O.c. - The

"California, here we come... right back where we started from."

Season 4, often overlooked, is the show’s secret masterpiece. Freed from the Ryan/Marissa melodrama, it became a weird, funny, warm comedy. Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser), the hyper-controlling perfectionist, was the perfect foil for a grieving Ryan. The season gave us "The Giggling Scene," a Christmas episode that doubles as a French farce, and the most satisfying series finale in teen drama history. The O.C. burned bright and fast. It only lasted four seasons (2003-2007), but it changed the DNA of television. It proved that a show could be smart, pop-culture-obsessed, and emotionally devastating all at once. It launched the careers of Schwartz (who went on to create Gossip Girl and The Boys ) and a dozen actors. It made "Chrismukkah" a real thing people celebrate. The O.C.

(A+ for the soundtrack, A+ for the first season, B- for the fourth-wall-breaking fourth season, but we love it anyway.) "California, here we come

When the Phantom Planet drumbeat kicked off on August 5, 2003, few viewers knew they were witnessing a cultural earthquake. On paper, The O.C. sounded like a rerun: a troubled teen from the wrong side of the tracks gets adopted by a wealthy family. But within ten minutes of its pilot, it was clear this was no 90210 clone. It was a deconstruction of the American dream—sun-drenched, sarcastic, and deeply wounded. burned bright and fast