show name	The O.C.
format	Teen drama
picture format	480i (SDTV)720p (HDTV)
runtime	42 min. (approx.)
creator	Josh Schwartz
executive producer	Dave Bartis (season 1)Bob DeLaurentisDoug Liman (season 1)McGStephanie Savage (season 4; co-executive producer seasons 1–3)Josh Schwartz
starring	Peter GallagherKelly RowanBenjamin McKenzieMischa BartonAdam BrodyRachel BilsonMelinda ClarkeTate DonovanAutumn ReeserWilla HollandAlan DaleChris Carmack
opentheme	"California"
theme music composer	Phantom Planet
composer	Christopher Tyng, Richard Marvin
location	Newport Beach, California
country	United States
network	Fox
first aired
last aired
num seasons	4
num episodes	92
list episodes	List of The O.C. episodes
website	}}

''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons. The series, created by Josh Schwartz, portrays the fictional lives of a group of teenagers and their families residing in Newport Beach in Orange County, California. ''The O.C.'' has been broadcast in more than fifty countries worldwide and was one of the most popular new dramas of 2003. ''The O.C.'' attracted a strong 9.7 million viewers for its first season, but ratings declined as the show went on. The low ratings led to cancellation in early 2007, after four seasons, and 92 episodes, even after an online petition which gained over 700,000 signatures. Re-runs of ''The O.C.'' are now shown on The WB, SOAPnet, and Channel 4.

The show centers on Ryan Atwood, a troubled youth from a broken home who is adopted by the wealthy and philanthropic Sandy and Kirsten Cohen. Ryan and his surrogate brother Seth, a socially awkward and, initially, friendless teen, deal with life as outsiders in the high-class world of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. This includes their often troubled and always dramatic relationships with Summer Roberts, Marissa Cooper, Alex Kelly, Lindsay Gardner, Taylor Townsend, and others. The show also features Marissa's mother, Julie Cooper, and for the first two seasons, her (ex)husbands Jimmy Cooper and Kirsten's overbearing father, Caleb Nichol. School water polo player Luke Ward, Marissa's boyfriend and early adversary to Ryan and Seth, causes problems in the first season. Drama also arises from Marissa's younger sister, Kaitlin Cooper. These main characters have problems and story arcs with numerous supporting characters from their past, workplace, and school.

Production

Conception

In 2002, creator Josh Schwartz met with Joseph "McG" McGinty Nichol and Stephanie Savage of production company Wonderland Sound and Vision. They told Schwartz they wanted to create a television show based in McG's hometown of Newport Beach. Savage suggested producing a police or extreme sports ''21 Jump Street''-style show, but Schwartz knew little about the genre. Having had experiences with people from Newport Beach during his time at the University of Southern California, Schwartz came back to them with his own characters. The show was pitched to Fox and Warner Bros in August 2002. Fox targeted a summer launch for the show, and Doug Liman was brought in to direct the premiere after McG withdrew due to his scheduling conflicts with ''Charlie's Angels 2''. The show was confirmed for the 2003–2004 schedule in May, and an August 5, 2003 broadcast date was selected in June.

Schwartz, said that inspiration for the show came from being a fan of Larry Sanders, Cameron Crowe and other "quirky character-driven shows like ''Freaks and Geeks'', ''Undeclared'', and ''My So-Called Life''". Schwartz went to college at the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television, and later said that ''The O.C.'' was "very much based on sort of the experiences I had when I was in college". He also stated that Cohen family in season one resembles his own family life, adding that "The dynamic between Sandy and Seth is very much based on me and my dad."

Filming locations

Although the show is set in Newport Beach, financial penalties imposed for filming outside the studio zone meant much of the show was filmed in the Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles County region. Many of the beach scenes were also filmed in Redondo Beach and Torrance. Sites in Los Angeles County were used for many different on-screen locations, which include Ryan's hometown of Chino, Luke's father's Portland home, Johnny's fathers Indio office and Tijuana.

For the first episode, "Premiere", the Cohen family home was shot on location in Malibu. A mock pool house was built for use in the pilot, and taken down after filming completed. The Cohen's home was recreated on a soundstage at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach for filming during the rest of the series; the pool was only 4-feet deep meaning that the cast had to act on their knees. External shots of the original house remained in use throughout the show. The pilot was shot on 35 mm film stock, while subsequent episodes used digitally post-processed 16 mm in order to reduce the cost of production.

The Harbor School is the local school that the show's adolescents attend. Based on Newport's real-life Corona del Mar High School which executive producer McG attended, the filming location was actually Mount St. Mary's College, a private woman's college in Brentwood, Los Angeles. The University of California, Los Angeles was the location used to represent Berkeley, and the University of Southern California was used to represent Brown University. The FAA First Federal Credit Union building in Hawthorne was used to depict the Newport Group in season two. Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes was used three times on the show—twice for a wedding and once for a funeral. The Cohen's original home in Berkeley, which they return to in "The End's Not Near, It's Here" was shot in South Pasadena.

Music

Alexandra Patsavas, who had previously worked on shows including ''Roswell'' and ''Carnivàle'', was appointed as music supervisor on ''The O.C.''. Patsavas worked alongside creator Josh Schwartz, in selecting the music to be used. Schwartz said that he had "always intended that music be a character on the show" ''The O.C.'' made indie rock a "main focus of the series" and also its marketing plan, releasing six soundtracks throughout the series. In the second season, a fictional new night club and concert venue, called The Bait Shop, was introduced. Bands including The Walkmen, The Killers, Modest Mouse, The Thrills, Rachael Yamagata, Death Cab for Cutie and The Subways all made guest appearances on the show performing at the venue. In addition to having guest artists perform on the show, it also premiered many new music singles from artists including the Beastie Boys, U2, Beck, Coldplay, Gwen Stefani, and The Shins.

