UrbanWire

One part trashy soap opera a la Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place and other part angsty teen drama a la Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls, The O.C ('hip' speak for Orange County) revolves around the dramatic lives and double-crossing romances of the Cohen family who live in the classy area of Newport Beach.

The Cohens lead a relatively posh and quiet life until Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher, last seen in Mr. Deeds) takes in Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie), an elusive and enigmatic teenage street delinquent from Chino. The drama unfolds as he attempts to integrate himself into the snooty Newport Beach high society. Helping him along his way is the Cohens' only son, Seth (Adam Brody, a familiar face on teenage TV shows like Gilmore Girls and Smallville), who quickly develops a close bond with Ryan. Similarly, Ryan falls for the girl who literally lives next door, Marissa (Mischa Barton), an insecure and emotionally wrought rich girl.

So, with the setup complete, Ryan begins a long and meandering relationship with Marissa, as the show attempts to play up the 'fish-out-of-water' situation for dramatic effect. Expect tears and misery worthy of tearjerkers such as Terms of Endearment and Sophie's Choice as Marissa and "We are from different worlds" Ryan attempt an inevitable romance.

Producer Josh Schwartz is only 26, which is why he's able to write teenage characters accurately. He also knows not to take his series too seriously, filling it with self-referential quips, which immediately raises the show's quality a notch above Beverly Hills 90210.

Acting as the self-conscious, adorably gawky and witty Seth Cohen, Adam Brody is utterly convincing and almost steals the show from lead Benjamin McKenzie, who often overdoes the doe-eyed 'deer in headlights' look. Seth is the teenager everyone can relate to with his jocular remarks and self-deprecating charms. When he attends a party with Ryan in the pilot episode, he unwittingly pisses off Luke (Chris Carmack), a jock stereotype and Marissa's boyfriend, so Luke threatens to knock his lights out. Seth replies that he wouldn't do that, because it "would be such a cliché". But of course, Luke does.

Unlike typical teen dramas where parents are merely extraneous characters with little depth, the parental figures in The O.C are given an equal amount of screen time as the kids, and their storylines are no less compelling. Besides being arguably the most loving, responsible and enlightened couple on the current TV landscape, Sandy and Kirsten (Kelly Rowan) Cohen, like any real-life example, have to work hard to overcome conflicts and maintain a loving relationship.

The B.P (Bad Points):

Since the soap opera element is part of the show's success formula, there're some truly cringe-inducing story arcs that would best serve on some after-dark series. In later episodes, Marissa's mother, Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke) hooks up first with Caleb (Alan Dale), Kirsten's father, and then with Marissa's ex-boyfriend, Luke. Okay, I feel dirty just writing that.

Also, the writers of the show don't seem to have much confidence in their characters' abilities to keep the audience's attention for longer than 5 minutes, given their penchant for introducing a new character every other episode. Over the next few months, you'll get to see Kirsten's free-spirited sister, Sandy's scary mother, Ryan's Chino gal pal and Marissa's obsessive friend, among others. Such a method smacks of a compensation for the lack of fresh storylines.

Seeing how this is only the 1st season, we'll give The O.C a free pass this time around for the uneven and sometimes downright ludicrous plots and acknowledge it as a fledging show trying to find its feet. What's important is that there're characters we care about and want to see more of, consistently good acting (from both generations) and sparkling dialogue, which resonate both with teenagers and adults. The show's been a breakout hit in the US, constantly breaking into the Top 20 in the Nielsen ratings, and there's no reason why it will not do the same here in The S.G (Singapore lah).