The second season of ''

The O.C. ''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. "O.C." is an initiali ...

'' commenced airing in the United States on November 4, 2004, concluded on May 19, 2005, and consisted of 24 episodes. It aired Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET in the US on

FOX Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

, a

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid- ...

. In addition to the regular 24 episodes, two special episodes aired before the season premiere. " The O.C.: Obsess Completely" documented the show's influence on popular culture in its first year. The following week, " Welcome to The O.C.: A Day in the Life," provided a behind-the-scenes look at the show. The season was released on DVD as a seven-disc boxed set under the title ''The O.C.: The Complete Second Season'' on August 23, 2005, by Warner Bros. Home Video. On September 7, 2008, the season became available to purchase for registered users of the US

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

. In the United Kingdom the

season premiere A season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a returning television show. In the United States, many season premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or late winter. In countries such ...

d January 11, 2005 on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

. In Canada the season aired on CTV Television Network and in Australia it was broadcast by Network Ten.

Synopsis

Ryan, Marissa, Summer, and Seth enter their

Junior year A junior is person in the third year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In United States high schools, a junio ...

, but have serious tension between them all that has been building all summer. Kirsten and Julie navigates new water as mother and daughter, while Julie's crime filled past comes back to haunt her. Ryan's older ex-con brother Trey gives Newport a try.

Cast and characters

Regular

Peter Gallagher Peter Killian Gallagher (born August 19, 1955) is an American actor. Since 1980, he has played roles in numerous Hollywood films. He is best known for starring as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series '' The O.C.'' from 2003 to 2007, recu ...

Sandy Cohen Sanford "Sandy" Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX series ''The O.C.'', portrayed by Peter Gallagher. Sandy, son of Sophie Cohen, is married to Kirsten Cohen. Their eldest child, Seth, is something of a social misfit. Sandy's father left ...

(24 episodes) *

Kelly Rowan Kelly Rowan (born October 26, 1965) is a Canadian film and television actress and former model (profession), fashion model. A native of Ottawa, Rowan studied acting in London and New York City before working as a model. She was featured in the ho ...

Kirsten Cohen Kirsten Cohen (maiden name Nichol) is a fictional character on the FOX television series ''The O.C.'', portrayed by Kelly Rowan. Kirsten is the wife of Sandy Cohen, mother to Seth Cohen, and the adoptive mother of Ryan Atwood. Originally portr ...

(24 episodes) *

Benjamin McKenzie Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan (born September 12, 1978) is an American actor and commentator. He is best known for his starring television roles as Ryan Atwood on the teen drama ''The O.C.'' (2003–2007), Ben Sherman on the crime drama ''Southlan ...

Ryan Atwood Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an elector ...

(24 episodes) * Mischa Barton as

Marissa Cooper Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series '' The O.C.'', portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on ''The O.C.'' She is a privileged California native born into a wealthy fami ...

(24 episodes) * Adam Brody as

Seth Cohen Seth Ezekiel Cohen is a fictional character on the Fox television series '' The O.C.'', portrayed by Adam Brody. Seth is one of the "core four" characters on ''The O.C.'' alongside Ryan Atwood, Marissa Cooper, and Summer Roberts. Seth's frie ...

(24 episodes) *

Melinda Clarke Melinda Patrice "Mindy" Clarke (born April 24, 1969) is an American actress. Clarke is known for portraying Faith Taylor on the soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'' (1989–1990), Julie Cooper on Fox's teen drama series '' The O.C.'' (2003–2007) ...

as Julie Cooper (21 episodes) *

Rachel Bilson Rachel Sarah Bilson (born August 25, 1981) is an American actress. Born to a Californian show-business family, Bilson made her television debut in 2003, and then landed the role of Summer Roberts on the prime-time drama series '' The O.C.'' B ...

