We can't stop fighting like schoolgirls...over the best show ever left off the list?

So the order of shows is hard to argue because a lot of it just comes down to personal preference, but what shows are included on the list is a matter of great debate. There are some glaring omissions; Chappelle, Sex and the City, Sons of Anarchy (which will get its own post in due time) and I would argue Scrubs but others will disagree. But I think we can all agree the biggest omission on this list is about a gang of high school misfits just trying to make it through the daily struggle that is life. This show provided us with a glimpse of what life is like when you are trying to balance water polo practice, banging your friend’s mom and dealing with a gay dad. As illuminating as the Wire was for urban issues, this show had the same effect for the plight of privileged, clever kids in modern Suburbia. That’s right; I’m talking about the OC.

Trying to describe this show is like answering that stupid question that girls love to ask “What do you like about me?” If you actually like the girl, it’s not an easy question to answer because the truth usually is everything, so you say something stupid like your laugh or you eyes because to say everything is to say nothing. Well, OC I love everything about you, so I hope this makes sense because it may just come out as me liking your eyes or your laugh, but sometimes it’s hard for me to express why I care for you oh so deeply.

Let the love fest begin.

I love the female characters. I obviously love the women – Summer and Marissa were gorgeous and had surprising depth to their personality once they dropped the party girl act. And later Caitlin and Taylor came into their own as charming, attractive young girls. I loved the moms – Kirsten may have been the hottest one on the show and Julie was always fun to watch. It also introduced us to Olivia Wilde who has never again looked so amazing. But above all it gave us Anna – I love you Anna. Anna may have been the best female character on a show ever, rivaled only by Elliot Reid (yes i love the crazy, we all know that). She was cute on a daily basis and could be hot when need be. She had awesome taste in music and was open to the idea of love. She didn’t have any airs about her – she wasn’t like the other girls from the OC – she was someone I legitimately feel like I could talk to if I met her (I call this the Mandy Moore syndrome or the Anne Hathaway theory). But in typical Pennsylvania fashion, she had to move back to Pittsburgh because they couldn’t let their only decent export escape.

I love the dudes. I have been accused of wanting to be Seth Cohen, and you know what, Id be okay with it – his taste in music, video games and graphic novels is second to none. His sense of irony is amazing and much like him I share a belief that I am way cooler than those people around me. As I get older I now want to be Sandy Cohen – what a great man – public interest lawyer/surfer with money, with a great sense of justice and fairness, a great wife and a trusting relationship with his two kids. Plus he adopted a kid off the streets. I adopted a dog off the streets and feel like I deserve a metal – he is just a hero to us all. I purposefully don’t groom my eyebrows to be closer to him – he told me once it was a source of power.

I love the music. First of all, the opus that is the theme song. Without question, the best theme song ever – so good in fact it’s still on my iPod and gets regular play. So good that whenever I myself am cruising down the 101 I sing it out loud. So good that it makes me like Jason Schwartzman for doing something other than be in the funniest movie ever. The bait shop rocked – I’m sorry it did, and the featured artists like Modest Mouse, the Walkmen and the Killers. Most importantly, the music throughout each episode was just fantastic. Who can forget when Ryan jumps into the New Years Eve Party to Stop Marissa from kissing Oilver and Roll the Dice is playing. Or when Ryan picks up Marissa and that Mazzy Star song is playing. Or when Ryan picks up Marrisa in Tijuana and that Mazzy Star song is playing. CLASSIC. Its so good in fact that 1L year Chris made an OC mix with songs from the show that we would listen to on repeat and talk about which scene each song was from and how amazing that scene was. I still listen to that mix. To me it was the first show to blend music and the show seamlessly and for me it was the first show here I would check to see what music played after many episodes.

I love the plots…? Season one is amazing – a great look into the tensions and problems facing modern families (seriously.) We saw the struggles of a new town to accept an outsider, and an unknown nerdy insider. We saw how to best take down a water polo player with a punch, repeatedly. We saw how flammable model houses were, which is a valuable lesson. We saw how old loves die hard. Amazing season. So amazing in fact, that they may have overdone it, leaving the cupboard bare for the next few seasons. Season two was good, actually pretty good until the Jump the Shark moment of the girl on girl action and the Spiderman Mask. Season three was a waste. But Season four brought it. Season four was good again and until the day I left Durham the last ep was on my DVR and i may have fired it up a few times to watch that closing montage which was glorious. Okay, really season one was the only amazing season, but it was so amazing that it carried the show for the next four years. They had so much packed into that season that they could have made that one season two or three. But they didn’t and because of that that season of Television is amazingly amazing.

So, the OC needs to be on this list – probably in the 20 – 30 range, but it needs to be on it. Its way better than half of the stupid shit on here – Eastbound and Down aka Jeremy Earl’s life if he had stuck with baseball a little longer - sucks (there Josh, you happy?). I haven’t seen the MTV 2 show but I’ve also never heard of it so I assume it sucks.

So to you OC I say I like everything about you and this post only captures about 2% of that love. In fact I like you so much that when I couldn’t sleep because I was too drunk or hated my job so much I used to watch you to help me asleep. I cant think of anything better you could want from a partner than that.

Here is a little something to help us all remember a simpler time, when Mr. Oats just wanted to have a nice romp in the barn with princess sparkle.


BEST THEME SONG EVER