Many bands gained exposure through the show which caused increase in sales of their music. Rooney, who were the first band to guest appear on the show, experienced a "200 percent increase in sales" after their appearance. Even artists who just had their songs featured benefited: Imogen Heap became "a household name stateside", and Youth Group, who recorded a song specifically for the show, had "more than 5,000 iTunes downloads [of that track] in its first week" following it being played. However, not all bands were keen to feature on the show. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were asked to perform, but they turned it down because they were worried that it could diminish their credibility. Some fans and critics echoed that sentiment by stating that such appearances and mass marketing techniques are creating sell-outs.

Generally the music was well received. Ben Spier from ''Entertainment Weekly'' described the show as a "mixtaper's dream" and ''Rolling Stone'' commented that the soundtrack was the reason people kept watching the show. However, Karyn L. Barr from ''Entertainment Weekly'' stated that using acts like U2 on a show that dedicated time to indie bands was "selling out." Noah Davis of PopMatters.com criticised the show for neglecting plotlines and replacing them with "the gang's countless trips to the Bait Shop".

Broadcast and distribution

First run broadcast

The first season premiered at 9:00 p.m. (EDT) on August 5, 2003 on Fox, and was simulcast in Canada on CTV. The original, English-language version of the show also aired in other continents. In the United Kingdom, the first episode was aired at 9:00 p.m. (GMT) on March 7, 2004 on Channel 4, but subsequent episodes were first shown on sister station E4, a week in advance of being shown on Channel 4. In Australia, the pilot was first broadcast on the Nine Network but the channel later dropped the show. Network Ten picked up the show and by the fourth season was airing episodes within days of it being broadcast in the U.S. In New Zealand, the show was aired on TV2, and in Ireland it was broadcast on TG4. In South Africa it premiered on April 1, 2004 on satellite television channel Go and was shown on terrestrial channel SABC 3 in December 2006. In India, the English language channel Zee Café debuted the show on December 30, 2005. For the fourth season, in the week before an episode was broadcast on television, it was available via on demand streaming through Fox Interactive Media's MySpace and MyFoxLocal stations.

It was also aired in non-English speaking countries. It aired across Latin America on the Warner Channel. In France, it aired on France 2 under the name ''Newport Beach''. It aired in Germany on ProSieben, in Switzerland on SF zwei, and in Russia under the name ''OC – Lonely Hearts'' on STS. In Italy it was shown on Italia 1, with pay-per view channel Joi being the first to make available episodes of season 3 onwards through the digital terrestrial television service Mediaset Premium.

Cancellation

Due to low ratings it was rumored that the show would not return for a fifth season. In June 2006 Fox confirmed that "the current order for ''The O.C.'' is 16 episodes", but added that there was a chance to add more installments. In September 2006 Rachel Bilson said that she felt like "the show is over", and co-star Kelly Rowan stated that many of the cast realized the show was close to being cancelled. Rowan said that "when [the fourth season] was picked up for just 16 episodes this year the cast had a feeling the end was near". On January 3, 2007 Fox announced that ''The O.C.'' was to be cancelled. In a statement, Schwartz said "This feels like the best time to bring the show to its close" adding that "what better time to go out than creatively on top". Fox launched an official campaign on their website, garnering over 740,000 signatures. There were rumors that the show would be saved, and a move to The CW Television Network was mooted; however, CW president Dawn Ostroff, whose company is partly owned by Warner Bros., confirmed in January 2007 that while the move was discussed, it was decided against.

Media releases

All four seasons are available on DVD in Regions 1, 2 and 4.

Season		! DVD
	Season 1
	Season 2
	Season 3
	Season 4

Additionally, ''The O.C. The Complete Series'' was released on November 27, 2007 in Canada and the United States, which included the first season remastered in widescreen. The complete series was also released as a Region 2 DVD on November 19, 2007 but did not include the remastered version of the first season. Additionally, the DVD included a note from Josh Schwartz, a printed conversation between Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, two rare bonus discs, a season four gag reel, and ''Atomic County'' excerpts.

For users in the US, a regularly changing selection of episodes are available to stream free of charge from The WB's website. For registered members of selected regional iTunes Stores, the complete series is available to purchase and download. These seasons are also available in the US as video on demand from Amazon Unbox. The fourth season was also made available in the Zune.

Cast and characters

The initial season had nine major roles receive star billing. Protagonist Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) is a troubled teenager who is thrust into the wealthy lifestyle of Newport. He is sent to a juvenile detention facility after he is caught stealing a car with his brother Trey Atwood (Bradley Stryker, later Logan Marshall-Green) and Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) is appointed as his public defense attorney. When Ryan's mother leaves him, he is taken in by Sandy and his wife Kirsten Cohen (Kelly Rowan), who is a powerful businesswoman. At their home Ryan befriends their son Seth who is a geeky, ostracized teenager the same age as Ryan. Ryan takes a fancy to Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton), the beautiful girl next door, but she has a boyfriend named Luke Ward (Chris Carmack), who is also captain of the school's water polo team. Marissa's father Jimmy (Tate Donovan) is a financial planner for the wealthy residents of Newport Beach, Orange County, but after losing money steals from his clients. He gets investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for fraud, causing him to file for bankruptcy and his wife, Julie (Melinda Clarke), to file for divorce. In a trip to Tijuana, Marissa finds out that her parents are separating, and that her boyfriend is cheating on her with her friend Holly Fischer (Ashley Hartman). Marissa breaks up with Luke, and overdoses on painkillers and tequila, but is saved by Ryan, when he finds her unconscious, lying in an alley. They form a relationship, that is turbulent throughout the first three seasons.

Seth desires to be with Marissa's best friend Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson), but ends up in a love triangle with new student Anna Stern (Samaire Armstrong) and Summer. Seth was forced to make a choice between them, and chose Anna, however the relationship was short lived and they broke up when Seth confessed his true love for Summer.

