"The O.C." Creators Regret Killing off Mischa Barton: "It Came from the Top" - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 08-14-2023, 06:02 PM

"The O.C." Creators say Pressure to Kill off Mischa Barton's Character "Came Down from the Top"
by Jessica Wang
August 14, 2023

Marissa Cooper's fiery death on "The O.C." still haunts series creator Josh Schwartz and producer Stephanie Savage.

In conversation with Vanity Fair for the teen drama's 20th anniversary, Schwartz and Savage — both set to release a book on the series, Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History, alongside Alan Sepinwall on Nov. 28 — looked back on the regrettable decision to kill off Mischa Barton's troubled teen in the season 3 finale, sharing that it all boiled down to network pressure.

"We were under tremendous pressure to do something with that level of drama," Savage recalled. "Killing a series regular came down from the top. If we wanted a season four, we'd have to do something like that."

Schwartz said the two continue to regret the decision.

"Looking back on it, we wish we could have come up with a different solution," he said. "We didn't see an alternative path at the time, which is why we went down that road. But obviously in hindsight, there were lots of other ways we could have written the character off the show — and given Mischa the break that she needed and wanted — that still would've allowed for that character to return."

The audience reaction to the shocking death "did not feel good," Schwartz admitted. "When Marissa shot Trey, everyone was very upset in a way that was fun to experience," he said.

"They were shocked, and I heard from parents who said their kids were crying about what had happened. Ultimately it was the reaction you wanted to get out of the audience. And when we saw the reaction after Marissa died from that audience, it did not feel good."

"It did not feel like that audience had been served or respected in the way that we always wanted and aimed to," Schwartz added. "Immediately, we had regret at that point."

https://ew.com/tv/the-oc-creators-pr...came-from-top/

TMC · 08-16-2023, 08:33 PM

The O.C. Was Wrong To Kill Marissa Cooper - But Her Exit & Season 4 Fixed The Show

Josh Schwartz claims killing off Mischa Barton's The O.C. character, Marissa Cooper, was a mistake but it ultimately helped the show's final season.

08-14-2023, 06:02 PM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,020	"The O.C." Creators Regret Killing off Mischa Barton: "It Came from the Top" *"The O.C." Creators say Pressure to Kill off Mischa Barton's Character "Came Down from the Top"* by Jessica Wang August 14, 2023 Marissa Cooper's fiery death on "The O.C." still haunts series creator Josh Schwartz and producer Stephanie Savage. In conversation with Vanity Fair for the teen drama's 20th anniversary, Schwartz and Savage — both set to release a book on the series, Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History, alongside Alan Sepinwall on Nov. 28 — looked back on the regrettable decision to kill off Mischa Barton's troubled teen in the season 3 finale, sharing that it all boiled down to network pressure. "We were under tremendous pressure to do something with that level of drama," Savage recalled. "Killing a series regular came down from the top. If we wanted a season four, we'd have to do something like that." Schwartz said the two continue to regret the decision. "Looking back on it, we wish we could have come up with a different solution," he said. "We didn't see an alternative path at the time, which is why we went down that road. But obviously in hindsight, there were lots of other ways we could have written the character off the show — and given Mischa the break that she needed and wanted — that still would've allowed for that character to return." The audience reaction to the shocking death "did not feel good," Schwartz admitted. "When Marissa shot Trey, everyone was very upset in a way that was fun to experience," he said. "They were shocked, and I heard from parents who said their kids were crying about what had happened. Ultimately it was the reaction you wanted to get out of the audience. And when we saw the reaction after Marissa died from that audience, it did not feel good." "It did not feel like that audience had been served or respected in the way that we always wanted and aimed to," Schwartz added. "Immediately, we had regret at that point." https://ew.com/tv/the-oc-creators-pr...came-from-top/ Attached Images

08-16-2023, 08:33 PM	#2
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 125,174	The O.C. Was Wrong To Kill Marissa Cooper - But Her Exit & Season 4 Fixed The Show Josh Schwartz claims killing off Mischa Barton's The O.C. character, Marissa Cooper, was a mistake but it ultimately helped the show's final season.