8 years ago on August 5, the OC was first aired on Fox, and in honour of that I wanted to write a blog about the first TV series I ever fell in love with. I grew up in Norway so my first encounter with the show was not until our TV network started airing season 2 in 2004/2005. I remember watching a few episodes of season 2 and becoming completely immersed in the lives of Ryan, Seth and the Cohen family. Not too long after I bought season 1 and spent an entire weekend catching up to our TV broadcast.
Back then I never cried when watching TV or movies (as opposed to now when it happens on a regular basis), so I was as surprised as anyone when I found myself crying my eyes out at the end of season 1 when Ryan leaves Orange County. Since then I have watched, and re-watched, every episode. While the show has had its ups and downs, I have always felt a strong connection to the characters in this show. I love the extravagance of the OC socialites, the sarcastic comments from Seth and the banter between him and Summer. While there are parts of the drama I could have done without (the Oliver plot line comes to mind) I am generally very pleased with where the show ended up. I usually don’t appreciate when they end a show by wrapping everything up with a neat bow, but somehow the ending montage of the series was heart-warming and provided just enough closure.
But these are only pieces of a whole that carries so much more meaning for me. I hesitate to say that this is my all-time favourite show because I was young when I watched it, and what I’m looking for in a TV show has changed with age. However, the OC was the first show I really invested time into watching, the first show I bought on DVD in order to watch everything all over again, and the show that opened me up to a deeper appreciation for television as a medium. Josh Schwartz pulled me into his fictional world and made me wish I knew Seth, Ryan and all their various friends and enemies.
In later years he has managed to do this again with shows like Gossip Girl and Chuck, but the OC will always hold a special place in my heart.
Current Obsession 