV landscape when it debuted in summer 2003. It was a ratings phenom in its first year, ranking as the top-rated drama among advertiser-favored young adults and attracting a total audience of nearly 10 million.

Schwartz, then only 26 and a recent University of Southern California grad, said the show’s young actors became stars ”very, very quickly, within two months of the show airing. It was nuts.

”To have had the experience and see those kids be in an airport and walk by a magazine stand and the magazine covers are the cast of your show — it’s exciting,” Schwartz said. So was the fact ”that we all were able to work together for this time and kind of grow together. I mean, we all really did grow up together. I feel like I did. This is like college.”

Newport Beach got a few lessons in the power of TV, according to the town’s mayor.

”I think there were some people in town not too pleased about how Newport Beach was portrayed in the series. But I think everybody understands that TV distorts reality,” Mayor Steven Rosansky said, a truth known to anybody who used to watch the ’80s serial ”Dallas.”

But while some grumbled about the show’s satiric depiction of a hedonistic and shallow Newport, the city gained a higher profile and an influx of visitors, said Rosansky.

The local visitors’ bureau capitalized on the attention with a map of locations referred to in the series — although production mostly took place in Los Angeles — and by recording the hand- and footprints of some cast members in concrete, he said.

But the show proved unable to hold its audience, slipping to about 7 million weekly viewers during 2004-05 and then to fewer than 6 million last season. Returning last November after Fox wrapped postseason baseball coverage, ”The O.C.” has averaged about 4 million viewers.

A time-slot change, to the highly competitive 9 p.m. Thursday period opposite CBS’ ”CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and then ABC’s ”Grey’s Anatomy,” contributed to the slump and probably hastened the defection of fickle young viewers.

Does Schwartz long for a different ending, with more seasons still ahead?

”Coulda, woulda, shoulda, I guess,” he says, the verbal equivalent of a shrug. He called four seasons ”a pretty damn good run. Especially for a show like this, where the audience we’re speaking to is younger and moves on faster.

”I’d never worked on a television series in any capacity before it began, so it was learn as you go and I certainly learned a lot,” he said. ”But to be able to learn on a show that had the impact on its audience this show had is a really incredible gift.”

Schwartz already is looking ahead to new projects, including adapting the book ”Looking for Alaska” for film and producing two television pilots.

But what about the future of Newport Beach? Will it miss basking in its fake counterpart’s limelight?

”It ran its course and we’ll wait for the next show…. I’m sure some creative television person will create another show,” Rosansky said.
 

 

THE OC ENDS ON HIGH HOPES!

LOS ANGELES — “The O.C.” is coming to an end on Feb. 22, a fact that viewers may have gleaned from the sudden rush of promotional might that FOX has thrown behind the show.

“There’s been an increase in promotional time and audience that’s seeing it,” admits FOX Entertainment President Peter Liguori. “Again, it’s a reality of our schedule across the board. If we’re able to put an “O.C.” promo within “Idol,” within “24,” within football playoffs, it’s just naturally getting greater audience. And, you know, I’m hoping that the show responds accordingly.”

Thus far, ratings for the show haven’t changed appreciably, which shouldn’t be surprising given that “The O.C.” is still airing opposite new episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “CSI,” to say nothing of The CW’s “Supernatural” and NBC’s young-skewing comedies. Much has been written already about the slow trickle of promotion that greeted the fourth-year soap’s November premiere, a silence that operated in contrast to the show’s early-season creative resurgence. Since FOX and “O.C.” creator Josh Schwartz announced the impending end/cancellation, however, the network has had an active countdown warning that life as “O.C.” fans know it is coming to an end.

“We have something else to promote with, which is the series finale,” Liguori notes. “And, you know, one thing about Josh is this season he really has gone back to the old “O.C.” There’s a greater sense of humor. There’s a greater sense of frivolity. All the characters are highly activated. And these shows — and I know you’ve heard this this week in reference to other shows — we want the show to end on a creative high note. We wish we were ending on a higher ratings note. But again, I think this is respectful to Josh, all the actors, the show, its legacy, and, most importantly, the audience.”