Sandy Cohen (played by Peter Gallagher) – (Seasons 1 – 4): An idealistic public defender who takes in Ryan Atwood in the pilot episode, much to the dismay of his wife, Kirsten. As the seasons progress, he opens up his own private law firm and becomes the CEO of the Newport Group, before returning to the public defender's office. He is the husband of Kirsten, the father of Seth Cohen, and the legal guardian of Ryan Atwood. He is a philanthropist, and although living in upper class and a large house, is right-minded and frequently provides his two sons, and wife, with direction and advice. He has good strong relationships with his wife and sons, although occasionally having trouble, especially in season two. Sandy is a graduate of UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall law school. He is from the Bronx. By the end of the show, he is now a professor at Berkeley.

Kirsten Cohen (played by Kelly Rowan) – (Seasons 1 – 4): She is the wife of Sandy Cohen, the mother of Seth and former CFO of her father's (Caleb Nichol) real estate company, the Newport Group. Before she met Sandy she dated and grew up with Jimmy Cooper, with whom she remains friends. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Art History. At first, she is reluctant to accept Ryan into her home, but by the end of the first season, she is seen begging him to stay. She has had trouble with alcohol, especially in the aftermath of her father's death, and co-founded of the NewMatch dating service with Julie. In Season 4 she finds out that she is pregnant with a baby girl who is later named Sophie Rose Cohen (Sophie after Sandy's mother & Rose after her own mother). Sophie Rose is shown in the final episode at her brother Seth's wedding being about 6 years old. She is from Newport Beach.

Ryan Atwood (played by Benjamin McKenzie) – (Seasons 1 – 4): A troubled teenager from Chino is thrown headlong into the privileged community of Newport Beach, California after his mother (Dawn Atwood) throws him out of their family home. Ryan is subsequently taken in by his public defender, Sandy Cohen. He forms fast bonds with all the Cohen family especially Sandy's son Seth. Seth had no friends, and Ryan's arrival in the Cohen househod shook up both their lives. Ryan had a huge impact on Seth, and Ryan is later legally adopted by Kirsten and Sandy Cohen. When Ryan and Marissa Cooper meet for the first time there is an instantaneous attraction but it is turbulent relationship from start to finish. Along the way we see Ryan's relationships with his brother Trey, his first love and the "girl next-door" Theresa Diaz, and his troubled relationships with his absent mother and father. Throughout the series Ryan's other love interests include Lindsay, a high school friend, who turns out to be Caleb Nichols's secret love child. He dates Sadie, Johnny's cousin following Johnny's death. Ryan's main love interest for most of the series is Marissa with whom he has an on again/off again relationship, before the two of them are involved in a car accident and she dies in his arms. After a period of intense grief, Ryan develops a romantic relationship with Taylor Townsend. The finale shows Ryan graduating from UC Berkeley and becoming an architect. While walking to his car after work one day, he sees a teen in the same situation he was in years ago and offers him help.

Marissa Cooper (played by Mischa Barton) – (Seasons 1 – 3): The first of the "core four" to leave the series at the end of season three. Marissa is arguably the most conflicted of the main characters, frequently battling with drugs and alcohol. Marissa's relationships with her parents, boyfriends, and fellow classmates are often tumultuous. She is Summer's best friend and Ryan's on and off love interest. Marissa engages in various romances throughout the series (in addition to her relationship with Ryan), notably with her family's gardener D.J., Seth's ex-girlfriend Alex, and high school drop-out Kevin Volchok. In the third season finale, Marissa decides to work with her father on his yacht, however, on the way to the airport with Ryan, Volchok runs them off of the road, leading to her death. Marissa's death plays a large role throughout season 4 as the other characters grieve.

Seth Cohen (played by Adam Brody) – (Seasons 1 – 4): The awkward adolescent son of Sandy and Kirsten Cohen. He is known for his quick quips and pop-culture references. He is also the love interest of Summer Roberts, on whom he had a crush since 3rd grade. He dated Anna Stern during Season 1, but they break up due to a lack of chemistry. When Ryan moved back to Chino, Seth sailed to Portland on his sailboat and stayed with Luke and Luke's gay father in protest. Seth comes back home when Ryan returns to the Cohen household. After one of his break-ups with Summer, he had a fling with the bartender at the Bait Shop, Alex. He breaks up with her because her lesbian ex-girlfriend shows up, but eventually he realizes that he loves Summer. He lies to Summer in season 3 about getting into Brown, but only to make sure that she doesn't throw away her dream of going. The truth comes out eventually and he gets into RISD. He proposes to Summer in the fourth season, thinking that she might be pregnant. After he learns she is not pregnant, the thought of marriage begins to scare him and they engage in a game of chicken over who will be the one to terminate the engagement. In the finale, six months after a tragic earthquake, Seth and Summer take time to pursue separate interests but get married sometime in the future with Ryan as the best man and Taylor as the maid of honor.

Summer Roberts (played by Rachel Bilson) – (Seasons 1 – 4): The socialite of the four main teen characters (Ryan, Seth, Marissa and Summer). She is the love interest of Seth, and best friend to Marissa. She is the daughter of Dr. Neil Roberts. Initially Summer is the "bitch" of the group but it soon became clear this is a cover for her own insecurities. Her mother left when her parents divorced after her mother abandons them and she has had no contact with her since. Her stepmother, nicknamed the "step-monster", a lazy woman with a suggested drug problem is mentioned few times throughout the series and is shown only once from behind in season 4. When Seth sails to Portland, Summer finds a new love interest, Zach. On the way to be maid of honor in Zach's sisters' wedding in Italy, Summer leaves Zach at the airport realizing that she is meant to be with Seth. She and Seth believe she is pregnant in the fourth season and they planned to get married. After they find out that she isn't, they break off the engagement, though not their relationship. Six months after the earthquake, Summer and Seth go their separate ways, allowing Summer to pursue her environmental interests, which she develops after the death of her best friend, Marissa. The two get married sometime in the future.

