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What the 'O.C.'
needs to score again
This surprise Fox hit wandered in its first season
By Ed Robertson
This week marks the beginning of phase two of Fox’s
year-round programming strategy. Among other things that means the highly anticipated
season premiere of “The O.C.” tonight at 8.
A surprise hit last season, “The O.C.” had three things going for
it: (1) an early debut in August, which gave the show a chance to build an audience
against summer reruns and relatively light competition; (2) a strong lead-in (at least,
during the winter and spring months) in “American Idol,” whose results show
immediately preceded “The O.C.” on Wednesday nights; and (3) low expectations.
“The O.C.” wasn’t expected to beat “The West Wing,”
its primary competition last year on Wednesday nights, only to be competitive. It was that
and more. The fact that “O.C.” eventually supplanted “Wing” was one of
the season’s surprises.
This year the stakes are higher. Fox believes it has an opportunity to gain
ground on Thursday, a night that has been a disaster for the network the last two seasons.
With “Friends” finally gone from NBC, Fox eagerly moved “The O.C.” to
Thursdays at 8, believing the youth-oriented drama could build on its success while
capturing the 18-to-34 demo that once watched “Friends.”
So far, Thursday night appears up for grabs. Though “Survivor”
is winning the 8 p.m. slot for CBS, its numbers are down from the spring. “Joey”
has performed about as well as NBC anticipated, finishing a consistent second. A strong
year from “The O.C.” could well put Fox in a position to dominate.
Smart writing, not to mention the teenybopper appeal of young stars
Benjamin McKenzie and Adam Brody, fueled “The O.C.” to a hot start last year.
But the show got lazy as the season wore on, bogged down by meandering storylines that
tested the patience of its more discriminating viewers.
For “The O.C.” to build on its success, the show must return to the
elements that made it successful in the first place. That means three things:
Returning the focus to Benjamin McKenzie. Nothing against Adam Brody,
who plays Seth Cohen, the best friend and surrogate brother to the perpetually troubled
Ryan Atwood (McKenzie). Brody is charming, cute and a more-than-capable actor. But
McKenzie is the force that drives “The O.C.”
McKenzie is a star in the making. His portrayal of Ryan is marked by a
brooding vulnerability reminiscent of James Dean. And yet the series moved away from
McKenzie during the second half of last season, shifting its focus increasingly toward
Seth as Brody’s popularity continued to grow.
But Brody is a classic second banana who lacks the charisma that
captivates viewers, teen-age girls notwithstanding. Executive producer Josh Schwartz would
be wise to keep that in mind as “The O.C.” embarks on its sophomore year. Having
Brody in the foreground is okay, so long as the focus remains on McKenzie.
Tighten up the writing. “The O.C.” enjoyed a 10 percent spike in
audience between February and May, thanks largely to “American Idol.”
Considering how tedious and predictable the show was during those months, the fact that it
sustained that increase over that period of time is nothing short of remarkable.
Take the story arc in which Marissa (Mischa Barton), Ryan’s emotionally
shallow girlfriend, falls under the influence of the charming yet manipulative Oliver
(Trask Handley). Ryan sees right away that Oliver is psychologically unhinged and warns
Marissa to stay clear of him. Marissa, thinking Ryan is jealous, ignores him. Naturally,
Ryan is proven right and has to rescue Marissa before Oliver kills her.
This story should have played itself out in three weeks, tops. Incredibly,
Schwartz managed to stretch it out over six episodes. By the time Ryan finally rescued
Marissa, any sense of suspense had long since been milked dry.
Granted, Schwartz did have an unusually long season’s worth of episodes
to produce. Most series produce 22 shows a year. “The O.C.” filmed 27 episodes
last season, Fox ordering the additional five in light of the show’s early success
during the summer. That may account for why the Oliver storyline—as well as the
”will they, won’t they” romance between Summer (Rachel Bilson) and
Seth—were stretched as thin as they were.
In any event, given the competition on Thursday nights, “The O.C.”
will have to tighten up the storylines to keep viewers from switching over to
“Survivor.”
Bring back Samaire Armstrong. It was great to see the talented and charming
Armstrong this summer on “Entourage.” But “The O.C.” sparkled whenever
she appeared last year as Anna, the blond pixie who nearly won Seth’s heart. Schwartz
would be wise to bring Armstrong back to shake things up between Seth and Summer.
Otherwise “The O.C.” may become yet another one-year wonder,
leaving Fox with a hole on Thursday nights for the third consecutive year. |
Nov. 4, 2004
© 2004 Media Life
- Ed Robertson is a television
historian and a regular contributor to Media Life
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