Liguori notes that the show’s dedicated (albeit dwindling) fanbase was actually the reason why the end was announced formally and officially at the beginning of January, leaving no hope for a last-minute reprieve.

“I think, for the loyal fans of the show, announcing that this is the final season puts them on notice, alerts them, lets them realize and anticipate that Josh is going to end this with a flurry,” says Liguori. “I just think it’s respectful to fans to do that.”

Many factors have been cited in the show’s demise — poor scheduling, the death of Mischa Barton’s Marissa, the show’s second season creative dip, etc. — leaving Liguori at a bit of a loss to explain things in hindsight.

“You know, I can always Monday morning quarterback our lack of successes,” he says. “Yeah, I can sit back and say ‘I wish we put more money against promoting it.’ I can’t tell you that would have made that much of a difference. I could sit back say, ‘Should we have moved it out of Thursday night and avoided those big shows?’ Yeah. I could second-guess myself to death. The fact is that we have supported the show. The fact is that it has continued to hit its stride creatively. And these white-hot shows, they come and go a little bit quicker than your more standard fair.”

“The O.C.” finale will air on Thursday, Feb. 22.

THE OC OFFICIALLY CANCELLED BY FOX!

According to many new articles released today The OC has been given the axe and producers were told today that The OC will air no more than 16 episodes this season and is being cancelled after that! Here are the sources: TV Gide Community And TV Addict And Zap2It And TheFutronCriticThe sun will set for the last time on THE O.C. when the series ends its four-season run Thursday, Feb. 22 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. The countdown has begun, with all-original episodes airing from Thursday, Jan. 4 through the last episode on Feb. 22.

THE O.C. stars Peter Gallagher (Sandy Cohen), Kelly Rowan (Kirsten Cohen), Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan Atwood), Adam Brody (Seth Cohen), Melinda Clarke (Julie Cooper), Rachel Bilson (Summer Roberts), Autumn Reeser (Taylor Townsend) and Willa Holland (Autumn Reeser).

Set in Orange County, California, THE O.C. premiered in August 2003. It follows a group of friends and families whose lives were changed by the arrival of an outsider – Ryan Atwood – to their ocean-side community of Newport Beach.

THE O.C. revived the teen drama genre while including humorous and heartfelt adult storylines. Shortly after its summer premiere, THE O.C. was a pop culture phenomenon – its actors are household names and its indie music (and subsequent six soundtracks) and hip California wardrobe are sought-after in stores. The show’s Newport Beach locale also has become a popular tourist attraction as fans visit the real locations featured in their favorite episodes.

“THE O.C. Season Four finale will also be the series finale. This feels like the best time to bring the show to its close,” said Josh Schwartz, creator and executive producer of THE O.C. “Thanks to the hard work of our cast, crew and writers, we have enjoyed our best season yet, and what better time to go out than creatively on top. It has been an amazing experience and a great run. For a certain audience, at a certain time, THE O.C. has meant something. For that we are grateful.”

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The Battle begins here! Now is the time to stand together and save our favourite show from cancellation! We will not sit back and watch FOX tear The OC apart! Details will be posted here tomorrow, please return to see our plan of action and join in on our mission to save The OC from cancellation!!

THE OC COULD MOVE TO THE CW NETWORK! 

We just got this tip from The CW Source, a blog that covers all things CW. They cite this story from TVGuide’s Michael Ausiello, that hits on the possibility of The OC moving to The CW Network following this season. I’m not sure what to make of this right now, except to say it wouldn’t be the first time something like this has happened. Buffy the Vampire Slayer moved from the WB to UPN late in its run. The move went seamlessly. FOX has showed very little faith in The OC over the past two seasons and it’d be nice if the show went to a network that actually cared. The OC has been absolutely spectacular this year and it’d be a real shame if it were to end after this season.The one possible issue is whether the cast wants to continue on. Adam Brody looks destined to be a star in Hollywood. I saw an interview with Rachel Bilson early in the season and you could just tell that her heart didn’t really seem in it anymore and the The OC looked to be ending.But, who knows? If The CW can set a nice budget, keep the cast happy, and get Josh Schwartz on board, I could see this whole thing working out.