Summer Roberts Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

(24 episodes) * Alan Dale as Caleb Nichol (19 episodes) *

Tate Donovan Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in '' The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...

as Jimmy Cooper (8 episodes)

Recurring

* Michael Cassidy as

Zach Stevens ''The O.C.'' is an American Television series created by Josh Schwartz for the FOX Network in 2003. Schwartz serves as executive producer while also writing and directing for the show, including the premieres and finales of all seasons. The sh ...

(19 episodes) *

Olivia Wilde Olivia Jane Cockburn ( ; born March 10, 1984), known professionally as Olivia Wilde, is an American actress and filmmaker. She played Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House'' (2007–2012), and has appeared in the ...

as Alex Kelly (13 episodes) *

Shannon Lucio Shannon Lucio (born June 25, 1980) is an American actress. Born in Denver, Colorado, Lucio grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and graduated from John Marshall High School. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California. She is well kn ...

as Lindsay Gardener (12 episodes) * Logan Marshall-Green as

Trey Atwood ''The O.C.'' is an American Television series created by Josh Schwartz for the FOX Network in 2003. Schwartz serves as executive producer while also writing and directing for the show, including the premieres and finales of all seasons. The s ...

(8 episodes) * Billy Campbell as Carter Buckley (7 episodes) * Nikki Griffin as Jess Sathers (7 episodes) *

Nicholas Gonzalez Nicholas Edward Gonzalez is an American actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Alex Santiago on the Showtime television series '' Resurrection Blvd'' and Dr. Neil Melendez on the ABC television series ''The Good Doctor''. Early li ...

as DJ (6 episodes) * Johnny Messner as Lance Baldwin (5 episodes) *

Kim Delaney Kim Delaney (born November 29, 1961) is an American actress known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series ''NYPD Blue'', for which she won an Emmy Award. Early in her career, she played the role of Je ...

as Rebecca Bloom (4 episodes) *

Marguerite Moreau Marguerite Moreau (born April 25, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Jesse Reeves in the fantasy horror film ''Queen of the Damned'', Katie in the comedy '' Wet Hot American Summer'', and her role as Connie in '' The Mi ...

as Reed Carlson (4 episodes) *

Kathleen York Kathleen York is an American actress, screenwriter, and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter recording artist. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for " In the Deep" from the 2004 film ''Crash.'' Life and career Actress Ac ...

as Renee Wheeler (4 episodes)

Special Guest starring

Amanda Righetti Amanda Righetti (born April 4, 1983) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Grace Van Pelt on ''The Mentalist'', as well as her roles in '' Friday the 13th'', ''The O.C.'' and ''Colony''. Early life The youngest of eight children, ...

Hailey Nichol '' The O.C.'' is an American Television series created by Josh Schwartz for the FOX Network in 2003. Schwartz serves as executive producer while also writing and directing for the show, including the premieres and finales of all seasons. The ...

(2 episodes) *

Navi Rawat Navlata Rawat (born June 5, 1977) is an American television actress, known for her roles as Theresa Diaz on the drama series '' The O.C.'' and math prodigy Amita Ramanujan on the drama series ''Numb3rs''. Early life Rawat was born in Malibu, ...

Theresa Diaz ''The O.C.'' is an American Television series created by Josh Schwartz for the FOX Network in 2003. Schwartz serves as executive producer while also writing and directing for the show, including the premieres and finales of all seasons. The sh ...

(2 episodes) *

Chris Carmack James Christopher Carmack (born December 22, 1980) is an American actor, singer, and former fashion model. He is known for his roles in three popular television shows—the teen drama series '' The O.C.'' (2003–2004) as Luke Ward, the country ...

Luke Ward '' The O.C.'' is an American Television series created by Josh Schwartz for the FOX Network in 2003. Schwartz serves as executive producer while also writing and directing for the show, including the premieres and finales of all seasons. The ...

