O.C. stands for Orange County, California, more specifically, Newport Beach, a community for the rich and famous. The teenaged sons and daughters of the rich and famous, are, of course, spoiled rotten, though surprisingly well behaved: they seem to divide their time between charity work and partying. Homework is not an option. Young Ryan Atwood is something of an exception: he’s saddled with a delinquent brother, an alcoholic mother and an absent father; he’s a good student, but prone to trouble. Enter attorney Sandy Cohen – the sweetest proxy dad you could ever dream of – who adopts Atwood. He does his best to be a good son, but he soon realizes that life in Orange County is not as ideal as it appears; on the contrary it is a world of lies, back-stabbing and vengeance. But somehow, it all turns out just fine. This series is not about tragedy; each episode delivers 45 minutes of feel-good TV, full of lighthearted comedy, mild drama and the occasional twist. The dialogue is sometimes corny and situations cheesy, yet the multi-layered generational issues and the overall optimistic feeling somehow works, making this a must-see series that will appeal to more than just privileged Californians.
Warner Bros/Fox

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
February 2006 issue