New season 4 advert…. looks awesome

 

DEATH & DRAMA, RYAN CAGEFIGHTING. THE OC RETURNS!

Manhattan Beach, California. (November 2, 2006) — Mischa Barton’s character died so “The O.C.” could get new life. The creator of “The O.C.,” Josh Schwartz, says he “had told all the Marissa stories there were to tell” and the show sheldon is dimb needed “to be rebooted” to go in a different direction. He says “the decision itself was hard enough to make and hard enough for Mischa without people assuming that it was because she wanted out or was behaving badly. None of that was true. She was a total professional and she is very much missed.” Schwartz says the remaining characters on the show will be dealing with her loss “for a while.” There’s a bit of sarcasm in Ben McKenzie’s voice when he says Ryan on “The O.C.” “is adjusting quite well actually” to the death of Marissa because he’s cage-fighting. He says “shirtless cage-fighting is a very healthy way of dealing with grief.” Maybe it’s a calculated move to have McKenzie shirtless on “The O.C..” But with a tone of mock horror, McKenzie says “how dare you accuse Fox of such crass behavior.” He does say shirts are discouraged at fight clubs where there’s cage-fighting “because people could pull on them and cheat or something.” The fourth season of “The O.C.” starts tonight on Fox.

SNEAK PEAK: THE OC HEATS UP 4TH SEASON!

Fox’s hit drama “The O.C.” closed its third season on one of the most transparent cliffhangers since President Bartlett stood for a press conference in the second season of “The West Wing.”A great premise, a popular character battling death in the arms of her lover, was ruined when Mischa Barton told everyone with a microphone that the season finale would be her last on the show.With the season premiere happening tonight at 9 p.m., the writers embrace the fact that everyone knows Marissa is dead, jumping ahead five months.Ryan has shut everyone out, claiming he is the cause of everyone’s problems. Summer has moved on, literally and figuratively, fighting for the chickens at Brown University and screening her calls from Seth, who is left to keep the family together and man the comic book store until he can join Summer in Providence, R.I. in January.Julie has become the Martha Stewart of Newport Beach, taking on every house project she can find, but failing to even keep track of what day it is.With Marissa dead and Summer off at college, I was curious to see how creator Josh Schwartz would keep the series together. It can’t be easy to keep a bi-coastal teen series going, but Schwartz comes up with an easy solution in this week’s premiere, wrapping up all the expected problems in one episode and introducing new ones in the last five minutes.Fox’s hit drama “The O.C.” closed its third season on one of the most transparent cliffhangers since President Bartlett stood for a press conference in the second season of “The West Wing.”A great premise, a popular character battling death in the arms of her lover, was ruined when Mischa Barton told everyone with a microphone that the season finale would be her last on the show.T

HE OC SET FOR A NEW BEGINNING - SOMETHING POSITIVE.