Luke Ward (played by Chris Carmack) – (Season 1 – 2): Marissa's jock ex-boyfriend and regular cast member episodes 1–24. Luke is the oldest of the three sons of Carson and Meredith Ward, and the older brother of Brad and Eric Ward (seen in season 4 being Kaitlin's "friends"). When Ryan first comes to town, the two of them get into constant fights, mainly over Marissa. The two of them eventually set aside their differences and become friends. He had an affair with Julie Cooper after he and Marissa broke up. The first main character to leave the show, Luke and his father moved to Portland after the people of Newport learned that his father was gay. He lets Seth live with him and his father in Portland over the summer break before school starts for their final year. This is shown in the first episode of season 2 before Seth returns home with Ryan.

Julie Cooper-Nichol (played by Melinda Clarke) – (Seasons 1 – 4): The mother of Kaitlin Cooper and the late Marissa Cooper. At the beginning of the show she's married to financial planner Jimmy Cooper, but after learning that he had stolen large sums of money from his clients, Julie divorces him. She had an affair with her daughter's ex-boyfriend, Luke, while dating Caleb. She later marries Caleb Nichol and attempts to take-over as CEO of the Newport Group, with no success. Following Caleb’s death, she was left with no money and ends up living in a trailer park. She becomes engaged to Dr. Neil Roberts. The engagement falls apart after Marissa's death, and she becomes single again. Julie becomes involved with Frank Atwood in the fourth season and in the final episode, before Julie's attempted wedding to Bullit, it's revealed that Julie was carrying Frank's baby. In the finale, Julie graduates from college sometime in the future and she now has a son with Frank. She is originally from Riverside, California.

Caleb Nichol (played by Alan Dale) – (Seasons 1 & 2): Kirsten's businessman father and later Julie Cooper's husband. His character recurs throughout the first season, and he becomes a regular during the second season. Caleb is the show's first main character to die (from a heart attack). The reading of his will reveals that Caleb was broke, and leaves his widow Julie with nothing.

Jimmy Cooper (played by Tate Donovan) – (Seasons 1 – 4): Marissa's and Kaitlin's father (and Julie's ex-husband). He was a regular cast member for episodes 1–34, but his character left Newport for Maui. He dated Hailley Nichol for a while after his divorce with Julie. He returns following Caleb's death at the end of the second season and almost remarries Julie. After running into financial troubles (and being attacked), he decides to leave Newport again early in the third season. He lives on a boat for part of season 2, and as of the end of season 3, he is the captain of ship that is sailing in the Greek Islands. He returns in season 4 in the episode "The Chrismukk-huh?", but only in a parallel universe, where he is married to Kirsten, who he dated in high school.

Taylor Townsend (played by Autumn Reeser) – (Seasons 3 & 4): Introduced in Season 3 as a neurotic perfectionist student who battles Marissa for full control of Harbor High School's social scene. Summer and Seth become friends with Taylor after learning how lonely she is. In the season three finale, Seth tells her she has become inner circle material, making her a part of the "Fab Five". But shortly after that, Marissa dies in a car accident, thus making her the fourth member of the core four. In Season 4, Taylor comes back from France married and ready to be divorced and then becomes the love interest of Ryan Atwood. She is the daughter of the ill-spirited Veronica Townsend.

Kaitlin Cooper (played by Willa Holland) – (Seasons 3 & 4): Originally played by Shailene Woodley in a recurring role during Season 1, Kaitlin spends much of the series at boarding school before returning on a recurring basis in season 3 (now played by Holland) and finally becoming a regular character in season 4. The daughter of Jimmy Cooper and Julie Cooper-Nichol and sister to the late Marissa Cooper. After returning from boarding school, she begins to like Johnny, Marissa's friend, but when he dies she blames herself and goes back to boarding school. She comes home before Marissa is to leave for her boat trip and starts attending high school at Harbor during the fourth season. Her personality is more similar to her mother's rather than her father's, and quite different from that of her older sister Marissa. She dates Chris Brown who plays Will for a short time known as "band geek." In the finale, Kaitlin is shown congratulating her mother for graduating. She has a younger half-brother courtesy of Frank Atwood and Julie.

Reception and influence

U.S. television ratings

The pilot episode attracted 7.46 million viewers in the United States, came second in its time slot behind the season finale of ''Last Comic Standing'', and was the highest rating show of the night in the 12–17-year-old demographic. Overall season one was the highest-rated new drama of the season among adults aged 18 to 34, averaging a total of 9.7 million viewers. For the second season, the show moved to an "ultra-competitive Thursday" against the likes of ''Survivor'', ''Joey'' and ''Will & Grace'', and this is often cited as a cause of ''The O.C.'''s decline in popularity. The move improved Fox's performance at the new time slot, but lost the show viewers, with average viewing figures decreased thirty percent from the previous season to 7 million. For the third season average viewing figures decreased a further twenty percent from the previous season to 5.6 million. The Thursday 9.00 pm timeslot placed the show against two other very popular shows, ''CSI'' and ''Grey's Anatomy''. With the fourth season not starting until November, the premiere attracted 3.4 million viewers, which was a series low. For the final ever episode 6.7 million viewers tuned in which was 76 percent more than the season average of 4.6 million viewers.

The most watched ''O.C.'' episode was "The Rivals". It attracted 12.72 million viewers, and was the lead-out to ''American Idol'' which attracted 29.43 million viewers that week.