(1 episode) * George Lucas as himself (1 episode)

Episodes

Notes

: - These episodes were first shown in Canada at 8:00 p.m. ET on CTV. In America the airing of "The Return of the Nana" was postponed due to a

press conference A press conference or news conference is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicians, corporations, non-governmental organ ...

by President Bush. Instead it aired the following week at 8:00 p.m. ET immediately followed by "The Showdown" at 9:00 p.m.

Crew

The season was produced by

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

and

Wonderland Sound and Vision Wonderland Sound and Vision is an American production company founded by director and producer Joseph McGinty Nichol in 2001. It independently develops, produces and finances its own slate of feature films, television and digital projects. The c ...

. The executive producers were series creator

Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Schwartz is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known fo ...

McG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...

and

Bob DeLaurentis Robert DeLaurentis (born De Laurentiis) is an American television producer and television writer. DeLaurentis wrote the 1982 film ''A Little Sex'', and has also written a List of unmade Doctor Who serials and films#Lacuna film proposals (1987–19 ...

. Stephanie Savage and

Allan Heinberg Allan Heinberg (born June 29, 1967) is an American film screenwriter, television writer and producer and comic book writer. Heinberg is the screenwriter of the 2017 film ''Wonder Woman'', directed by Patty Jenkins. His television writing and p ...

served as co-executive producers, with Loucas George credited as producer. The staff writers were Schwartz, Savage, Heinberg, John Stephens,

J.J. Philbin Jennifer Joy Philbin (born August 30, 1974) is an American producer and screenwriter, best known for her work on the drama series ''The O.C.'' She is the daughter of television stars Regis and Joy Philbin. Career Philbin's career began soon ...

and Mike Kelley. The regular directors throughout the season were

Michael Lange Michael Lange (born March 1, 1950) is an American television director and record producer. Biography Early life Born and raised just outside New York City,

Ian Toynton Ian Toynton (born 1946) is a British television director, producer and editor. Early life and education Toynton was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School Haberdashers' Boys' School (also known as Haberdashers', Habs, or Habs Boys) ...

Michael Fresco Michael Fresco is an American television director and television producer. Most notably Fresco has directed a number of episodes from shows including ''The O.C.'', ''My Name is Earl'' and the pilots to ''1-800-Missing'', ''Suburgatory'', and '' ...

and Tony Wharmby.

Cast

The second season had star billing for nine major roles.

Ben McKenzie Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan (born September 12, 1978) is an American actor and commentator. He is best known for his starring television roles as Ryan Atwood on the teen drama '' The O.C.'' (2003–2007), Ben Sherman on the crime drama '' Southl ...

, Mischa Barton as

, Adam Brody as

as recently married Julie Cooper-Nichol and

all returned to the main cast.

also initially reprised his role as Jimmy Cooper, but was written out of the series in the seventh episode. However Donovan returned with Jimmy as a guest star in the season finale. Alan Dale, as newly wed Caleb Nichol, joined the main cast, having previously been a recurring role. Former main cast member

, who portrayed

, only guest starred in the first episode.

(as D.J.), Michael Cassidy (as

(as Lindsay Gardner) and

(as Alex Kelly) all took up recurring roles in the show as love interests of existing characters, Marissa, Summer, Ryan and Seth, who are all single now. Actors returning as guest stars included

(as

Michael Nouri Michael Nouri (born December 9, 1945) is an American screen and stage actor. He is best known for his television roles, including Dr. Neil Roberts on ''The O.C.'', Phil Grey on ''Damages'', Caleb Cortlandt on '' All My Children'', Eli David in ...

(as

Dr. Neil Roberts ''The O.C.'' is an American Television series created by Josh Schwartz for the FOX Network in 2003. Schwartz serves as executive producer while also writing and directing for the show, including the premieres and finales of all seasons. The sh ...

(as

Brian McNamara Brian McNamara is an American actor. His first major role was in the film '' The Flamingo Kid'' (1984). He then went on to appear in a few films, such as ''Short Circuit'' (1986), ''Caddyshack II'' (1988), ''Arachnophobia'' (1990) and ''Mystery ...

