The O.C.
''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seaso ...
'' commenced airing in the United States on September 8, 2005, concluded on May 18, 2006, and consisted of 25 episodes. The first ten episodes of season three 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 multichannel video programming distributo ...
; however, from January 12, 2006, onwards, ''
The O.C.
''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seaso ...
'' was shifted to a later time of Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET.
The season was released on DVD as a seven disc boxed set under the title ''The O.C.: The Complete Third Season'' on October 24, 2006, by Warner Bros. Home Video.
Season three was also broadcast outside of the United States. In Canada, the season was
simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
on the terrestrial network
CTV Television Network
The CTV Television Network, commonly known as CTV, is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. Launched in 1961 and acquired by BCE Inc. in 2000, CTV is Canada's largest privately owned television network and is now a divis ...
. It was broadcast on
Network Ten
Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. (
local time
Local time is the time observed in a specific locality. There is no canonical definition. Originally it was mean solar time, but since the introduction of time zones it is generally the time as determined by the time zone in effect, with daylight s ...
) in Australia, and premiered several months after it did in the US. In New Zealand the season started February 11, 2006 on
TV NZ
, type = Crown entity
, industry = Broadcast television
, num_locations = New Zealand
, location = Auckland, New Zealand
, area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the Sol ...
. It premiered in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2006, on the
digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Technology and computing Hardware
*Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals
**Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...
terrestrial channel E4, airing Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m.
GMT
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, counted from midnight. At different times in the past, it has been calculated in different ways, including being calculated from noon; as a cons ...
. The episodes were rebroadcast the following week on the analogue
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
, E4's parent channel, on Sundays at 1:50 p.m. GMT.
Synopsis
Picking up from season two, this seàson continues to follow the characters' lives in the wealthy community of
Newport Beach
Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...
,
Orange County, California
Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...
, with the main characters entering their senior year of high school.
Ryan
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 ...
's savior complex causes trouble, and
Seth
Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. A ...
's lies poses problems in his relationship with
Summer
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 ...
. Meanwhile,
Kirsten
Kirsten is both a given name and a surname.
Given name
Kirsten is a female given name. It is a Scandinavian form of the names Christina and Christine.Sandy assumes leadership of the Newport Group after
Caleb
Caleb (), sometimes transliterated as Kaleb ( he, כָּלֵב, ''Kalev'', ; Tiberian vocalization: Kālēḇ; Hebrew Academy: Kalev), is a figure who appears in the Hebrew Bible as a representative of the Tribe of Judah during the Israelites' ...
's death and finds himself the heir-apparent to a legacy of scandal, and Marissa spirals out of control after her younger sister Kaitlin causes trouble on her return home from boarding school.
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, recurr ...
as
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 ...
(25 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 ...
as
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 ...
(25 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 ...
as
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 ...
(25 episodes)
*
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton (born 24 January 1986) is a British-American film, television, and stage actress. She began her career on the stage, appearing in Tony Kushner's ''Slavs!'' and took the lead in James Lapine's '' Twelve Dreams'' at Ne ...
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 family ...
(25 episodes)
*
Adam Brody
Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor, writer, musician, and producer. He is known for his breakthrough role as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series ''The O.C.'', which premiered in 2003. Subsequently, Brody appeared ...
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 friendshi ...
(25 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), ...
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.'' Bils ...
as
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 ...
(25 episodes)
Recurring
*
Autumn Reeser
Autumn Reeser (born September 21, 1980) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Taylor Townsend on the Fox series ''The O.C.'', Lizzie Grant on HBO's ''Entourage'', Katie Andrews on ABC's ''No Ordinary Family'', and Leslie Bellcamp ...
as
Taylor Townsend
Taylor Townsend (born April 16, 1996) is an American professional tennis player. She reached career-high WTA rankings of world No. 61 in singles (July 2018) and No. 31 in doubles (December 2022). She also reached the doubles final of the 2022 ...
(15 episodes)
*
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 ...
Cam Gigandet
Cameron Joslin Gigandet (; born August 16, 1982) is an American actor whose credits include a recurring role on ''The O.C.'' and appearances in feature films ''Twilight'', ''Pandorum'', ''Never Back Down'', '' Burlesque'', ''Easy A'', ''Priest'' ...
as
Kevin Volchok
''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 ...
