Welcome to the O.C.

The Oral History

By: Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Alan Sepinwall

Narrated by: Alan Sepinwall, Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Josh Bloomberg, Robert Fass, Andrew Eiden, Fred Sanders, Ewan Chung, Kaleo Griffith, Michael David Axtell, Alyssa Bresnahan, Karissa Vacker, Therese Plummer, Amy Landon, full cast

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

“A fascinating peek behind the making of a megahit, and a delightful bit of nostalgia for those of us who remember life before streaming TV.”—Town & Country

Welcome to the O.C., b*tch: it’s the definitive oral history of beloved TV show The O.C., from the show’s creators, featuring interviews with the cast and crew, providing a behind-the-scenes look into how the show was made, the ups and downs over its four seasons, and its legacy today.

On August 5th, 2003, Ryan Atwood found himself a long way from his home in Chino—he was in The O.C., an exclusive suburb full of beautiful girls, wealthy bullies, corrupt real-estate tycoons, and a new family helmed by his public defender, Sandy Cohen. Ryan soon warms up to his nerdy, indie band-loving new best friend Seth, and quickly falls for Marissa, the stunning girl next door who has secrets of her own. Completing the group is Summer, Seth’s dream girl and Marissa’s loyal—and fearless—best friend. Together, the friends fall in and out of love, support each other amidst family strife, and capture the hearts of audiences across the country.

Just in time for the show’s twentieth anniversary, The O.C.’s creator Josh Schwartz and executive producer Stephanie Savage are ready to dive into how the show was made, the ups and downs over its four seasons, and its legacy today. With Rolling Stone’s chief TV critic and bestselling author Alan Sepinwall conducting interviews with the key cast members, writers, and producers who were there when it all happened, Welcome to the O.C. will offer the definitive inside look at the beloved show—a nostalgic delight for audiences who watched when it aired, and a rich companion to viewers currently discovering the show while it streams on HBO Max and Hulu.

The O.C. paved the way for a new generation of iconic teen soaps, launched the careers of young stars, and even gave us the gift of Chrismukkah. Now, it’s time to go back where we started from and experience it all over again.

Includes exclusive interviews with: Ben McKenzie * Mischa Barton * Adam Brody * Rachel Bilson * Peter Gallagher * Kelly Rowan * Melinda Clarke * Tate Donovan * Chris Carmack * Autumn Reeser * Willa Holland * Samaire Armstrong * Alan Dale * Colin Hanks * Amanda Righetti * Navi Rawat * Shannon Lucio * Michael Cassidy * McG * Imogen Heap * Alex Greenwald * Ben Gibbard * Paul Scheer * Doug Liman * and many more!

©2023 Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Honest

I really like how honest the cast is and how real the comments are in this audiobook.

Not Read by Contributors

Story was great for an OC fan, but I mistakenly assumed it would be read by the contributors since it was an oral history. Would have been great to have their actual audio soundbites instead of random, repeated narrators.

Loved It

I enjoyed this book so much. it was great to hear the stories from all the key people from the show. I loved this show when I was on and I have rewatched it several times. I highly recommend this book to anyone who was a fan of "The" O.C.

It’s what America needs right now

The stories and the story is absolutely perfect, what makes it so challenging to separate is that these voice actors are nowhere near the actors you love from the actual show. So once you can get past that, you can really enjoy it, but it will take you a little bit.

Exactly What You’re Hoping For

This book is exactly what I imagine most are hoping for if they’re interested in a look back at the making of the O. C. It felt like the author really loved writing the book and that those interviewed were honest about both the good and the bad of the phenomenon. The author interviewed almost everyone you would hope and it was refreshing to hear people speak about a show they worked on and gush over the happy parts while still being honest about their own failings or the failings of others when things weren’t so great. It never felt like anyone was passing the buck, just giving and honest telling of how they remember their four season in the whirlwind that was the OC.

Great retelling of the behind the scenes story

I loved it, I loved all the interviews and how much you got to learn about the making of the show and the behind the scenes stories and drama

Terrible book. Liked the TV series. No Story.

Only tried this book because I like the TV series and my favorite narrator, Therese Plummer read (a very small part). This audiobook gave me a headache - 50 different people speaking a sentence or two -worst idea ever!!