Acknowledge Me Now or Lose Me Forever: 'The O.C.' Turns Ten

I suppose I forgot to set my alarm for the ten year anniversary of Fox's wonderfully angsty teen soap The O.C. Nevertheless, the Internet's constant need for new content squeezed out of every pseudo milestone or event has churned up a plethora of think pieces as the show celebrates a decade since it first made its debut.

When The O.C. premiered, I assumed that it sucked because everyone loved it. Then I caught an episode in the second season and tried very hard to remove my foot from my mouth as I rented and binged watched the entire first season before people were doing that.

The show had it’s problems– basically everything Marissa did was maddening, and it felt virtually impossible for these characters to achieve any peace for any length of time, but the show always had heart. When I think of The O.C.’s better moments, I think of Anna telling Seth Cohen that if he wanted to woo this Summer girl, he had to remember one thing: Confidence, Cohen. What a great mantra. 

And when Seth found that confidence, Geek became Chic and I’m sure his pop cultural status saved more than a few former social undesirables from getting stuffed in one more friggin' locker. For me, Seth Cohen was something like an indie rock Virgil, being an initial guide into the circles of Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers and others. While I was already getting pulled toward what Entertainment Weekly called the “Alt Rock" resurgence, Seth was a more accessible entry point than blindly wandering around Tower Records. Anyhoodle, since there is no shortage of articles on this topic, I’ll stop here and provide you with a rundown of the very best of The O.C. turns 10 tributes and think pieces.

+ Ten Years Gone: Celebrating the Importance of The O.C. by Tom Carson (no relation) - Grantland

+ LISTEN: 'The O.C.' Music Compilation Marks Show's 10th Anniversary by Staff - Variance Magazine

+ Deconstructing: The O.C. And Indie Rock Gentrification by Chris DeVille - Stereogum

+ The Era-Defining Brilliance Of “The O.C.” by Aleksander Chan - Buzzfeed

+ Vulture’s Very Important Ranking of All 6 Soundtracks From The O.C. by Lindsey Weber - Vulture