20 years ago, The O.C. launched and immediately became the world’s favourite 00s teen drama. While nowhere near as wild as Euphoria, it was considered to be quite controversial in 2003 for its toxic relationships, drug scandals and more than one tragic death. But it was perhaps its perfectly curated soundtrack (Death Cab for Cutie once played the show’s fictional venue, The Bait Shop), guest stars and impeccable Y2K fashion moments that really cemented The O.C.‘s integral place in popular culture. You can thank the show for the rise and rise of Juicy tracksuits, for the globalisation of the West Coast preppy aesthetic, and probably for being the reason you forced your mum to buy you those knock off UGGs too.
To celebrate The O.C.’s 20th anniversary, we’re revisiting all of the times the show slayed so hard that slaying truly lost all meaning.
1. Paris Hilton guest starred and invented the selfie
Few things are as iconic as Paris Hilton literally inventing the selfie during her cameo in season 1 episode 22. Flirting with Seth Cohen in front of his girlfriend Summer, Paris tells Adam Brody’s character that selfies are “the autograph of the 21st century” after meeting him in an L.A. club. In this short scene, she played a nerdier version of herself while staying true to her usual princess glam. The Simple Life had just launched so this was a truly iconic, Fox-centric, pop culture crossover.
2. Julie Cooper pioneered the “cool mom” aesthetic
Move over Amy Poehler in Mean Girls, Julie Cooper was the original “cool mom” with her Juicy tracksuits. Her daughter Marissa’s friendship group wasn’t averse to the look either, with Summer also participating in the velour craze, slowly working her way through the colour wheel as the series progressed.
3. Olivia Wilde said gay rights
Don’t Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde appeared in The O.C. as badass Alex Kelly, who briefly dated Marissa (one of the show’s few queer storylines) and ran The Bait Shop. With her spiked jewellery and colourful hair streaks, Alex’s aesthetic stood out from the rest of the cast’s preppy Californian style. It’s hard to believe that Olivia was originally considered for the role of Marissa, which of course ultimately went to Mischa Barton.
4. Seth Cohen was the proto indie boyfriend
Speaking of indie, if you’re wondering where the nerdy boyfriend trope came from, we’re pretty sure Adam Brody as Seth Cohen is responsible. Seth wasn’t like other people in Orange County, he listened to Death Cab and played Magic: The Gathering. He forced his friends to go to gigs with him and dressed in vintage graphic tees and Levi’s. All of those Tumblr-worthy lines and that slightly awkward presence turned both Seth and former Gilmore Girls star Adam himself into one of the early-00s biggest alt-heartthrobs.
5. The soundtrack was industry-shaking
While a good soundtrack has always been a nice addition to TV, The O.C. placed new importance on music thanks to Grammy-nominated music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas. Show creator Josh Schwartz was keen for music to feel like a character on the show, so Alexandra took that direction and ran with it, commissioning original covers, booking bands like The Killers and The Walkmen to perform at the show’s local DIY venue (which frontman Ben Gibbard has called “the highlight of the band’s career”), and even premiering songs like Coldplay’s “Fix You”. Alexandra’s careful curation launched endless music careers, resulting in a whole load of hit singles and millions of teenagers discovering the world of indie rock.
6. Summer and Seth’s Spider-Man kiss
As you might have gathered by now, The O.C. was a hotbed of pop culture. Not only were they shaping it but referencing it in almost every episode’s script. The pinnacle of this was when, clearly still reeling from the release of 2002’s Spider-Man, Josh Schwartz had comic book nerd Seth and his very own Mary Jane (Summer) recreate that iconic upside-down kiss in the rain. The moment was so good that apparently Josh Schwartz received a call from Spider-Man director Sam Raimi, who told him he was a fan of the episode.
7. Everybody wanted a cameo
If we were to list every single celebrity who appeared in The O.C., we’d have to write a whole separate article. That’s how hot this show was! Star Wars creator George Lucas expressed his interest in making a cameo because his teen daughter was a huge fan at the time — he even gave Josh Schwartz a Storm Trooper helmet as a thank you gift. Chris Pratt played a nudist college activist who sang about polar bears. Amber Heard turned up as a sales assistant in a mall. And if you’re rewatching and wondering why Kaitlin Cooper’s boarding school roommate in S3 looked so familiar, that was Lucy Hale! The list goes on.
8. The scene that resulted in an SNL parody
Death scenes were not out of the ordinary on The O.C., but only one (ok, so he only ended up in a coma) got parodied by SNL. In the shocking season 2 finale, Marissa shot Ryan’s brother Trey, who sexually assaulted her. The scene is soundtracked by Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek” and a series of exaggerated gunshots. The SNL skit — starring Shia LaBeouf, Andy Samberg and Bill Hader — instantly became a classic, poking fun at the scene’s dramatic slow-mo, unusual music choice and OTT acting.
9. It literally inspired the Real Housewives franchise
Along with fellow early-00s hit Desperate Housewives, Bravo producers have revealed that The O.C. served as inspiration for the Real Housewives franchise. The result? The Real Housewives of Orange County, where it all began. Naturally, the idea was genius. All the drama of our favourite TV show but… real? An influx of reality TV — think: Laguna Beach, The Hills — followed, clearly also heavily inspired by our beloved show.