! Season	! Episodes	Eastern Time Zone>ET)	! Season premiere	! Season finale	! TV season	! Rank	! Viewers(millions)
	27	Tuesday 9:00 pm (2003)Wednesday 9:00 pm (2003–04)	August 5, 2003	May 5, 2004	2003–04	#57	9.7
	24	Thursday 8:00 pm	November 4, 2004	May 19, 2005	2004–05	#85	7.0
	25	Thursday 8:00 pm (2005)Thursday 9:00 pm (2006)	September 8, 2005	May 18, 2006	2005–06	#105	5.6
	16	Thursday 9:00 pm	November 2, 2006	February 22, 2007	2006–07	#123	4.3

Awards and honors

For the debut episode, "Premiere", Schwartz received a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for Best Screenplay in an Episodic Drama, and casting directors Rush and Silverberg nominated in the Dramatic Pilot category of the Artios Awards. Luke's tagline, "Welcome to the O.C., bitch", was placed 83rd by TV Land in its ''100 Greatest TV Quotes and Catchphrases'' in 2006. The first season picked up four Teen Choice Awards, and was nominated for another two. Additionally it was nominated for the Outstanding New Program TCA Award, and in Australia it won a Logie Award for Most Popular Overseas Program in 2005. For the second season the show was nominated for five Teen Choice Awards, and won four of them, including best drama. It was nominated for the Favorite Television Drama People's Choice Award, and Kelly Rowan won a PRISM Award for Performance in a Drama Series Episode, with Peter Gallagher getting a nomination. The second season finale was nominated for a PRISM TV Drama Series Episode award. The third season was nominated for five Teen Choice Awards and won four of them, including "Choice Drama/Action Adventure Show" and "Choice Actor: Drama/Action Adventure", which Adam Brody won for the third consecutive year.

Fandom and popular culture

''The O.C.'' generated a dedicated and thriving international fan community. Fans of the show, sometimes dubbed ''OC Groupies'', have been active in developing a large number of fan websites and forums dedicated to the program. Famous fans of the show include the Bush twins, Jenna and Barbara, and Princess Beatrice.

One of the reasons ''The O.C.'' gained a cult following was the constant flow of references to musicians, films and comic books below the mainstream cultural radar, mainly coming from the character Seth Cohen. One prime example would be in the episode entitled "The Best Chrismukkah Ever" in which Seth creates the 'Seth Cohen Starter Pack' as a Christmas gift to give to Anna and Summer. This starter pack consisted of ''The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay'', ''The Goonies'', and CDs by Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie and The Shins. Bright Eyes and Death Cab for Cutie are also referenced in a handful of other episodes, more so than any other bands. Seth and friends have attended shows by The Walkmen, Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers, Modest Mouse, The Thrills Tom Vek and The Subways at their local music venue, the Bait Shop. Films referenced include ''The Goonies'', ''Risky Business'', ''Akira'', ''Ghost in the Shell'', ''Blade'', ''House of Flying Daggers'', ''Hellboy'' and a set of scenes loosely parodying ''Spider-Man'' in the episode The Rainy Day Women. Seth also has a large Ben Folds Live poster above his bed, as well as posters for various other bands including Death Cab for Cutie, Black Flag, The Ramones and Nirvana and a Rockstar North poster, creators of the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series. Additionally in one scene there is a close-up of him reading the book ''Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto'' and the writer Chuck Klosterman was also mentioned quite subtly in one episode, as was Jack Kerouac's novel ''On the Road''. Additionally, Seth and Ryan play a variety of games on their PlayStation 2 console. The most frequent example comes from season one, which includes a handful of scenes showing Seth and various other characters playing a game from the ''Dynasty Warriors'' series and ''Grand Theft Auto III'' in the Pilot episode. They also make numerous references to various comic books throughout the series, including ''X-Men'' and ''The Legion'', and cited Brian Michael Bendis as one of the greatest comic book authors of all time.

Seth's tastes were backed up by other characters – Anna Stern shared Seth's love of comic books and Death Cab for Cutie, and in one episode she gets the two of them tickets to see Bright Eyes as a surprise. In the second season, the character Zach is introduced into the show and shares Seth's love of comic books and superhero movies. Marissa spends most of one episode listening to Interpol in her room and in the second ever episode she mentions that she likes punk because she's angry, specifically The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and The Cramps. Seth is extremely surprised to find out that he and Marissa share an extremely similar taste in music and literature, sharing an interest in the aforementioned punk bands and Jack Kerouac novel. Alex has a concert poster of The Postal Service on the wall of her living room. In season three, Taylor Townsend eventually bonds with Seth over a mutual love of Japanese anime. And Julie Cooper occasionally recalls a youth spent listening to Poison, Whitesnake, Bob Seger and Mötley Crüe.

This side of the show was spoofed on a few occasions – firstly, when Ryan developed a passion for the band Journey, going against the hip references made by Seth Cohen. In "The Rainy Day Women" episode, Seth decides to dwell on his troubled love life not by listening to his usual obscure indie tastes, but with Boyz II Men's song "End of the Road". Paris Hilton made a guest appearance in an episode, playing a parody of herself. Seth met her and expected her to be as she is on TV, but instead she started a conversation about cult author Thomas Pynchon, stating that "''Gravity's Rainbow'' is his masterpiece!" Seth was suitably stunned. This reference, though likely missed by most ''O.C.'' viewers, was to critic Arthur Salm's statement on Pynchon:

:the man simply chooses not to be a public figure, an attitude that resonates on a frequency so out of phase with that of the prevailing culture that if Pynchon and Paris Hilton were ever to meet – the circumstances, I admit, are beyond imagining – the resulting matter/antimatter explosion would vaporize everything from here to Tau Ceti IV. (Salm 2004)

The writers also invented a fictional film called ''Yakuza Prep'', which is based on a popular Japanese style of movies, in the third season.

The writers also created a fictional show called ''The Valley'', which was basically the in-show equivalent of ''The O.C.'' Characters will frequently make ironic (and perhaps self-mocking) comments about ''The Valley'' and its fictional reality TV counterpart, ''Sherman Oaks: The Real Valley'' obviously referring back to the show ''Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County'' and its bold claim to be ''real''. Comedic group The Lonely Island did a parody of ''The O.C.'' called The 'Bu. At Boston College, students created and produced a parody titled "The BC" that received nationwide acclaim and features in ''The New York Times'' and ''CBS Evening News''.

