Wait, what? ‘The OC’ and ‘Arrested Development’ crossover is legit.
No fan of either show would’ve imagined an episode or two that had an ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘The O.C.’ crossover. To begin with, neither shows can be categorized under the same exact genre. While ‘Arrested Development’ is an American comedy sitcom, ‘The O.C.’ is a teen/young adult comedy-drama series.
Highlights —
- How similar are ‘The O.C.’ and ‘Arrested Development’?
- ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘The O.C.’ crossover that almost happened
- Will ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘The O.C.’ resurrect for its highly anticipated crossover?
How similar are ‘The O.C.’ and ‘Arrested Development’?
Josh Schwartz‘s teen drama ‘The OC’ seemed to mix millennial angst and winking satire on popular TV stereotypes at first. The drama, which followed Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie) as he was adopted by the wealthy Cohen family, gradually grew in popularity and received high ratings during its first season.
‘Arrested Development’, on the other hand, was a sitcom about the Bluth family’s dysfunction. During its initial run, the film, which was produced by Mitchell Hurwitz and notably narrated by Ron Howard, was a critical one.
‘Arrested Development’ and ‘The O.C.’ crossover that almost happened
When ‘Arrested Development’s’ third season premiered in 2005, the Bluth family’s fate was sealed. The audiences couldn’t say enough positive things about ‘Arrested Development’, the show’s ratings stayed low in its first two seasons. Meanwhile, ‘The O.C.’ was at its peak in success. The show was on the rise between its first and second seasons, and the second season, in particular, is remembered for the dramatic season finale in which Marissa (Mischa Barton) fired Trey (Logan Marshall-Green) in a scene immortalised in the SNL short “Dear Sister”.
When ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘The O.C.’ both returned to Fox in late 2005 for new seasons, ‘Arrested Development’ couldn’t help but make fun of its more successful network sibling. In the second episode of the third season, a running gag on ‘Arrested Development’ was for a character to refer to Orange County as “the OC”, to which Michael would immediately react, “Don’t call it that”. The joke was repeated several times during the season, which was ‘Arrested Development’s’ final on Fox.
Though the joke was easy to miss, ‘Arrested Development’ creator Mitch Hurwitz had plans to extend it with cameos from ‘The O.C.’ cast members. Josh Schwartz, the founder of ‘The O.C.’, said in an interview with Uproxx, “We both premiered on FOX in the same season, and Mitch Hurwitz wondered if our actors should appear on his show as ‘The O.C.’ guests. I was concerned that it was one meta layer too many, so I declined”.
Will ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘The O.C.’ resurrect for its highly anticipated crossover?
While fans would have loved to see the two shows have that major crossover, it seems very unlikely that the crossover will ever happen. With both ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘The O.C.’ having ended in 2019 and 2007 respectively, it will take a surprise renewal for a crossover to happen.
Do you think ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘The O.C.’ should reboot for a crossover? Which show among the two is your favourite? Do you think the crossover should have happened when the show was on the air? Let us know in the comment section below.
