Josh Schwartz on The OC Finale, Music, Johnny

TV writer extraordinaire Alan Sepinwall has a nice feature interview with The OC's creator, Josh Schwartz, in today's NJ Star-Ledger, just in time for tonight's series finale. He reveals, among other things, that FOX originally wanted him to do a show about "extreme sports cops, '21 Jump Street'-style." He countered with this pitch: "The Karate Kid, without the karate."

Schwartz is also quite forthcoming about where the show went wrong in humorless Season 3, including the debacles that were Jeri Ryan and Johnny. Personally I think naming a character "Johnny" dooms your straight off. There is also much talk about where it all went right again with Season 4: basically FOX just let them do what they wanted.

Perhaps most interestingly, Schwartz reels off his favorite musical moments from the show, in chronological order:

• "Honey and the Moon" – Joseph Arthur
• "Paint the Silence" – South
• "Orange Sky" – Alexi Murdoch
• "Dice" – Finley Quaye and Beth Orton
• "Hallelujah" – multiple artists in multiple episodes
• "Champagne Supernova" – matt pond PA
• "Fix You" – Coldplay
• "Hide and Seek" – Imogen Heap
• "Running Up That Hill" – Placebo
• "West Coast" – Jason Schwartzman
• "Life is a Song" – Patrick Park

Comments

[steve]

As someone who abandoned the show after the fourth ep of Season 3, I have never been more surprised by the comeback of a TV show. I might be alone in this, but I enjoyed Season 4 even more than Season 1.

[SoundBitesNYC]

You may be right, Steve, especially once the got the cage fighting out of the way.

[Rianna]

Omg. I can't belevive the show was cancelled its my fvourite show and i cn't Live with out it... its amazign please don't cancel itt ... PLEASE
xox
rianna

[Matt Berlyant]

Am I the only person who liked the Johnny character in season 3? His character actually made Marissa, by far the weakest link on the show, kind of interesting for a few weeks until of course the inevitable grovelling at the end and his tragic death. If they really wanted to be bold, they would've hooked up Johnny with Marissa since they were obviously right for each other, but they wussed out in my opinion. Nevertheless, it's too bad the show went out in the middle of a great season and why isn't Bob Mould's "Circles" on that list above?

[Hugo]

Which is the song which plays at the time of the burial of Johnny? Thanks.

[Hugo]

Which is the song which plays at the time of the burial of Johnny? Thanks.

[Online pharmacy]

Schwartz is also quite forthcoming about where the show went wrong in humorless Season 3.

[Generic Viagra]

Am I the only person who liked the Johnny character in season 3?

[Viagra Online]

OMG.....jajajaja yes it was canceled....what can we do??
I like that show!!!
TT___TT
jaja
No for real, it was good!
Michael A. Michael