Well, after months of speculation it appears that the word has come down from Fox regarding the future of The O.C. The news isn’t good but it might not be as bad as it seems.
The hip young drama The O.C. debuted on August 5, 2003 on FOX. Much like Beverly Hills, 90210 before it, the show became very popular among younger viewers during a summer debut. The series, set in Newport Beach in Orange County, California, told the story of a group of teens and parents in the Cohen, Cooper, and Nichol families whose lives were changed by the arrival of an outsider in their idyllic community.
The O.C. is frequently credited with popularizing several previously unknown bands and reviving the teen drama genre while including humorous and heartfelt adult storylines. The series currently stars actors Peter Gallagher, Kelly Rowan, Benjamin McKenzie, Adam Brody, Melinda Clarke, Rachel Bilson, Autumn Reeser, and Willa Holland.
There was concern by many that season four, which debuted on November 2, 2006, would be the show’s last. For one thing, fans were told to expect to see a significant shift in the storylines now that the hot teen characters have left high school. One of the main characters had also died at the end of season three (Marissa played by Mischa Barton). On top of that, the other networks were offering stiff Thursday night competition with powerhouses like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Grey’s Anatomy.
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The O.C.’s fourth season premiere drew a small number of viewers, approximately a meager 2.5 million. This poor showing caused Fox to cancel The O.C.’s weaker lead-in shows immediately (the sitcom Happy Hour and the game show The Rich List) and to rework their troubled schedule — even airing The O.C. twice a week. Ultimately though, the show stayed on Thursday nights to fight it out and understandably the numbers didn’t improve very much. We now know that the battle is over. Or is it?
Fox has now issued a statement that The O.C. has been cancelled and that the series finale will air on Thursday, February 22nd. Original fourth season episodes will air each week prior to the finale. The series creator and executive producer Josh Schwartz said in a statement, “The O.C. Season Four finale will also be the series finale. This feels like the best time to bring the show to its close. Thanks to the hard work of our cast, crew and writers, we have enjoyed our best season yet, and what better time to go out than creatively on top. It has been an amazing experience and a great run. For a certain audience, at a certain time, The O.C. has meant something. For that we are grateful.”
In a note to TV critic Alan Sepinwell, Josh Schwartz explained that only a portion of his quote made it into the press release. The part that was cut said “There has been some speculation about a Season 5 on another network but this feels like the best time to bring the story to an end.” Josh went on to say, “I felt better to go out now with the run we’re having then try and move the show, etc. etc. and maybe not be able to deliver the same level of quality. Teen dramas have a shelf life. We’ve had a lot of parties on the show, and so I’ve learned, best not to stay too late.”
So that’s it. Or is it? There have been rumblings that the freshman CW network might be interested in picking up the series. Idol rumors? Maybe not.
The O.C. is produced by Wonderland Sound and Vision and College Hill Pictures in association with Warner Bros. Television Production. Warner Bros. co-owns the CW network. A minimum of 100 episodes are traditionally desired for a series to be sold in syndication (so that stations can run episodes every day without having to rerun them too quickly). At the end of the fourth season, The O.C. will have only 92 episodes. It may make better financial sense for Warner Bros. to continue producing the show for a fifth season, even if it’s only another short one.
In addition, head of the CW network Dawn Ostroff is said to be extremely interested in picking up the show for another season. The show is expensive to produce but perhaps the syndication money could offset the cost enough so that the CW network could afford it. Stranger things have happened when it comes to networks. After all, Seventh Heaven was pulled from the ashes and renewed for an 11th season last year. Could the same thing happen to The O.C.? What do you think? Worth saving? Take part in our poll (see above left). Time will tell so stay tuned! 
Oh, please! You must keep it! I love the show and I can’t live without it!!
OC should not be cancelled at all. It’s the best show I have ever LOVED & watched & if fox takes this show of the air, they will be ruining my life :(. So if they do this the CW should really start showing it on their tv station instead :D.
The OC would be the biggest hit on CW if they get picked up. This is a no brainer for CW, hopefully they make the right decision and pick OC up.
What the hell? For those of you how are debating to get rid of The O.C, obviosly you dont care for it- so why are you bothering to share your opinion? I agree that everyone has one and is allowed to share it but if you have something bad to say about The O.C then share it somewhere else and stop ruining it for everyone else who is making an effort for The O.C! STOP RAINING ON OUR PARADE! Save your breath an argue for a show you care about rather than ratting out this one! For everyone else doing… Read more »
I don’t understand what is wrong with FOX. The O.C. has been the best its ever been this year. Marissa’s death invigorated the show to a S1-level of greatnes. And what does FOX do? IT shoves it in the worst timeslot possible and gives it zero promotion. Brilliant. And can someone please explain the logic of cutting the show in Feburary? Does FOX think that another show will get better ratings on the monster Thursday night timeslot. The O.C. has an ESTABLISHED, LOYAL fanbase. Why try to build up an auidence for a new show? It’s the stupidest thinking ever.… Read more »
I have mixed feelings about the show being picked up. While I’d love to see it in syndication, at the same time I also want it to go out on a good note. I think this season is much better than last. I was actually glad when marissa died, but had her character not done everything imaginable in the previous 2 seasons I may not have been annoyed so much. The story lines for her were getting more and more ridiculous.
I LOVE THE OC 4 EVER it is the best show i have EVER watched if i could i would only watch the OC I would only watch The OC and nothing else. I NEED to see more of the OC!!!!! PLEASE KEEP IT GOING!!!!!!!!!
i’ve been watching the oc ever since my brother borrowed season 1 from a friend and i finished it in less than a week, it was great and i fell in love with it and became obsessed with calanders, buying the seasons etc.etc. but i do agree that after season 1 the quality has been decreasing and i thought that it should have ended at season 3
CW has to pick this up. i absolutly love this show and would love to have at least one more season where i could enjoy the show without the worries of cancellation PLEASE SAVE IT
I’m a huge fan. Never miss the show. Other family members watch it also. Don’t let it get cancelled. Fox or CW, or some network keep it on. The show & actors are wonderful. Please, we don’t want to see it end.
The OC should go on for a fifth season. Just because not as many people are watching it doesnt mean you still dont have loyal fans. Another problem could be because it’s on thursday nights. Im sure alot of viewers are teenagers and with school you can’t have a whole night of watching your favorite shows with the amount of homework teenagers are given.
PLEASE VOTE!. I DID. THE OC JUST CAN NOT BE DROPPED LIKE THAT. IT IS MY FAVORITE SHOW ON TV AND IT CANT DO THIS! LIKE 92% OF THE PEOPLE WANT SEASON 5! GO VOTE 😀
The OC has been going off the rails for years with only a glimmer of what made the show a real success. The first season worked because the adults acted like adults and the kids, while sophisticated and wealthy acted like kids trying to navigate an actual adolescence. Once the focus shifted to the adults behaving badly and the kids going from one huge, unlikely death scenario and drama to the next the show got soap opera/boring. The best thing about this show was the idea that Seth was a privileged but lonely guy who developed a serious sense of… Read more »
Its time that everyone faced facts and let the OC go. Its only a tv show for god sake. Its had a good run, but Josh Schwartz is right, teen dramas have a shelf life and the OC has come to the end of its. I am a big fan of the OC but I am sure there will be other shows to replace it. Times have to change. I do not think its a good idea for the OC to be picked up by another network, it would never be the same. Let’s face it, if the OC is… Read more »
i really want the oc to keep going…i think that oveer the summer they should show the seasons again or something so they can bring in another group of young audiences and then come back better then ever with an amazing season 5….not saying that season 4 isnt great