Back in the 2000's, everyone loved watching The O.C. and it was the relationships that kept viewers interested. When Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie) moved in with the Cohen family, he befriended Seth Cohen (Adam Brody), Seth's crush Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson), and the beautiful girl next door, Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton). The four characters were soon the best of pals and they spent almost every moment together.
Fans swooned over the couples on The O.C. but besides the love stories, each season of the teen drama also featured some serious subjects. From the pilot to the series finale, The O.C. featured plotlines about deeper topics, although fashion, friendship, and popularity were always a big part of the show.
Growing Up Wealthy Vs. Poor
Of the main characters on The O.C., Ryan came from a tough background. He grew up without any money or family support, and his brother was the one who got him into a life of crime and uncertainty.
The O.C. examined what it was like to grow up wealthy and what it was like to come from poverty. While Seth and Ryan became fast friends, they didn't live the same lifestyle, as Seth grew up with everything and Ryan truly had nothing but his own kindness and belief that things could get better. It was very sweet to watch this growing friendly, and as Seth learned more about his new friend, he realized how good his own family life was. It definitely helped him appreciate it more.
A Drug Overdose
Marissa's best friend Summer was always there for her but a close friend can't necessarily stop someone from going down a sad, dark path.
In the first season episode "The Escape," Marissa overdosed on drugs and alcohol while in Tijuana. She was upset about her love life and her broken family, and she wanted to get away from it all. Fortunately, she was saved and ended up okay, but this was still a scary storyline and also a time when the teen drama explored something more serious than Marissa's love of shopping or her high school relationship.
Going To Therapy
Taking care of mental health is important, and it's also crucial that TV shows portray people going to therapy in a respectful manner.
While Marissa struggled with depression, her time at therapy was sometimes played for dramatic effect on The O.C. She met bad boy Oliver Trask (Taylor Handley) at her therapist's office and the two became friends, although he became so interested in being with Marissa that her safety and even her life became threatened. This was pretty melodramatic, although seeing a teenager like Marissa trying to heal from her struggles was inspiring.
An Illegal Financial Scheme
The O.C. is known for focusing on the parents and Marissa's dad Jimmy Cooper (Tate Donovan) had a pretty tragic life.
He got involved in an illegal financial scheme as he was desperate to escape from the money problems he found himself dealing with. Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) made sure that Jimmy didn't go to prison for what he did, but Jimmy still ended up leaving Newport as he was a broken man by the third season. Jimmy just couldn't seem to let go of his illegal activities, which enabled the teen drama to explore the lengths that some people will go to in order to maintain their lavish lifestyle.
The Environment
While Chris Pratt is praised for his movie roles, he also played Che on The O.C. He was an activist who was very concerned about the environment, and Summer befriended him while attending college.
Through this friendship, the show was able to examine caring about environmental issues. While the episodes featuring Che didn't go too deep, as he was often shown for comic relief, it's still cool that a young adult drama chose to focus on this topic. He helped Summer see things from a new perspective.
The Death Of A Best Friend
Kevin Volchok (Cam Gigandet) killed Marissa at the end of the third season. He had too much to drink and chased after Ryan and Marissa in his car. When he crashed into them, Ryan literally carried Marissa in his arms, and she passed away. It was sad for fans to see this character die in such a terrible way.
The following season saw Summer trying to handle her grief over losing her best friend and also getting used to college life. The death of a best friend is never going to be easy and that also seemed like one reason why Summer started trying new things and exploring different hobbies at college. She was attempting to move on.
Alcoholism
Just like the parents on Pretty Little Liars had real storylines, so did Seth's mom and dad, particularly Kirsten (Kelly Rowan).
The second season is when Kirsten's alcoholism really got out of control, and her family watched her going down a super dark path. This TV show deserves a lot of credit for not only portraying Kirsten's inner struggle and her time at a rehab facility, but the pain that her drinking caused the rest of her family, who cared about her and didn't want her to suffer. It was a well-rounded and respectful storyline.
Working As A Public Defender
Everyone loves Sandy Cohen for his eyebrows and his kind heart. He is the one who met Ryan and brought him home. When he met Ryan, he couldn't handle how much pain the teenager was in and how his family had abandoned him, and he knew that adopting him was the right choice.
Sandy's work as a public defender was pretty heavy and definitely a serious subject for an otherwise fun and frothy teen drama that sometimes felt like a soap opera. He cared about helping people and in the case of Ryan Atwood, literally brought his work home with him.
A Family Secret
Some teen shows use tropes and The O.C. did too. One major storyline involved the discovery of a secret child and the ripple effect that had on the whole family.
When Lindsay Gardner (Shannon Lucio) showed up, she and Ryan liked each other, but it turned out that they were kind of related so that was creepy. Lindsay's father was Caleb Nicol, as he cheated on his wife with someone who worked for him, making Lindsay and Kirsten half-sisters. This was a time when The O.C. tackled the deep issue of a big family secret, in this case, a child who the Cohens didn't know about.
Celebrating All Holiday Traditions
Seth Cohen is the one to thank for the brilliant idea of Chrismukkah, a holiday that blended Christmas and Hannukah.
The O.C. tackled the deep topic of holiday traditions and respecting the different faiths and belief systems that people have. Since Kirsten was Catholic and Sandy was Jewish, Seth realized that the family could blend the rituals and have a really nice time. This is a sweet reminder that families can create their own traditions and that at first, it might feel tricky to do so, but spending time together is what counts.