(13 episodes)
*
Jeff Hephner
Jeffrey Lane Hephner (born June 22, 1975) is an American actor, best known for the role of Jeff Clarke, first on the NBC television series '' Chicago Fire'' and then on its sister show, ''Chicago Med''. More recently, he co-starred with Jennifer ...
Ryan Donowho
Ryan Wayne Donowho (born September 20, 1980) is an American actor and musician.
Early life
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Donowho appeared as an uncredited extra in "Varsity Blues (film)", a film shot in his home state of Texas. Donowho mov ...
as
Johnny Harper
'' 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 ...
(11 episodes)
*
Johnny Lewis
Jonathan Kendrick Lewis (October 29, 1983 – September 26, 2012), also credited as Johnny K. Lewis, was an American film and television actor. He played Kip "Half-Sack" Epps in the first two seasons of the FX (TV channel), FX series ''Sons of A ...
Jeri Ryan
Jeri Lynn Ryan (née Zimmermann; born February 22, 1968) is an American actress who played the former Borg drone Seven of Nine in '' Star Trek: Voyager'', for which she was nominated four times for a Saturn Award and won in 2001. She has reprised ...
Willa Holland
Willa Holland is an American actress and model. She is known for her roles as Kaitlin Cooper in the Fox teen drama ''The O.C.'', Agnes Andrews in The CW series ''Gossip Girl'', Aqua in ''Kingdom Hearts'', and Thea Queen / Speedy in ''Arrow''.
...
as
Kaitlin Cooper
''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 ...
(6 episodes)
*
Nikki Reed
Nicole Houston Reed (born May 17, 1988) is an American actress known for her portrayal of vampire Rosalie Hale in '' The Twilight Saga'' (2008–2012). She became known in 2003, after the release of the film ''Thirteen'', directed by Catherine ...
Paula Trickey
Paula Trickey (born March 27, 1966) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Cory McNamara on the USA Network series '' Pacific Blue'' (1996–2000), and for her roles in a number of television films.
Career
Trickey has starred in m ...
as
Veronica Townsend
''The O.C.'' is an Television in the United States, American Television series created by Josh Schwartz for the Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX Network in 2003. Schwartz serves as executive producer while also writing and directing for the show, ...
(5 episodes)
*
Eric Mabius
Eric Harry Timothy Mabius (born April 22, 1971) is an American actor. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, with a degree in cinema studies. After working in theater productions, Ma ...
Henry Griffin
Henry Griffin (1786 – 5 April 1866) was an eminent Irish Anglican bishop in the mid 19th century.
He was born in 1786 in Wexford and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. He was the incumbent at Clonfeacle from 1829 until 1854 when he was c ...
(4 episodes)
*
Morena Baccarin
Morena Silva de Vaz Setta Baccarin (; born 2 June 1979) is a Brazilian actress known for portraying Inara Serra in the sci-fi series '' Firefly'' and its follow-up film '' Serenity'', Vanessa in the superhero comedy franchise ''Deadpool'', Jessi ...
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, Cal ...
as
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 ...
(3 episodes)
*
Daphne Ashbrook
Daphne Lee Ashbrook (born January 30, 1963) is an American actress best known for playing Grace Holloway in '' Doctor Who: The Movie'', Melora Pazlar in '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', Jackie Kowalski in '' Hollywood Heights'', and Dawn Atwo ...
as
Dawn Atwood
''The O.C.'' is an Television in the United States, American Television series created by Josh Schwartz for the Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX Network in 2003. Schwartz serves as executive producer while also writing and directing for the show, ...
(3 episodes)
*
Rosalind Chao
Rosalind Chao (; born September 23, 1957) is an American actress. Chao's best-known roles have been Soon-Lee Klinger in the mid-1980s CBS show ''AfterMASH'', Rose Hsu Jordan in the 1993 movie ''The Joy Luck Club (film), The Joy Luck Club'', the ...
Samaire Armstrong
Samaire Rhys Armstrong ( ) is an American actress and fashion designer. She is known for her roles in ''Stay Alive'', ''The O.C.'', ''It's a Boy Girl Thing'', and as Juliet Darling in the ABC television series, ''Dirty Sexy Money''. She has appea ...
as
Anna Stern
''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 ...
