The O.C. has managed to stay in the cultural zeitgeist well past its time on air, thanks to a combination of streaming, early aughts nostalgia, and a seemingly undying love for the phrase “Welcome to the O.C, bitch!” After 20 years of cast interviews, rewatch podcasts, and even an academic course, you may not think there’s much information left to mine from one of the most iconic TV shows of the 21st century.
Nevertheless, the series’ first official oral history, Welcome To The O.C: The Oral History, will most likely satisfy any O.C.-heads (Newpsies?) craving a glimpse into the backstage drama, network chaos, on-set romance, and, of course, the show’s iconic music.
Written by Rolling Stone TV critic Alan Sepinwall, The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz, and executive producer Stephanie Savage, the riveting book features enthralling and often hilarious interviews with the entire principal cast, memorable guest stars, directors, producers, and even some big-name musicians whose work was featured on the show. The oral history is both a story about a once-in-a-lifetime hit—led by the youngest television creator in history at the time (a 26-year-old Schwartz)—and the highly competitive landscape of network television in the early 2000s.