The restaurant dubbed the ''Crab Shack'' on the show is actually local landmark The Crab Cooker. Scenes from the show were also shot at the landmark Wattles Mansion located in Hollywood.

Complementary media

The characters and setting of ''The O.C.'' have appeared in several official tie-ins outside of the television broadcast, including in print and on the Internet.

Novels

Eight novelizations have been released by the publisher Scholastic Inc. with the permission of Warner Bros. They are:

''The Outsider'' (ISBN 0439660599)

''The Misfit'' (ISBN 0439677009)

''The Way Back'' (ISBN 0439677025)

''Spring Break'' (ISBN 0439696321)

''Summer of Summer'' (ISBN 043969633X)

''Bait & Switch'' (ISBN 0439745705)

'''Twas the Night Before Chrismukkah'' (ISBN 0-439-7457-13)

''Cohen!'' (ISBN 0439745721)

With the exception of '''Twas the Night Before Chrismukkah'', written by Andes Hruby, all the books were written by authors Cory Martin and Aury Wallington. In addition to these novels Scholastic also published an official biography book titled ''Meet The O.C. Superstars'' (ISBN 0-4396-60602), written by Monica Rizzo.

Several unofficial books relating to the show have also been published.

''O.C. Undercover'' (ISBN 0312331428), written by Brittany Kemp, published by Plexus Publishing Ltd., is a book that includes biographies of the cast, fashion tips, and information about culture trends associated with the show.

''Stop Being a Hater and Learn to Love The O.C.'' (ISBN 1596090065), written by Alan Sepinwall and published by Chamberlain Bros., discusses the merits of the television programme, and aims to give a lighthearted view from all ages of the show.

New Match, the company Kirstin and Julie set up, mentioned a website in "The Road Warrior", and an actual website was set up by Fox. This has since ceased to exist.

Licensed merchandise

In addition to tie-in novels, several other types of products based on the series, such as clothes, toys and games, have been licensed for release. Licensed items of clothing released included T-Shirts, Jumpers, Underwear and Flip-Flops, which are sold from the Warner Bros. store. Other accessories available included keychains, notepads and a Chrismukkah wrapping paper. A partnership with Sephora included one of their beauty editors writing on the official OC Insider site, and the inclusion of articles about their products. An official bath set and "OC Beauty To Go Cooling Set" were released in 2004. In 2006, Gameloft released a mobile game based on the show. AMC Beauty released fragrances in October 2006, named "''The O.C. for Him''" and "''The O.C. for Her''" in 0.5oz and 1.7oz versions. LeSportsac, in a partnership with Warner Bros., released ''The O.C.'' collection" in August 2006, which was a fashion line of bags and accessories. Elsewhere Screenlife and Mattel launched a ''The O.C.'' themed version of Scene It?, a DVD trivia game based on the first three seasons, and Cardinal Games released The OC Game, a trivia board game.

Additionally websites including TheOCInsider.com and Starbrand.tv included comprehensive guides of fashion and styles featured on the show, providing details to customers of how to obtain these items.

Spin-offs

''The O.C.'' has given rise to a number of spin-offs, some developed and others not. ''Atomic County'' was a spin-off based on the cartoon characters in Seth's comic book of the same name. It was created by ''The O.C.'' writer John Stephens and artist Eric Wight, who was responsible for the comic book drawings featured on the show. In 2005 Schwartz announced he was writing a spin-off which followed the life of Marissa's younger sister Kaitlin at boarding school. It was set to premiere in January 2006, but the airing of the spin-off never occurred. Schwartz attributed this to Gail Berman, president of Fox Broadcasting Company, moving to Paramount in May 2005.

There were plans to turn the show into something of a reverse spin-off. Schwartz being the creative force behind the television series ''Gossip Girl'' planned to release a spin-off entitled ''Valley Girls'', originally to premiere in the fall of 2009. Schwartz wanted to tie in the younger versions of the characters from both ''The O.C.'' and the principals from ''Valley Girls'' to establish a continuity with ''Gossip Girl''.

References

External links

The O.C at Warner TV

Category:2003 television series debuts Category:2007 American television series endings Category:2000s American television series Category:Fox network shows Category:Television shows set in Los Angeles, California Category:Teen dramas Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Category:Orange County, California in fiction Category:Wonderland Sound and Vision productions Category:Serial drama television series

af:The O.C. ar:ذا أو سي (مسلسل) bg:Ориндж Каунти (сериал) ca:The O.C. cs:O.C. cy:The O.C. (cyfres deledu) da:Orange County (tv-serie) de:O.C., California et:O.C. el:California Teens es:The O. C. fr:Newport Beach (série télévisée) id:The O.C. is:The O.C. it:The O.C. he:The O.C. sw:The O.C. lb:The O.C. mk:Округот Оринџ (ТВ серија) nl:The O.C. ja:The O.C. no:The O.C. pl:Życie na fali pt:The O.C. ro:Rebel în California ru:Одинокие сердца (телесериал) sq:The O.C. simple:The O.C. sk:O.C. California fi:O.C. sv:OC tr:The OC vi:The O.C. zh:橘郡风云

stadium name	O.co Coliseum
nickname	''The Coliseum'', ''Oakland Coliseum''
logo image
location	7000 Coliseum WayOakland, California 94621
coordinates
broke ground	1962
opened	September 18, 1966
renovated	1995-1996
owner	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority (City of Oakland and Alameda County)
operator	SMG
surface	Bluegrass
construction cost	$25.5 million USD$200 million USD (1995-1996 renovation)($}}

