In what seems like a blink of the eye for those of us who were born in the late 80s/early-to-mid 90s, decades have quietly flown by, and suddenly, we find ourselves celebrating the 20th anniversary of Josh Schwartz’s The OC.
It’s hard to discern whether the oft-times soapy (yet consistently beloved) teen drama shaped the early 00s culture; or whether it was simply a perfect reflection of said culture; or whether one informed the other in a vicious feedback loop a la the chicken and the egg.
Even now I can picture the low-rise jeans, baseball-length shirts, indie/alt rock mixtapes rich with Modest Mouse, Death Cab For Cutie, Rooney, and Nada Surf (God it had a cracking soundtrack) — an entire world that, despite the best efforts of those who’ve recently made it their mission to recapture the glory and bygone optimism of the Y2K era, is practically unrecognisable to the one we currently inhabit.
But one thing is for certain: it had an impact.
Beyond the blueprint it refined for this particular genre of entertainment — let’s not pretend The OC didn’t walk so that HBO’s Euphoria could run (addiction storylines, gender politics exploration, and all); creator Josh Schwartz would also go on to produce Gossip Girl — the magic of the series was largely owed to its characters, each with a lesson to impart like a four-season afterschool special for tween/teen millennials.
The Chino born and bred Ryan Atwood (Ben Mackenzie) taught us our past, however troubled and underprivileged it may be, does not have to dictate our future — though nor should we ever forget who we are and where we came from; that the family you choose is just as important as the family you share blood with.
Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) and Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) taught us not to be in so much of a hurry to grow up — the time will pass anyways, just enjoy your youth for what it is instead of maxing it out like another credit card.
Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) taught us to never compromise on our identity, despite how much of an acquired taste you may be — there’s value in being your own person. And hell, with that level of earnestness, you might still get the girl anyway.
As for Sandy & Kirsten Cohen (Peter Gallagher & Kelly Rowan)… what can we say? Regardless of how awesome your own parents are, there’s no denying the benchmark they’ve set. In fact, I’ll go as far as to rank Sandy Cohen among history’s greatest television dads. Top 3, at the very least, right next to Homer Simpson and Phil Dunphy.
Only time will tell whether The OC continues to age like fine wine or dairy across the next 20 years, and I have no doubt there’ll be some debate surrounding whether it has indeed aged with any kind of grace post the first 20.
For now, however, I’m more than happy to just look back on what was with an almost wilfully ignorant fondness, and let Phantom Planet’s ‘California’ playing on repeat absolutely ruin my Spotify analytics.
The OC, which initially premiered on August 5th of 2003 over in the US, is now streaming here in Australia via Stan.
