History SERIES / TheOC

* FourPhilosophyEnsemble: The Fab Four: DeadpanSnarker Seth is the Cynic , PluckyGirl Summer is the Optimist , OnlySaneMan Ryan is the Realist and TroubledButCute Marissa is the Conflicted.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The four main teens, Ryan (melancholic), Marissa (choleric), Summer (sanguine), and Seth (phlegmatic).

* BiTheWay: Alex Kelly and Marissa Cooper.

* CastingGag: Tate Donovan plays Jimmy Cooper (Father to Marissa & Kaitlin) and voiced the title character in Disney's ''[[Disney/{{Hercules}} Hercules]]''. When the decision was made to finally introduce Frank Atwood (Ryan's father) in season 4, Kevin Sorbo got the role; Sorbo having played the title character in the unrelated ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys''.

** Also the three longest female character : Kirsten (blonde), Summer (brunette) and Julie (redhead).

* BlondeBrunetteAndRedhead: Two sets fits this:

* BlondeBrunetteAndReadhead: Two sets fits this:

* NeverLiveItDown: InUniverse.

* OldShame: InUniverse, Julie making a porno at 18.

*** Johnny is one to Ryan for his DarkTroubledPast and having a violent dad. Interestingly Johnny fall in love with Marissa when she starts her studies at Newport Union in constrast with Ryan who had a crush on her during his first day at Orange County.

** Ryan has a thing for girls with complicated family/love relationships (Marissa is in a DysfonctionalFamily, Theresa becomes pregnant with a physically abusive guy, Lindsay is the illigitimate daughter of Caleb and Taylor lives with an abusive mom ). Only Sadie averts this being a ordinary girl. Kirsten lampshades the contrast saying Ryan haves [[ChronicHeroSyndrome a "Saving the girl" attitude.]]

** In Season 2, [[LovableAlphaBitch Summer]] is torn between two geeky comics lovers (Seth and Zach) creating a OppositesAttracts dynamic. In a friendship varation, Summer tends to get along with blondes: Marissa, Holly (at first) Anna, and Taylor.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Ryan and Seth, Marissa and Summer, and eventually Kirsten and Julie.

* BlondeBrunetteReadhead: Two sets fits this:

* FourPhilosophyEnsemble: The Fab Four, DeadpanSnarker Seth is the Cynic , PluckyGirl Summer is the Optimist , OnlySaneMan Ryan is the Realist and TroubledButCute Marissa is the Conflicted.

* FirstGirlWins: Summer is Seth's FirstLove and [[spoiler: [[OneTrueLove she becomes his wife in the finale.]]

* ShirtlessScene: Several. It ''is''' set in California.

*** Chili is one to Seth. Both are loyal, funny and often mocked Cool Loser with a streak of TheFriendNobodyLikes. But if Chili is often mocked by his female feiend Casey , Seth is with Summer even when she continues to tease him.

*** Chili is one to Seth. Both are loyal, funny and often mocked Cool Loser with a streak of TheFriendWhoNobodyLike. But if Chili is often mocked by his female feiend Casey , Seth is with Summer even when she continues to tease him.

* FourPhilosophiesTemperament: The Fab Four, DeadpanSnarker Seth is the Cynic , PluckyGirl Summer is the Optimist , OnlySaneMan Ryan is the Realist and TroubledButCute Marissa is the Conflicted.

* ChickMagnet: Seth attracts the attention of Summer, Anna, Alex, and Taylor.

*** Chili is one to Seth. Both are loyal, funny and often mocked Cool Loser with a streak of TheFriendWhoNobodyLikes. But if Chili is often mocked by his female feiend Casey , Seth is with Summer even when she continues to tease him.

*** Chili is one to Seth. Both are loyal, funny and often mocked Cool Loser with a streak of FriendWhoNobodyLikes. But if Chili is often mocked by his female feiend Casey , Seth is with Summer even when she continues to tease him.

* FourPhilosophyTemperament: The Fab Four, DeadpanSnarker Seth is the Cynic , PluckyGirl Summer is the Optimist , OnlySaneMan Ryan is the Realist and TroubledButCute Marissa is the Conflicted.

* {{Expy}}: Casey, Johnny and Chili at Newport union were pretty blatant expy's of Ryan, Summer and Seth, with the flip that the Summer-analogue was dating the Ryan analogue

** Ryan, Seth, Marissa, Summer, Ryan & Anna in season 1.
** Ryan, Seth, Marissa, Summer, Zach & Linsay in season two.

Ryan is thrust into the glamorous world of Orange County, and into the lives of the Cohens and their neighbors. There's [[DefrostingIceQueen Kirsten Cohen]], Sandy's kind, but slightly guarded wife; nerdy and isolated [[DeadpanSnarker Seth Cohen]], their son; [[FallenPrincess Marissa Cooper]], their beautiful but troubled neighbor; [[MagnificentBitch Julie Cooper]], Marissa's scheming mother; and [[LovabeAlphaBitch Summer Roberts]], Marissa's best friend. Ryan's first meeting with Marissa sets off sparks--too bad she's dating a JerkJock. Seth has loved Summer for years--too bad she doesn't know he exists.

* {{Action Girl}}: Marissa saves Ryan from a beating in Chino in season 1. She helps her girlfriend get her belongings back from an ex in Season 2. She also [[spoiler: shoots Trey]] to save Ryan. In Season 3, she saves her bully from being raped in the back of a van.

** Seth and Captain Oats.

Ryan is thrust into the glamorous world of Orange County, and into the lives of the Cohens and their neighbors. There's [[DefrostingIceQueen Kirsten Cohen]], Sandy's kind, but slightly guarded wife; nerdy and isolated [[DeadpanSnarker Seth Cohen]], their son; [[FallenPrincess Marissa Cooper]], their beautiful but troubled neighbor; [[MagnificentBitch Julie Cooper]], Marissa's scheming mother; and Summer Roberts, Marissa's best friend. Ryan's first meeting with Marissa sets off sparks--too bad she's dating a JerkJock. Seth has loved Summer for years--too bad she doesn't know he exists.

* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: [[http://vlog.xuite.net/play/Sjk0WmNGLTkzMDI2MS5mbHY=/Bz-15-Ore-to-Omae-no-Atarashii-Kisetsu "Ore to Omae no Atarashii Kisetsu"]] by B'z is used as the Japanese ending theme.

''The O.C.'' is the story of Ryan Atwood (Creator/BenjaminMcKenzie), a troubled teenager from Chino, and The Cohens, the family who takes him in. Ryan and his brother are arrested for grand theft auto, but Ryan's idealistic public defender, Sandy Cohen, recognizes Ryan's intelligence and offers him a way out. When Ryan's alcoholic mother and her abusive boyfriend kick him out, Ryan has no choice but to call Sandy.

* CelebrityParadox: Seth makes a reference to the vomiting little girl from TheSixthSense... who was played by Mischa Barton, also known as Marissa.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Compare Summer's personality in the first couple of episodes with the rest of the series: she comes across as a lot less likeable, a slutty , obnoxious, partygirl airhead who dumps her unconcious best friend in her driveway after a night out. Likewise original flavour Taylor is very different from the adorable GenkiGirl she became, being a bitchy SmugSnake who is fooling around with a teacher (a SadistTeacher at that). Neither character was originally intended to be a regular but the unexpected appeal of Rachel Bilson and Autumn Reeser meant they ended up staying on and developing into quite different characters.