(2 episodes)
*
Logan Marshall-Green
Logan Marshall-Green (born November 1, 1976) is an American actor and director. He is known for his roles in the television series ''24 (TV series), 24'', ''The O.C.'', ''Traveler (2007 TV series), Traveler'', ''Dark Blue (TV series), Dark Blue' ...
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 sh ...
(1 episode)
* Nikki Griffin as Jess Sathers (1 episode)
Episodes
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 co ...
. 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 for ...
,
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 ...
, a co-founder of Wonderland, 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
Stephanie Savage (born 1969) is a Canadian screenwriter and television producer. Savage is best known for developing The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl (TV series), Gossip Girl'' (2007) from the Gossip Girl (novel series), novel series, and ...
, the other co-founder of Wonderland, served as co-executive producer, whilst
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) ...
served as supervising producer. The staff writers were Schwartz, Savage, DeLaurentis, 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 Toynton,
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,
,
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 '' ...
,
Norman Buckley
Norman L. Buckley (born November 25, 1955) is an American television director best known for his work on ''The O.C.'', ''Chuck'', ''Gossip Girl'', ''Pretty Little Liars'' and '' The Fosters''.
Early life
Buckley was born on Loring Air Force Ba ...
and Tony Wharmby.
Cast
The third season had star billing for seven major roles.
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton (born 24 January 1986) is a British-American film, television, and stage actress. She began her career on the stage, appearing in Tony Kushner's ''Slavs!'' and took the lead in James Lapine's '' Twelve Dreams'' at Ne ...
as Marissa,
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.'' Bils ...
as Summer,
Adam Brody
Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor, writer, musician, and producer. He is known for his breakthrough role as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series ''The O.C.'', which premiered in 2003. Subsequently, Brody appeared ...
as Seth,
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
Julie may refer to:
* Julie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name
Film and television
* ''Julie'' (1956 film), an American film noir starring Doris Day
* ''Julie'' (1975 film), a Hindi film by K. S. Sethumadhava ...
,
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, recurr ...
as Sandy,
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 ...
as Ryan, and
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 ...
as Kirsten all returned to the main cast. Former main cast member
Alan Dale
Alan Hugh Dale (born 6 May 1947) is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale enjoyed theatre and rugby. After retiring from the sport, he took on a number of occupations, before deciding to become a professional actor at age 27. Dale subsequentl ...
did not return due to his character, Caleb, dying at the end of the second season, while
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, returned only in a recurring role, and then only for the first three episodes of the season.
Logan Marshall-Green
Logan Marshall-Green (born November 1, 1976) is an American actor and director. He is known for his roles in the television series ''24 (TV series), 24'', ''The O.C.'', ''Traveler (2007 TV series), Traveler'', ''Dark Blue (TV series), Dark Blue' ...
returned for the season premiere, portraying
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 sh ...
, comatosed as a result of the shooting in the second-season finale. Additionally
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, Cal ...
,
Samaire Armstrong
Samaire Rhys Armstrong ( ) is an American actress and fashion designer. She is known for her roles in ''Stay Alive'', ''The O.C.'', ''It's a Boy Girl Thing'', and as Juliet Darling in the ABC television series, ''Dirty Sexy Money''. She has appea ...
,
Daphne Ashbrook
Daphne Lee Ashbrook (born January 30, 1963) is an American actress best known for playing Grace Holloway in '' Doctor Who: The Movie'', Melora Pazlar in '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', Jackie Kowalski in '' Hollywood Heights'', and Dawn Atwo ...
and Nikki Griffin all made brief returns to guest star as
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 ...
,
Anna Stern
''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 ...
,
Dawn Atwood
''The O.C.'' is an Television in the United States, American Television series created by Josh Schwartz for the Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX Network in 2003. Schwartz serves as executive producer while also writing and directing for the show, ...
Willa Holland
Willa Holland is an American actress and model. She is known for her roles as Kaitlin Cooper in the Fox teen drama ''The O.C.'', Agnes Andrews in The CW series ''Gossip Girl'', Aqua in ''Kingdom Hearts'', and Thea Queen / Speedy in ''Arrow''.