in dollars)Renovations: ($}} in dollars) | architect = Skidmore, Owings and Merrill; HTNB | former_names = Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (1966-1998, 2008-2011)Network Associates Coliseum (1998–2004)McAfee Coliseum (2004–2008)Overstock.com Coliseum (May 2011) | tenants = Oakland Athletics (MLB) (1968–present)Oakland Raiders (AFL / NFL) (1966–1981, 1995–present)San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) (2008–2009) | seating_capacity = Baseball: 35,067Football: 63,026Soccer: 47,416 or 63,026 (depending on configuration) | dimensions = Left Field - Left-Center - Center Field - Right-Center - Right Field - Backstop - |}} O.co Coliseum (originally Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, formerly Network Associates Coliseum, McAfee Coliseum and Overstock.com Coliseum and commonly The Oakland Coliseum or The Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Oakland, California, in the Coliseum Industrial area. It contains 6,300 club seats (2,700 of these are available for Athletics games) and 143 luxury suites (125 of these are available for Athletics games).

It is part of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum complex, which consists of the stadium and neighboring Oracle Arena.

It is currently home to the Oakland Athletics, of MLB and the Oakland Raiders, of the NFL. It was also home to the San Jose Earthquakes, of the MLS, who used the stadium for several larger attendance games, during the 2008/2009 seasons.

It also hosted some of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Stadium history

1960s

Business and political leaders in Oakland had long been in competition with its neighbor, San Francisco, as well as other cities in the West, and were also trying for Oakland and its suburbs (the greater East Bay) to be seen nationally as a viable metropolitan area with its own identity and reputation, distinct and separate from that of San Francisco; professional sports was seen as a primary way for the East Bay to gain such recognition. As a result, the desire for a major-league caliber stadium in the city of Oakland intensified during the 1950s and 1960s.

By 1960, a non-profit corporation was formed to oversee the financing and development of the facility (rather than city or county government issuing taxpayer-backed bonds for construction). Local real estate developer Robert Nahas headed this group (which included other prominent East Bay business leaders such as William Knowland and Edgar F. Kaiser), which later became the governing board of the Coliseum upon completion. It was Nahas' idea that the Coliseum be privately financed with ownership transferring to the city and county upon retirement of the construction financing.

Preliminary architectural plans were unveiled in November 1960, and the following month a site was chosen west of the Elmhurst district of East Oakland alongside the then-recently completed Nimitz Freeway. A downtown site adjacent to Lake Merritt and the Oakland Auditorium (which itself, many years later, would be renamed the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center) was also originally considered. The Port of Oakland played a key role in the East Oakland site selection; The Port swapped at the head of San Leandro Bay to the East Bay Regional Park District, in exchange for of park land across the freeway, which the Port in turn donated to the City of Oakland as the site for the Coliseum sports complex.

The Oakland Raiders of the American Football League moved to Frank Youell Field, a makeshift stadium near downtown Oakland, in 1962, and the Coliseum was already being heralded in the local media as the Raiders' future permanent home. Baseball was also a major factor in the planning of the Coliseum. As early as 1961, the American League (AL) publicly indicated that it wished to include Oakland in its West Coast expansion plans. In 1963, AL president Joe Cronin suggested that Coliseum officials model some aspects of the new ballpark after then-brand-new Dodger Stadium, which impressed him, though these expansion plans seemed to fade by the middle of the decade.

After approval from the city of Oakland as well as Alameda County by 1962, $25 million in financing was arranged. Plans were drawn for a stadium, an indoor arena and an exhibition hall in between them.

The architect of record was the San Francisco office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and the general contractor was Guy F. Atkinson Company.

Preliminary site preparation began in the summer of 1961. Construction began in the spring of 1962. The construction schedule was delayed for two years due to various legal issues and cost overruns; the original design of the Coliseum had to be modified slightly in order to stay on budget.

In 1965, it was rumored that the Cleveland Indians might leave Cleveland for a West Coast city (such as Oakland), but the Indians ended up remaining in Cleveland. Charlie Finley, owner of the Kansas City A's, unhappy in Kansas City, impressed by Oakland's new stadium and personally convinced to consider Oakland by Nahas, eventually got permission after several unsuccessful attempts and amid considerable controversy, to relocate his American League franchise to the stadium for the 1968 season (for details on the controversy, see the separate articles for the A's and the Kansas City Royals, the expansion franchise created to replace the A's in Kansas City).

The Raiders played their first game at the stadium on September 18, 1966. In 1968, the Kansas City Athletics became the Oakland Athletics and began play at the new stadium. The Athletics' first game was played on April 17, 1968. The stadium complex cost $25.5 million to build and rests on of land. On May 8 of that year, Catfish Hunter pitched the ninth perfect game in Major League history at the Coliseum.

The Coliseum features an underground design where the playing surface is actually below ground level (21 feet / 6 meters below sea level). Consequently fans entering the stadium find themselves walking on to the main concourse of the stadium at the top of the first level of seats. This, combined with the hill that was built around the stadium to create the upper concourse, means that only the third deck is visible from outside the park. This gives the Coliseum the illusion of being a short stadium from the outside.

In its baseball configuration, the Coliseum has far and away the most foul territory of any major league ballpark. This is especially the case along the foul lines. Thus, many balls that would reach the seats in other ballparks are caught for outs at the Coliseum. The distance to the backstop was initially , but was reduced to in 1969.

The Rolling Stones performed two shows at the stadium during their 1969 North American Tour on November 9, 1969.

1970s

Creedence Clearwater Revival performed and recorded their show, on January 31, 1970, which was recorded and later released as a live album, entitled ''The Concert'', originally mistitled as ''The Royal Albert Hall Concert''.

In 1972, the Athletics won their first of three straight World Series championships and their first since their years in Philadelphia.

Commencing in 1973, the stadium hosted an annual Days on the Green concert series, presented by Bill Graham and his company Bill Graham Presents, which continued on into the early 90s.

