10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching The O.C. 20 Years Later

While The O.C. might be a classic teen dramedy, re-watching the series twenty years later exposes a lot of hitherto-unseen cracks in its sunny veneer. The O.C. debuted in 2003. The teen soap soon won over viewers with the story of Ben McKenzie’s Ryan Atwood, a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who was adopted by the well-meaning, affluent Cohen family. Ryan gradually bonded with the family’s nerdy son Seth as the pair pursued relationships with the troubled girl-next-door Marissa Cooper and spoiled rich kid Summer. If that premise sounds like a pile of coming-of-age clichés thrown together, that was part of The O.C.’s appeal.