The OC is 20, reality TV is cool again: and more unbelievable facts from 2023

I am not shy to admit that I love trash – television that is – and it turns out the classics are sustainable elements of entertainment.

Benjamin McKenzie, Mischa Barton and Peter Gallagher, stars of The OC, pictured in 2003.

When it comes to viewing, I’d give Oscar the Grouch a run for his grubby money when it comes to my love of junk.

“Trashy TV”, like pop music, has been unfairly maligned for being too feminine and lacking substance.

American soap Passions after school – check; Days Of Our Lives on sick days – absolutely; Models Inc. on YouTube – don’t threaten me with a good time.

Which brings us to a show that is celebrating an important, and frankly, hard to comprehend anniversary. Pull on your low-rider jeans because The OC is 20.

The OC is now 20 years old. I know, I can’t believe it either.

The TV show was appointment viewing when it premiered back in 2003.

In an era before streaming, dates, work and phones were ­silenced when the now opening riff began every week.

The OC gave birth to many fashion trends – including, but not limited to, fabric belts and newspaper caps in warmer weather and, disappointingly, size 0.

It also spawned an entire reality TV genre.

One year after the success of The OC airing in the US, MTV took a look at the actual town, launching Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County in 2004.

The reality show focused on the personal lives of then-high schoolers of Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari – two women who have since gone on to build lucrative careers in the wellness, mummy blogger and podcast spaces.

The OC, unlike the MTV reality show which was more like a hash brown to a hangover, was like cerebral dental floss for those of us who had just started on the path to adulthood. It dislodged everything we thought we knew about growing up, relationships and the merging of holidays like Chrismukkah – the merging of Christmas and Hanukkah.

“Welcome to the OC, bitch!” was just one of the memorable scenes from the pilot which charted a down-and-out kid from the “wrong side of the tracks” and how he found his way inside a gated community living in the pool house of his wealthy, court-appointed legal aid.

Ryan and Marissa, Seth and Summer. They were the Bettys, Veronicas and Archies in human form that evolved over the seasons from virgins, to smokers, to lesbians, to ... dead. And that was just Marissa (played by 2000s “It” girl Mischa Barton).

In reality the cast have since gone on just as diverse paths.

Ben McKenzie – who played Ryan – is now deeply invested in crypto and has taken to Instagram to post old photos “to prove how cool I used to be, but for some reason they (his kids) don’t seem to get it”.

Barton is set to star in the Neighbours reboot. A serendipitous momentconsidering Alan Dale – who got his start on Ramsay Street in the late 1980s and 90s – hit the big time as Kirsten’s nasty, narcissistic, cashed-up dad.

That’s the secret sauce that makes the The OC so endearing and enduring.

The plethora of personalities and plots the series churned out.

Seth’s crush on Summer, Sandy’s impostor syndrome, ­Kirsten’s drinking, the music.

You haven’t lived until you’ve screamed “Californiiaaaaa!” to Phantom Planet’s opening title anthem or welled up at the first strains of Imogen Heap’s cover of Hallelujah – the soundtrack to what is considered one of the most heartbreaking deaths in TV history (yes even more than Bobby dying in Home and Away).

That scene was so powerful as it alluded to the time in the first season when our resident poor little rich girl overdosed on a trip to Mexico but was saved by Ryan; the same song was played but with Jeff Buckley’s vocals.

Marissa was wild but it was in her character’s DNA.

Her mum Julie was a pastiche of Paris Hilton and Ivana Trump; she was never not dressed in designer trackies or scheming on everything from avenging her daughter’s death to marrying her friend’s dad.

The cast of The Real Housewives of New York City

This trope continues in the latest iteration of another show – The Real Housewives of New York City.

“I love to laugh, but make me mad and I’ll date your dad,” is the opening line of new cult hero, Brynn Whitfield.

The reality series is now in its 14th season – which is close to Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ levels of success, as far as reality TV goes.

However this format, which can tire quicker than a woman running for a cab in heels at 2am, has had a welcome facelift.

The changes are more than cosmetic. Producer Andy Cohen has refreshed the cast with unknown, legitimately successful and diverse women. There is only one “known entity” in Jenna Lyons – the former creative director of fashion label J.Crew.

Much like Mischa Barton, Lyons was the epitome of “cool girl” until she left her post several years ago. She’s not your typical reality TV starlet.

Lyons does not need followers or cache. She has it all, and the best wardrobe in New York, in spades. She’s dressed, worked with and charmed the likes of former First Lady Michelle Obama and Catherine, Princess of Wales. The latter she famously made cackle with laughter during the Prince and Princess’ last tour of the US.

If Lyons is doing reality TV, it must mean the medium is no longer the wasteland of wannabes just hanging around long enough to secure a tooth-whitening contract when their 15-minutes is up. If this new season of The Real Housewives is correct, reality TV may be the next frontier for famous people to reach the next level of fame.

I guess that’s one way to keep the masses entertained while Hollywood’s strikes roll on.

The OC is streaming now on Stan.
The Real Housewives of New York City is streaming now on Binge.