(as Carson Ward), Kim Oja (as Taryn Baker) and

Linda Lavin Linda Lavin (born October 15, 1937) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing the title character in the sitcom ''Alice'' and for her stage performances, both on and off-Broadway. After acting as a child, Lavin joined the C ...

(as The Nana). Ryan's brother

also returned, but Logan Marshall-Green replaced

Bradley Stryker Bradley Stryker (born June 29, 1977) is an American actor, who portrayed Trey Atwood on the FOX series ''The O.C.''. He has a lead role in the feature film, '' Tillamook Treasure'' (2006), playing Tom, the sidekick of logger Jimmy Kimbell. St ...

in portraying him. Other guest stars in new recurring roles included Billy Campbell, as magazine editor Carter Buckley,

, as Sandy's ex-fiancée Rebecca Bloom, Johnny Messner, as Julie's ex-boyfriend Lance Baldwin,

, as mother of Caleb's illegitimate child Renee Wheeler, Nikki Griffin as party girl and drug addict Jess Sathers and

, as Reed Carlson the Vice President of a graphic novel company, and

Max Burkholder Maxwell Henry Wolf Burkholder (born November 1, 1997) is an American actor most notable for his role as Max Braverman in the comedic television drama on NBC, '' Parenthood''. Prior to that, he became known as a voice actor for his roles as Chomp ...

as a child in airport, with a toy similar to Captain Oats, in "The Rainy Day Women"

Reception

The second season was widely received as inferior to the first, but it has been noted that this may be slightly unfair. The show moved to "ultra-competitive Thursday" nights which Schwartz described as a "real vote of confidence

rom Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

the network", but many attributed placing ''The O.C.'' against the likes of '' Survivor'', ''

Joey Joey may refer to: People *Joey (name) Animals * Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial * Joey, a Blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets Film and television * ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horac ...

'' and ''

Will & Grace ''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman ( Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler ( Debra Messi ...

'' as part of ''The O.C.s decline in popularity. The move improved FOX's performance at the new time slot, but lost the show viewers. The season premiere attracted 8.6 million viewers, but average viewing figures decreased thirty percent from the previous season to 7 million. For the second season the show was nominated for five

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...

winning four of them, including best drama. It was also nominated for the Favorite Television Drama

People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...

won a

PRISM Award The Entertainment Industries Council is a United States non-profit organization founded in 1983 that promotes the depiction of accurate health and social issues in film, television, music, and comic books. The Council provides guidelines on the depi ...

for Performance in a Drama Series Episode, with

also getting nominated. Additionally the season finale was nominated for the TV Drama Series Episode award. The introduction of bisexual character Alex, was praised as "an especially charismatic new presence", with the show was praised for its handling of her lesbian relationship with Marissa. However Mischa Barton was criticized for her acting skills in portraying Marissa, alongside other noted flaws including "flavorless plots," and "flat new characters who failed to grab the audience's interest".

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

faulted the move to quickly rekindle the Ryan and Marissa relationship and "abruptly write off Alex and Lindsay, after akingthem a pretty big part of the show" but commended a "compelling story centering on Ryan's brother Trey coming to town, leading to a very dramatic season finale"

, who played Jimmy, credited a drop in ratings to "the show moving away from the family dynamic to focus more on the kids".

DVD release

The DVD release of season two was released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

in the US on August 23, 2005, after it had completed broadcast on television. As well as every episode from the season, the DVD release features bonus material including a

gag reel A blooper is a short clip from a film or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or news report, usually in terms o ...

, audio commentary and a fashion featurette. * : - In the UK the DVD was released as a 6-disc set. Omitted was the US release seventh disc that featured Beachy Couture, Obsess Completely and the two season gag reel.

References

External links

Episode guide
at

' The OC Insider * {{DEFAULTSORT:O.C. (Season 2), The

Season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also

* {{disambig ...

2004 American television seasons 2005 American television seasons