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''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. The series, created by Josh Schwartz, portrays the fictional lives of a group of teenagers and their families residing in the affluent seaside community of Newport Beach, in Orange County, California. The series centers on Ryan Atwood, a troubled but tough young man from a broken home who is adopted by the wealthy and philanthropic Sandy and Kirsten Cohen. Ryan and his surrogate brother Seth, a socially awkward yet quick-witted teenager, deal with life as outsiders in the high-class world of Newport Beach. Ryan and Seth spend much time navigating their relationships with girl-next-door Marissa Cooper, Seth's childhood crush Summer Roberts, and the fast-talking loner Taylor Townsend. Storylines deal with the culture clash between the idealistic Cohen family and the shallow, materialistic, and closed-minded community in which they reside. The series includes elements of postmodernism, and functions as a mixture of melodrama and comedy. Melissa Rosenberg, screenwriter of ''The Twilight Saga'', wrote for ''The OC''. The series premiered with high ratings and was one of the most popular new dramas of the 2003–2004 television season. It was widely referred to as a pop cultural phenomenon and received mostly positive reception from critics.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Ryan, Seth, and co. shine in pop culture phenomenon )〕 However, ratings declined as the show went on. The low ratings led to its cancellation in early 2007, even after an online petition that gained over 700,000 signatures. ''The O.C.'' has been broadcast in more than fifty countries worldwide. The series has been released on DVD, as well as on iTunes. ==Plot== (詳細はSeason 1 focuses on Ryan Atwood's arrival in Newport Beach after being taken in by Sandy and Kirsten Cohen. The same day, when Ryan arrives home, his mother kicks him out of their home, and he is forced to call Sandy. A major theme of the first season is the culture shock Ryan feels as he adjusts from a life of domestic abuse and poverty to living in a superficial high-class society. He quickly befriends and bonds with Seth Cohen, and begins to have a romantic relationship with Marissa Cooper. Although coming from very different backgrounds, Ryan soon discovers that he deals with similar issues that his new peers also experience, such as self-identity conflict, and familial alienation. Audiences view the relationship between Ryan and Marissa flourish when he supports her through her parents' divorce. As the show progresses, Ryan takes a very protective role over Marissa, creating the idea that Ryan is a much more stable and controlled person than originally portrayed. Other storylines involve the ascension of Seth from a friendless loner to having two romantic choices in Summer and Anna, and the arrivals of Oliver Trask, a troubled teen who befriends Marissa during their coinciding therapy sessions and Theresa Diaz, a close friend and past love interest of Ryan from his hometown in Chino. Meanwhile, Sandy Cohen frequently comes into conflict with Caleb Nichol, Kirsten's father and a wealthy industrialist who is said to "basically own Newport". The second season of ''The O.C.'' continues to follow the tumultuous romantic relationships between Ryan and Marissa, Seth and Summer, as well as Sandy and Kirsten. Josh Schwartz, the show's creator, stated that in Season 2, the show would "no longer be about Ryan's past; now it's going to be about Ryan's future," and that this season would "slow down the storytelling a little bit ... and evolve the characters." For example, the story closely follows Ryan in his advanced physics class, where tension is created between him and another student, Lindsay, who presumes that Ryan will be useless as a lab partner and does not allow him to contribute to the work that must be submitted. Ryan's character begins to grow when he defies Lindsay by not allowing her to submit the report she completed on her own, forcing them to work together and contribute equally to the assignment. They later become involved in a romantic relationship that creates extreme complications and relational shifts amongst the now "Cooper-Nichol" family. The Bait Shop becomes a prominent social destination for the teenage characters. A number of recurring characters are introduced, such as D.J., Lindsay Gardner, Zach Stevens, and Alex Kelly, to which the main characters form a variety of relationships. Ryan's brother, Trey Atwood, gets out of jail and threatens to bring Ryan's old life into his new one. Sandy and Kirsten also face new conflicts after drifting apart during the summer. Season 2 ends with Marissa shooting Trey Atwood after Ryan confronts Trey for attempting to sexually assault Marissa, and the conversation breaks into violence. Season 3 creates many dynamic changes in regards to relationships and power within society. Firstly, Marissa is expelled from the Harbor School. The Cooper family, left with little money, is forced to move into a trailer park. Julie Cooper-Nichol, once one of the richest women in all of Newport, struggles to put food on the table for her daughters. Marissa's life begins to spiral out of control, as she struggles with alcohol and drug abuse, as well as dealing with the loss of a close friend, Johnny. Similarly, Kirsten confronts her alcohol addiction and eventually leaves rehab, only to encounter more problems when she begins business with a con artist. The other characters look towards college, with Seth and Summer both competing for a spot at Brown University. Sandy's moral compass becomes imperiled when past love interest makes her way back into his life, and he takes over Caleb's old position as head of The Newport Group, pursuing a project to establish more low-income housing in Newport. Ryan also attempts to resolve his individual relationships with his mother, and with his childhood friend Theresa Diaz. He also pursues the idea of a post-secondary education, with encouragement from both Sandy and Kirsten to visit Berkeley. But Ryan's life is quickly put on hold when, in the season 3 finale, Ryan decides to drive Marissa to the airport, and they are run off the road by Kevin Volchok, Marissa's most recent love affair gone wrong. In the last few minutes of the episode, Ryan pulls Marissa out from the burning car, only to watch her die in his arms. The fourth and final season begins five months after Marissa's death in a car accident. Ryan starts the season in isolation as a broken, grieving man, seeking revenge on Volchok. With the help of Julie, both she and Ryan are able to track Volchok down in Mexico, and turn him into federal officials. The continued love of the Cohen family and the company of the eccentric Taylor Townsend guide him back to the light. Meanwhile, Seth and Summer face the problems of a long distance relationship as Summer goes off to attend college. The first half of the season focuses on the characters accepting the reality of Marissa's death. The second half focuses on the characters 'finding themselves' while facing a myriad of identity crises. The final season contains multiple surprises, such as a new addition to the Cohen family, a visit to an alternate universe in which Sandy becomes mayor, and a natural disaster that leaves Newport shattered into pieces. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The O.C.」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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