Well received by critics, Fox’s new show yet again focuses on rich Californian’s but this time instead of a California zip code, the show is named after Orange County . . . a.k.a. O.C.
At the center of the action in “The O.C.” is a 90210 Dylan-type character, a misunderstood soft-hearted bad boy. Instead of Luke Perry though, we have good looking newcomer Benjamin McKenzie playing the troubled teen, Ryan Atwood, who actually has real problems unlike rich boy Dylan.
From the wrong side of the tracks, Ryan has a high IQ and impressive SAT scores, yet has the misfortune of having an alcoholic mother and a few bad run ins with the law.
Rescued by his public defense attorney, Sandy Cohen, played by actor Peter Gallagher from “While You Were Sleeping,” Ryan is suddenly thrust into a world of privilege and affluence. Despite Sandy’s wife’s misgivings about the teen rebel, Ryan is brought into the Cohen’s huge home on Newport Beach – well, actually he is boarding in their roomy pool house.
He soon bonds with his new families geeky but very likeable teenage son, Seth (Adam Brody, “Gilmore Girls”) and also with the beautiful but jaded next door neighbor, Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton).
Ryan’s luck soon starts to run out though, and just when he thinks he might be liking his new home, the jocks from the cool crowd — who are threatened by Ryan soon make him feel very unwelcomed. These guys will definitely prove to provide future trouble !
Unlike, “90210” and its other predecessors, “The O.C.” is both edgy and smart and tries to show the good, the bad, and the ugly that comes with having money and being in a well to do society. The other teen characters do a good job at portraying teen angst and the confusion, boredom and trouble that comes with being a teenager. (By the way, the parents and adults in the show have their own problems and more realistic roles than the Walshes ever did.)
Hopefully this hip late summer show will continue to be both fresh and enjoyable.
“The O.C.” will air on Tuesday’s at 9 p.m. until late October, when it will be moved to Thursdays, opposite two highly viewed shows, “Will and Grace” and “CSI.”