...
took over from
Shailene Woodley
Shailene Diann Woodley (born November 15, 1991) is an American actress. Born in San Bernardino, California, Woodley was raised in Simi Valley, and started modeling at the age of four and began acting professionally in minor television roles. She ...
in portraying Marissa's younger sister Kaitlin, who returns to the show after being away at boarding school last year. Cast member
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 ...
continued as Summer's dad,
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 ...
, who became a larger part of the series. Other actors to leave the series were
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 life
...
(
D.J.
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
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 ...
(Lindsay),
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Jane Cockburn ( ; born March 10, 1984), known professionally as Olivia Wilde, is an American actress and filmmaker. She played Thirteen (House), Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House (TV series), House'' ( ...
(
Alex
Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis.
People
Multiple
*Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
* Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple pe ...
),
Billy Campbell
William Oliver Campbell (born July 7, 1959) is an American film and television actor. He first gained recognition for his recurring role as Luke Fuller in the TV series ''Dynasty''. Then he became known for playing Rick Sammler on '' Once and A ...
(
Carter
Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to:
Geography United States
* Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community
* Carter, Montana, a census-designated place
* Carter, ...
),
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 Jenn ...
(
Rebecca
Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...
Lance
A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier ( lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike si ...
),
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 ...
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 Might ...
(
Reed
Reed or Reeds may refer to:
Science, technology, biology, and medicine
* Reed bird (disambiguation)
* Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times
* Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales
* ...
).
The season introduced a number of new students to the show. Additions to the cast included
Autumn Reeser
Autumn Reeser (born September 21, 1980) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Taylor Townsend on the Fox series ''The O.C.'', Lizzie Grant on HBO's ''Entourage'', Katie Andrews on ABC's ''No Ordinary Family'', and Leslie Bellcamp ...
,
Cam Gigandet
Cameron Joslin Gigandet (; born August 16, 1982) is an American actor whose credits include a recurring role on ''The O.C.'' and appearances in feature films ''Twilight'', ''Pandorum'', ''Never Back Down'', '' Burlesque'', ''Easy A'', ''Priest'' ...
,
Ryan Donowho
Ryan Wayne Donowho (born September 20, 1980) is an American actor and musician.
Early life
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Donowho appeared as an uncredited extra in "Varsity Blues (film)", a film shot in his home state of Texas. Donowho mov ...
and
Johnny Lewis
Jonathan Kendrick Lewis (October 29, 1983 – September 26, 2012), also credited as Johnny K. Lewis, was an American film and television actor. He played Kip "Half-Sack" Epps in the first two seasons of the FX (TV channel), FX series ''Sons of A ...
, as new social chair
Taylor Townsend
Taylor Townsend (born April 16, 1996) is an American professional tennis player. She reached career-high WTA rankings of world No. 61 in singles (July 2018) and No. 31 in doubles (December 2022). She also reached the doubles final of the 2022 ...
, rival surfers
Kevin Volchok
''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 ...
and
Johnny Harper
'' 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 ...
Jeri Ryan
Jeri Lynn Ryan (née Zimmermann; born February 22, 1968) is an American actress who played the former Borg drone Seven of Nine in '' Star Trek: Voyager'', for which she was nominated four times for a Saturn Award and won in 2001. She has reprised ...
and
Jeff Hephner
Jeffrey Lane Hephner (born June 22, 1975) is an American actor, best known for the role of Jeff Clarke, first on the NBC television series '' Chicago Fire'' and then on its sister show, ''Chicago Med''. More recently, he co-starred with Jennifer ...
also joined the cast to portray new adult characters Charlotte Morgan, a mysterious woman Kirsten befriends in rehab, and Matt Ramsey, an overzealous business partner working at the Newport Group. New guest stars in recurring roles included
Paula Trickey
Paula Trickey (born March 27, 1966) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Cory McNamara on the USA Network series '' Pacific Blue'' (1996–2000), and for her roles in a number of television films.
Career
Trickey has starred in m ...
as Taylor's mother,
Veronica Townsend
''The O.C.'' is an Television in the United States, American Television series created by Josh Schwartz for the Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX Network in 2003. Schwartz serves as executive producer while also writing and directing for the show, ...
