It feels like just yesterday that the words "Welcome to the O.C., b**ch" took TV by storm, but actually it was more than 10 years ago. Teen drama The O.C. debuted back in 2003, and it definitely left its mark. But, what if The O.C. took place in 2015? A lot has changed in the past decade and I bet Ryan Atwood, Seth Cohen, Marissa Cooper, Summer Roberts, and their parents would've all been different. Back in 2003, Facebook was but a mere twinkle in Mark Zuckerberg's eye and the iPhone wasn't even born yet. My, how times have changed.
In an interview with HitFix, creator and executive producer Josh Schwartz explained that The O.C. was meant to have the universal and timeless theme of those who don't fit in trying to belong. "The show is always going to be about outsiders; we were going to take you inside the most exclusive new money place in the country, and the dirty little secret of that is that everybody who's there doesn't feel like they belong," he said. "And I think nobody in life really feels like they belong. Everybody feels like an outsider."
With that in mind, I think if The O.C. took place in 2015 that the show would still have that at its core, but some of the details would change. Here's how I think the show would play out if it were born 11 years later.
Ryan
Ryan would still be that bad boy, but probably from a rougher part Los Angeles — perhaps Skid Row in Downtown, which is pretty scary to drive through. Even back in 2003, Salon reported that Chino wasn't as rough as it was depicted in The O.C.
Seth
I could see Seth getting really into programming apps and trying to get one to take off. (Perhaps a comic book-themed one?) I think he'd also definitely have a Twitter account where he'd dole out his quips in 140 characters. Of course, one of those tweets would go viral when he least expected it.
Marissa
In The O.C. Season 1, Marissa's dad Jimmy commits fraud and files for bankruptcy. But, if the show had debuted in now in these post-recession times, I could see Jimmy having to bounce back from committing a Bernie Madoff-esque situation. Marisa would struggle to deal with that at school, as the crook's daughter.
Summer
Summer would be queen of Instagram, posting photos of her favorite fashions and selfies and ruling the school with tons of likes. But, then she'd have a chance encounter with Seth, who dared her to stay off the app for a week. At first, Summer had no idea what to do with herself, but she and Seth began bonding over his app and had actual conversations.
Luke
While he was only in The O.C. for one season, he did get the most memorable line of the series back in 2003 (see above). If the show took place now, I think Luke would be just as bro-tastic as he was back then, but I think it would be fun if he and Julie Cooper began their tawdry affair over Plenty of Fish or some other dating website. I mean, it could be Tinder, too, but I think it would be cooler if they didn't know who they were talking to online.
Sandy Cohen
He'd still be awesome. I mean, duh. Look at those eyebrows. They're filled with lots of fatherly wisdom.
Let's face it: The OC would be amazing, even if it took place 30 years in the future and on the moon.