With the season premiere happening tonight at 9 p.m., the writers embrace the fact that everyone knows Marissa is dead, jumping ahead five months.Ryan has shut everyone out, claiming he is the cause of everyone’s problems. Summer has moved on, literally and figuratively, fighting for the chickens at Brown University and screening her calls from Seth, who is left to keep the family together and man the comic book store until he can join Summer in Providence, R.I. in January.Julie has become the Martha Stewart of Newport Beach, taking on every house project she can find, but failing to even keep track of what day it is. With Marissa dead and Summer off at college, I was curious to see how creator Josh Schwartz would keep the series together. It can’t be easy to keep a bi-coastal teen series going, but Schwartz comes up with an easy solution in this week’s premiere, wrapping up all the expected problems in one episode and introducing new ones in the last five minutes.Ah, who can forget that first episode of “The O.C.” when bad boy Ryan from low-rent Chino was taken in by the liberal, loving — and rich — Cohen family of Orange County? Geeky Seth longed to be cool enough to attract the lovely Summer, and Ryan just wanted out of the ‘hood — and into his new neighbor Marissa’s loving arms. Then there were the hip Cohen parents, public defender Sandy and trust fund baby Kirsten, UC Berkeley grads.How hot was “The O.C.”? The angsty, sassy teen series exploded in late summer 2003, with the stars of the Fox series — Mischa Barton (Marissa), Adam Brody (Seth), Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan) and Rachel Bilson (Summer) — landing on every magazine cover in the supermarket check-out line.People quoted lines the morning after the show aired and started celebrating Chrismukkah. The New York Times lauded it, and the prestigious UC Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law started a fan club. OK, make that a service club that annually hands out the Sandy Cohen scholarship to a deserving graduate who is going to intern at a public defender’s office.And it wasn’t just the actors that became stars. Suddenly, the rich, politically conservative enclave of Orange County became a luminary, sparking such cable hits as MTV’s reality show “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County” and Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”Now entering it’s fourth season, “The O.C.” is limping to the finish line like a once-great Derby winner ready for the long ride to the glue factory.Or is it? This could turn out to be one of the best seasons yet for the show that put Death Cab for Cutie into the popular lexicon.“I don’t think anyone can deny how smart, funny and genuinely special the first two seasons of ‘The O.C.’ were, although season three was a bit of a letdown,” says John Kim, who started the O.C. at Boalt club. “I only have the highest hopes that they will be able to recapture some of that ‘O.C.’ magic for these final episodes.”Even creator Josh Schwartz, who at 26 became the youngest person to produce and create a primetime network drama series, admits that last season wasn’t the best. Although he adds that the ratings suffered because Fox kept switching the show’s time slots from Tuesday to Wednesday to Thursday.

In the first year, “The O.C.” averaged 9.4 million viewers, dropping to 7.3 million the second year and 5.8 million last year.

“Truthfully, after the first two years and so many episodes, it was just a crazy ride,” Schwartz says during a phone interview. “It was just a lot of work, and I was just beat. It was a testament to the show’s (cast and crew) that there was a show at all (last season) and Fox didn’t just air color bars.”

But after last year’s dismal season, which even the stars groused about, Schwartz says he regrouped and regenerated. In last season’s finale, Marissa was killed in a car accident, and Summer decided to attend Brown University in Rhode Island. Ryan moved out and is now involved in a fight club where he basically gets beaten up repeatedly as he tries to rid himself of the guilt over Marissa’s death. Schwartz says part of the show’s problem was its tremendous success in those first two seasons, which made him play to the ratings rather than to his own instincts about the characters.

Tonight, he’ll be going up against the two biggest ratings grabbers in the TV universe right now: ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and CBS’ “CSI.”

“Worrying about ratings is pointless, so we have to go back to why audiences responded to the series in the first place,” Schwartz says. “The writers are really funny, and we are writing to our strengths this year. I just couldn’t be any more proud or excited about this season.”

With the death of Marissa, the focus will be on her scheming mom Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke) and her high school daughter, Kaitlin (Willa Holland). “Willa is actually 15, so she came into this as a No. 1 ‘O.C.’ viewer with all that enthusiasm for the show, and she and Melinda are great together,” Schwartz says. “There’s a great love story coming up with Chris Brown, who plays a band geek.”

Old and new viewers just coming to the show should be pleased by “The O.C.’s” return to its hip, snappy roots. It’s funny, poignant, and doesn’t dwell in the past so much.

“I’ve made peace with the ratings,” Schwartz says. “We’re really digging in to do the best show we can for these 16 episodes. And if it works, maybe we’ll be back for more.”
 

SHOCKING TRUTH: THE OC IS GOOD AGAIN!

