Fox has made its announcement regarding ‘The O.C.’ reboot and it is not what the fans were expecting.
Before ‘Gossip Girl’, ‘Riverdale’, and ‘Outer Banks’ came the popular teen drama ‘The O.C.’, developed by Fox, went on for 4 hit seasons between 2003 and 2007. The show opened to high ratings and very soon gained the stature of a cultural phenomenon. Created by Josh Schwartz, the series consisted of elements of postmodernism for which it was praised by the critics. When Fox decided to cancel the series after its 4th season, a petition was started by fans to revive it, receiving over 700,000 signatures. The series is still remembered as a well-scripted comedy-drama and has been watched in over 50 countries around the world. With the news of the series having a reboot in circulation, is ‘The O.C.’ really coming back?
Highlights —
- The dramatic lives of the teenagers of Orange County
- Cancellation and news of a possible reboot
- ‘The O.C.’ reboot – Everything we know
The dramatic lives of the teenagers of Orange County
The series met all the quintessential requirements of a successful teen drama – a good looking cast, melodrama, romance, comedy, tragedy, and even suspense. It made superstars out of its fresh-faced actors, Ben McKenzie, Mischa Barton, Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson, and Autumn Reeser.
‘The O.C.’ followed Ryan Atwood (McKenzie), a smart but troubled teenager adopted by rich philanthropists, Sandy (Peter Gallagher) and Kirsten Cohen (Kelly Rowan). He, along with his witty foster brother Seth (Brody), was seen dealing with the posh world of the Orange County while navigating through life throughout the 4 seasons.
The series focused on the romantic interests of the two boys and often gave realistic representations of the materialistic and shallow society we live in.
The show saw high viewership at the beginning, however, as it progressed, the ratings started dwindling. The first season of the series is often described as its best. It was touted to be one of the best teen dramas out there but eventually lost its thunder with the departure of Mischa Barton and deteriorating quality of the script. The series was ultimately cancelled in 2007.
Cancellation and news of a possible reboot
In 2006, many of the cast members of the show started getting the feeling that ‘The O.C.’ was quite close to being cancelled. Kelly Rowan confirmed the same by saying that the cast knew that the series was nearing its end when season 4 was renewed only for 16 episodes which was much lower than any of the previous seasons. Showrunner Josh Schwartz defended the cancellation in 2007 saying that he believed that it was the best time for the series to conclude. After the cancellation, there were rumours that The CW was considering picking up the series for a fifth season, but the talks fell through.
In 2018, Rachel Bilson revealed that even though she was all for a reboot, most of the other castmates would not return. She said, “I mean, I would do it. I’ll tell you about three people that wouldn’t do it — five people? Six people? Eight people, let’s be honest”.
Peter Gallagher also voiced his keenness on being a part of ‘The O.C.’ reboot saying,
“I love Sandy Cohen. I’d love to play Sandy Cohen again”.
With some of the stars wanting to give fans a reboot, is Fox bringing the series back?
‘The O.C.’ reboot – Everything we know
Unfortunately, the series is not being rebooted. In 2019, Schwartz had communicated his views on the possible reboot saying, “We were asked about doing a return to ‘The O.C.’ to see those kids grown up. For us, that was a very, very singular story. We felt like we completed that tale by the end”.
Michael Thorn, the head of Fox, revealed in a 2020 interview with “Deadline” that despite wanting to bring the show back, a reboot was not happening as none of the former cast members were available.
Considering how most of the cast members are not willing to return as everyone’s favourite characters, the series will sadly not be revived any time soon.
Did you like watching ‘The O.C.’? Are you disappointed that it won’t be getting a reboot? Tell us in the comments below.
