Did You Hate The O.C's Final Years? Don't Worry, Adam Brody Hated Them More
And he was not afraid to show it.
Summary:
- The O.C. was a Fox television series that aired from 2003 to 2007.
- The show focused on the daily life, struggles, and relationships of Ryan Atwood, a teenager adopted into a wealthy household.
- The show only lasted 4 seasons, but suffered a decline in quality halfway through.
Unfortunately for viewers, it's not uncommon for TV series to drag on far longer than necessary. It's not always the case with the multi-year series, but every time a story reaches the decade mark, it's definitely a sign to re-evaluate its course.
Aside from the other consequences of a series running much longer than necessary, such as the loss of quality and general enthusiasm of the fanbase, the production team has another thing to worry about. The actors are also bothered by the nonsense in the scripts when they feel it.
And while it is their job to perform what they are given, the frustrations can affect the quality of the show as a whole, as well as the atmosphere behind the scenes. Despite only running for 4 seasons, that was the case with The O.C., and now Adam Brody isn't afraid to take responsibility for it.
The O.C. Behind The Scenes Drama
It's no secret that Adam Brody's Seth Cohen was a fan-favorite character, considered by many fans and critics alike to be the highlight of the show. Both the character itself and the way he was portrayed received a lot of praise in the beginning, but as the show went on, the satisfaction that Brody once had with the show was lost.
He shared the reasons for his sudden change in attitude towards the show with the author of the book Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History, Alan Sepinwall. As it turned out, it had as much to do with the speed at which the episodes were being shot as it did with the declining quality of the writing.
“I started to be creatively less interested. I blame myself for a lack of professionalism and a disrespect to the work. In terms of engagement as a whole, I’ll just say that they’re different shows, Season 1 and [the later seasons]. Had the quality been the quality of Season 1, I’m sure I would have been a lot more engaged,” the actor said.
As series creator Josh Schwartz admitted in the same book, the change in Brody's performance was so obvious to the production crew that they had to compensate creatively. This is exactly what the pot storyline was rooted in.
If you still feel nostalgic for the show and want to honor its legacy with a rewatch, The O.C. is available to stream on Hulu.
Source: Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History by Alan Sepinwall