Oct 31, 2006 4:31 PMI’ll admit it. When I got a package from OC executive producer Josh Schwartz, with four episodes of the new season and a friendly note asking to keep The OC in mind for coverage, I panicked. Like breathe-into-a-paper-bag kind of panic.‘Cause, to be honest, I had lost my faith in The OC halfway through last season, and my expectation of regaining that faith ranked right up there with believing in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and socialite actresses who eat. But a funny thing happened on the way to writing this column. I watched the first, then the second, then the third and fourth episode of The OC’s new season and completely freaked out over how good it was. Yes, Virginia, The OC is worth watching again! And here’s what you need to know about season four, which is thisclose to starting.The OC comes back this Thursday night at 9 p.m. on Fox. Yep, you heard me right. Thursday night. 9 p.m. Up against the two biggest shows on television—Grey’s Anatomy and CSI. It’s such a horrific time slot that Schwartz just has to laugh. “I called Fox and asked if they could vote out American Idol, so the CW could pick it up and put it on Thursday nights, too, just to complete the trifecta,” he jokes. But Schwartz also considers the time slot a blessing in disguise. “Last year, we were chasing the ratings,” Schwartz admits. “You start off wanting to do a really great show, and then at a certain point, you want to do a ten-share. And so, the new time slot is a positive in the sense that it allowed us to be liberated from worrying about that stuff and just focus on the creative. All I wanted to do was remind the fans why they watched this show in the first place.” Which is why…The new season is simultaneously darker, funnier, and more OC-ier. “The show had to grow up,” Schwartz says. “We are out of high school, which I was really happy to be, and the cast members were happy, too. But at the same time, I felt like last year became a little bit too dramatic, a little too melodramatic. A lot of the humor and the reason why I wanted to do the show in the beginning, we kinda got away from.” So, while the cast definitely steps up the funny (especially old fave Adam Brody, whose goofy charm returns, and new fave Autumn Reeser, who is totally loveable this season), season four also starts off in a very dark place—in case you didn’t know?Marissa really is dead. “No, no, no. Everyone asks that, but no,” is how Rachel Bilson replies when asked if Mischa Barton might return to The OC in any way. And Schwartz says he’s fully aware that some of the fans are heartbroken by that. “Obviously, you feel terrible that you write something and people are making banners on Web pages and picketing and sending you letters. But while the character is missed, we really do honor her in the first few episodes. Marissa’s death really allowed us to hit the ground running.” Or pummeling, as the case may be for her love left behind…Ryan is pulling an Ed Norton in Fight Club this season. “Everyone’s dealing with Marissa’s death in the most healthy way they can,” Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan) says. “And for Ryan, that’s shirtless cage fighting! [Laughs] When Josh told me about the idea, I said, ’sure.’ I mean, it sounds a little ridiculous, but it also sounds like fun. So, why not?” I think you’ll be surprised at how much this storyline (which is short-lived) actually works. You’ll also be surprised at how much.

Chris Pratt will make you giggle. If you’re an Everwood fan, you already know this, but you OC fans will now appreciate the comedic glory that is Chris Pratt, aka Summer’s new activist pal,Che, at Brown University. “Che is ridiculous,” Chris explains. “He’s a total left-wing liberal, didgeridoo-playing vegan hippie who wants to change the whole world one chicken at a time.” Che comes into Summer’s life to help her realize her activist potential, which, unfortunately, will take a serious toll on her relationship with Seth. “It’s impossible to make it through a scene with Chris without laughing,” says Rachel. “He’s great.”

You can watch the premiere now. Fox has released the OC’s premiere early on MySpace. Obviously, there’s a lot of grassroots activity (Summer would be proud) going on, given that the producers mailed out the first four episodes to media types like me and even to some of the fans. “I have been scared of spoilers before,” Schwartz says, “But this year, we are in a very difficult position in terms of our time slot, and we wanted to get the word out and show people we are proud of these episodes. We decided that even if people know what happens, hopefully they’ll still enjoy it when they see it.”

Just don’t let that other Thursday night at 9 producer (Grey’s Shonda Rhimes) hear you talking like that, Mr. Schwartz, or the gloves will really come off! Speaking of spoiler alert, did you hear that one of the OC characters will be leaving for a job at Seattle Grace in the fourth episode? Pretty dang funny.

Also in the fourth episode, Summer will lose her love for The Valley—the OC’s show within a show through which it has always poked fun of itself—bemoaning, “This show is so disgusting. All they do is create fake problems for fake people to distract viewers from the real problems in the world.” When you hear that line, I think you’ll realize how far The OC has come in its new season.

‘Cause somehow, the show has managed to feel real again. And chances are, you’ll get your faith back, too.