My First Time Watching ‘The O.C’

Welcome back for another series review 🙂

I’ve binge-watched a lot of shows since lockdown started, and I’d love to share my thoughts on my latest favourite show. For those who (like me) haven’t yet finished this series, this is all about my first time watching ‘The O.C.’.

‘The O.C’ was a huge show when it first came out, and I love anything set in high school– particularly if it’s set in the early 2000s. So I’m surprised I’d never even heard of this one before I started it, as it’s definitely right up my street- and I know it’s super popular.

The characters of 'The O.C.' pose and stare at the camera.
Picture credits here

‘The O.C’ is about a young boy, Ryan, who gets in trouble for stealing a car with his brother. A sympathetic lawyer, Sandy Cohen, takes him out of juvenile prison and moves him in with his wife and son, who is a similar age to Ryan. Sandy lives in Newport, a small wealthy town on the coast which is full of scandal and rich, spoilt families.

Coming from Chino, Ryan is overwhelmed by the Newport lifestyle, finding himself swept up in numerous scandals and constantly clashing with the local rich kids. Although Sandy’s son, Seth, is from a completely different background, him and Ryan quickly become friends, watching out for each other.

Ryan Atwood from 'The O.C.' stares into space, moody.
Picture credits here

The Cohen family aren’t like the shallow and stuck up people of Newport, with Sandy growing up in the Bronx and marrying into a rich Newport family. He’s sympathetic to Ryan’s struggles, and Ryan soon becomes an integral part of the Cohen family, enrolling at the local school, and finding that his whole life view is changed now that he has access Ivy League colleges and anything he could ever want.

The show is all about Ryan and Seth in high school- making friends, getting girlfriends, and fighting with the rich polo team members. They go to wealthy parties and charity galas with the Cohens, run by their snooty friends. And afterwards they sneak into the parties run by the children of these adults, parties that often get out of hand for under-age drinking and drugs.

Ryan and Marissa from 'The O.C.' sit on a Ferris wheel and chat.
Picture credits here

I love the characters in this show, and they’re rich and interesting. All of the characters are flawed in some way, but they’re so likeable that you can’t help but love them all. Ryan is tough and guarded, but the way that he bonds with nerdy Seth is brilliant. Their relationship is fantastic to watch, and they become just like brothers. I find Seth so funny, and I think the dynamic between the two boys works really well.

I also love the female characters in this show. There’s Marissa, who’s dating Luke but has a secret crush on Ryan. And there’s Summer, who Seth has been in love with for years, but she’s so popular that she doesn’t even notice him. In all honesty, Summer is one of my favourite characters, and I think she has fantastic character development.

I love how these characters come into Ryan and Seth’s life, and the relationships between all the characters are amazing to watch.

Ryan and Marissa from 'The O.C.' look at each other conspiratorially.
Picture credits here

The “adults” of the show are also really interesting characters, and I love watching how Sandy and Kirsten Cohen deal with this new addition to their household, taking on Ryan and all his issues and giving him a loving, welcoming home. Jimmy and Julie Cooper, Marissa’s parents, are also great characters- and while Julie is often horrible I can’t help but love how complex and flawed her character is.

I really like this series, and it’s a great one to watch when I’m trying to chill, or just to pop on in the background. It’s light and fun, but also really dramatic at times, and it’s the perfect binge watch. I think the characters make this show, and it’s definitely got a real early 2000s feel to it.

What is your experience of watching ‘The O.C.’? What’s your opinion on ‘The O.C’? Have you watched anything you’ve loved recently?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Happy reading x

25 thoughts

  1. Thank you for reviewing this series! It brings so many feelings of nostalgia for me. I remember just drowning in this series as a teenager and wanting badly that Ryan and Marissa finally get together for good and never parted. Seth and Summer are also such a good couple! It is a pity that Mischa Barton’s behaviour got bad during the later period of the show and the series had to do something about it.

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  2. Oh how I loved the OC, I re watched it recently and it was just as good as I remembered and for me beats it contemporaries hands down, brilliant soundtrack too and lots of humour. It really cheered me up watching this through lockdown and I loved your article

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  9. Like you I’ve been binge watching a lot of series since lockdown began. The O.C sure was big back then. I haven’t seen this series though. But I definitely want to!

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