The End of The OC

And just like that, The OC is over.

I had a bit of a love hate relationship with Ryan and co. I remember being alone in looking forward to the show when it first aired - even though it was yet another Rich Kids in Generic Rich West Coast Location serial, I knew the script would make this different, and so, popular. And it was exactly that for a while; the show soon gathered a bit of a following, with some people particularly jumping on the nerds-are-cool-and-funny fad of the time that was personified by Seth.

However I was just as alone in the criticisms I had toward the end of Season One. The whole Oliver affair totally shattered the serial for me, showing it for the sham it was. The producers had shown all of their cards - all the main couples were together and there was no longer any reason for us to watch; the fact that the exact same things happened in all of the first three complete seasons shows that there was no more innovation left in the show. There was also a blatant over-reliance on Seth, and it's clear that, as the show comes to a close, a massive backlash was going to begin as his lady fans begun to bore of him.

Despite all of the above, The OC was defining television - the fact that I've written so much about it on these pages must mean something. It's hard to believe that only three and a half seasons were shown (although the massive 27 episodes of the first season, split over a year, probably had something to do with that).

The show also holds the current record for providing the highest number of Shak's Choices: Rachel Bilson, Kelly Rowan and Autumn Reeser all made the list and I'm sure I would have included Mischa Barton eventually if she hadn't popped her clogs when she did. She obviously knew the end was coming.

Still, credit to the makers for pulling the plug. They could have rinsed it to the very end, but chose to leave with dignity instead; other programme makers should really take heed of this. I predicted in 2004 that the show wouldn't last and I am actually quite sorry that I was right.

But it's gone and a part of me is glad, especially as I was considering dropping it anyway. But if I'm totally honest I must admit feeling a bit poignant when watching the last episode, and ultimately I don't really regret following the show till the very end.