Last week was a lousy one for fans of The O.C. series. Surprisingly though, it was pretty good for series creator Josh Schwartz’s career. After signing a three-year, seven figure deal with Warner Bros. Television (The O.C.’s studio), Josh had not one but two new series greenlit last week.
First, NBC ordered a pilot for Chuck, a concept that Josh co-wrote with Chris Fedak. It’s been described as a high-concept action dramedy about spies and twenty-somethings in the vein of the John Cusak movie Grosse Pointe Blank.
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Then, a day later, the CW gave the go-ahead for an hour-long pilot based on the popular Gossip Girl books. The ten books in the teen series (with another on the way) about the world of New York teens and their parents have sold over two million copies. Warner Bros. made a deal with publisher Alloy Entertainment to adapt the books for television. Josh was then brought in and re-teamed with O.C. writer Stephanie Savage. The two will executive produce Gossip Girls along with Alloy Entertainment’s Bob Levy and Leslie Morgenstein.
Great news for Josh but he’s certainly not unaware of the irony. “It’s an exciting time for me, but it comes with some sadness — The O.C. was my first,” Josh reflected.
So, if one or both of these new pilots become series, how much time would Josh have for a fifth season of The O.C.? Beyond that, how likely is it that the CW network would pick up the fifth season of an existing and expensive series when they own a new exciting series from the same creative minds? Not as likely as some would like.
If the CW wants to Save the The O.C. or not will likely have a lot to do with the success of the Gossip Girl pilot and the ratings of the last seven episodes of The O.C. on Fox. Stay tuned!
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