;
Erin Foster
Erin Taylor Foster is an American writer, performer and entrepreneur.
Career
Foster was a writer on the NBC sitcom '' The New Normal''. With her sister Sara Foster, she created the TV series ''Barely Famous'' on VH1. It is a mockumentary satire ...
Kayla Ewell
Kayla Noelle Ewell (born August 27, 1985) is an American actress known for her roles on television as Caitlin Ramirez on CBS's long-running soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', as Maureen Sampson on NBC's ''Freaks and Geeks'', and as Vick ...
and
Nikki Reed
Nicole Houston Reed (born May 17, 1988) is an American actress known for her portrayal of vampire Rosalie Hale in '' The Twilight Saga'' (2008–2012). She became known in 2003, after the release of the film ''Thirteen'', directed by Catherine ...
Eric Mabius
Eric Harry Timothy Mabius (born April 22, 1971) is an American actor. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, with a degree in cinema studies. After working in theater productions, Ma ...
as new Dean of Discipline, Jack Hess; Shaun Duke as
Henry Griffin
Henry Griffin (1786 – 5 April 1866) was an eminent Irish Anglican bishop in the mid 19th century.
He was born in 1786 in Wexford and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. He was the incumbent at Clonfeacle from 1829 until 1854 when he was c ...
, head of the board at Newport Hospital; and
Morena Baccarin
Morena Silva de Vaz Setta Baccarin (; born 2 June 1979) is a Brazilian actress known for portraying Inara Serra in the sci-fi series '' Firefly'' and its follow-up film '' Serenity'', Vanessa in the superhero comedy franchise ''Deadpool'', Jessi ...
as Griffin's daughter
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
. This is the final season for original cast member
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton (born 24 January 1986) is a British-American film, television, and stage actress. She began her career on the stage, appearing in Tony Kushner's ''Slavs!'' and took the lead in James Lapine's '' Twelve Dreams'' at Ne ...
who played Marissa Cooper; Marissa tragically dies in a car accident in the season finale.
Reception
Season three was widely regarded by both fans and critics as the worst season of ''The O.C.'' The season premiere attracted 7.5 million viewers, but average viewing figures decreased twenty percent from the previous season to 5.6 million. The first half of the season averaged 6.3 million viewers, representing a substantial decrease in the show's popularity. However Marcy Ross, head of current programming at FOX said that the "ratings are perfectly fine and acceptable".
After the eventual cancellation of the show, Schwartz admitted that "the whole first half of the third season was a total mess".
The third season 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 S ...
and won four of them, including "Choice Drama/Action Adventure Show" and "Choice Actor: Drama/Action Adventure", which Adam Brody won for the third consecutive year.
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 a season which, in their opinion, had "far too much time and too many episodes spent with the less than beloved character Johnny". IGN also noted that "Kirsten and Sandy both suffered from unsatisfying stories", and that the departure of character Caleb Nichol had been a mistake "as he had been a great character to bounce off both of the elder Cohens". In September 2007, Schwartz admitted in an interview for ''
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
'' that the show "went down the wrong road" with Johnny. The season did, however, receive some praise. The new character Taylor Townsend was stated as being "played to perfection by Autumn Reeser" and her character was described as "one of the greatest elements of ''The O.C.''" Jeffrey Robinson of
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
described the storylines as "very intelligent and also incorporate a great deal of humor to keep your interest".
''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' critic Robert Bianco said that the season premiere was "as dreary and ridiculous as any episode the show ever gave us",
but the season finale was commended by IGN's Eric Goldman for killing off main character Marissa Cooper. Goldman said that "the episode documenting her demise was a fairly strong one" and that the following season "would really pay off this shocking twist". Despite not being the final season it was also noted that the graduation of characters gave "the show a feeling of ending".
DVD release
The DVD release of season three 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 October 24, 2006 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 ...
, featurettes, and the making of a music video by
The Subways
The Subways is an English rock band from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Formed in 2002, the band consists of Billy Lunn (lead vocals, guitar), Charlotte Cooper (bass guitar, lead vocals), and Camille Phillips (drums). Founding-drummer Josh ...
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 ...
Season 3
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...