In 1974, Marvin Gaye performed at the stadium, his first live show in four years, it was released as a live album, entitled ''Marvin Gaye Live!''.

In 1976, the Raiders won Super Bowl XI.

On January 21, 1977, Parliament-Funkadelic performed and recorded half of their live album, entitled ''Live: P-Funk Earth Tour''.

Led Zeppelin played what turned out to be their final North American concerts with twin shows during their 1977 North American Tour. After their first show on July 23, members of Led Zeppelin's entourage were arrested after a member of promoter Bill Graham's staff was physically assaulted during the performance.

The stadium was not well maintained for most of the late 1970s. Its condition was most noticeable during baseball season, when crowds for A's games twice numbered fewer than 1,000. On 17 April 1979, only 653 fans attended the game versus the Seattle Mariners. During this time, it was popularly known as the "Oakland Mausoleum."

1980s

In 1980, the Raiders won Super Bowl XV. Two years later, the Raiders moved to Los Angeles, leaving the A's as the only remaining tenants of Oakland Coliseum. Only days later, Finley sold the A's to Marvin Davis, who planned to move the A's to Denver. However, city and county officials were not about to lose Oakland's status as a major-league city in its own right, and refused to let the A's out of their lease. Finley was forced to sell the team to the owners of San Francisco-based Levi Strauss & Co.

The Grateful Dead played many concerts at the stadium during the 80s, through to the mid-90s and would typically perform "runs" of shows, in which the band would perform several shows over the course of three to five days, as was often customary for Grateful Dead concert tours in various U.S. cities. They played a total of 68 concerts at the stadium, from 1980–1995 and in total, played 71 concerts at the stadium, the most by any entertainer. Live albums recorded here include, ''Dylan & the Dead'', with Bob Dylan and ''View from the Vault, Volume Four''.

HBO filmed two Earth, Wind & Fire concerts on December 30–31, 1981, one of them included The Phenix Horns.

The 1987 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held at the stadium. From 1988-1990, the venue saw three more World Series. In 1989, the Athletics won their fourth Series since moving to Oakland, defeating the San Francisco Giants in the earthquake-interrupted "Battle of the Bay" Series.

The stadium played host to Amnesty International's Human Rights Now! Benefit Concert on September 23, 1988. The show was headlined by Sting and Peter Gabriel and also featured Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Tracy Chapman, Youssou N'Dour, Roy Orbison and Joan Baez.

1990s

In the 90s, several major concerts were held, but these were not "Days on the Green", by definition, because they occurred at night.

Richard Marx shot the Video for Take This Heart on the Baseball field of the Coliseum.

The stadium was the location for the 1994 Disney movie ''Angels in the Outfield''. Although Angel Stadium of Anaheim (known as Anaheim Stadium at the time) was where the Angels actually played, it was damaged in the 1994 Southern California earthquake. Anaheim Stadium was used for views from the outside and aerial views, while the Coliseum was used for interior shots.

In July 1995, the Raiders agreed to return to Oakland provided that Oakland Coliseum underwent renovations. In November 1995, those renovations commenced and continued through the next summer until the beginning of the 1996 football season (more info below). The new layout also had the somewhat peculiar effect of creating an inward jog in the outfield fence, in left-center and right-center. There are now three distance markers instead of one, at various points of the power alleys, as indicated in the dimensions grid. In 1998, approximately 180 old, orange stadium seats were installed at Anchorage's Mulcahy Stadium. The Raiders return also heralded the creation of the "Black Hole," a highly recognizable group of fans who occupy one end zone seating during football games.

Along with the since-demolished Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the stadium features the unusual configuration of laying the football field on a line from first to third base rather than laying it from home plate to center field, or parallel to one of the foul lines, as with most multi-purpose facilities. Thus, a seat behind home plate for baseball is behind the 50-yard line for football. With the Florida Marlins soon to move into their own new ballpark in 2012, the stadium is set to become the last venue in the United States that hosts both Major League Baseball and an NFL team.

2000s

On April 2, 2006, the broadcast booth was renamed in honor of the late Bill King, a legendary Bay Area sportscaster who was the play-by-play voice of the A's, Raiders and Warriors for 44 years.

On September 8, 2006, the stadium played host to The Gigantour, featuring performances by Megadeth, Lamb of God, Opeth, Arch Enemy, Overkill, Into Eternity, Sanctity and The SmashUp.

In November 2007, the San Jose Earthquakes, of the MLS, announced they would be playing their "big draw" games, such as those featuring David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy and/or Cuauhtemoc Blanco and the Chicago Fire, at the stadium. Regular draw games are being played at Buck Shaw Stadium, in Santa Clara.

Midway through the decade, the stadium established a "no re-entry" policy. Each ticket can only be used once, after which a second ticket must be purchased in order to re-enter the Coliseum.

2010s

On May 9, 2010, almost 42 years to the day of Catfish Hunter's perfect game, Dallas Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in Major League history at the Coliseum. A commemorative graphic was placed on the baseball outfield wall next to Rickey Henderson's retired number on May 17, their next home game.

U2 performed during their 360° Tour on June 7, 2011, with Lenny Kravitz and Moonalice as their opening acts. The show was originally scheduled to take place on June 16, 2010, but was postponed, due to Bono's emergency back surgery.

Naming rights

200px|left|thumb|The logo from 2004-2008.In September 1997, UMAX Technologies agreed to acquire the naming rights to the stadium. However, following a dispute, a court decision reinstated the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum name. In 1998, Network Associates agreed to pay $5.8 million over five years for the naming rights and the stadium became known as Network Associates Coliseum, or, alternately in marketing and media usage as, "the Net."

In 2003, Network Associates renewed the contract for an additional five years at a cost of $6 million. In mid-2004, Network Associates was renamed McAfee, restoring its name from before its 1997 merger with Network General, and the stadium was renamed McAfee Coliseum accordingly.

In 2008, McAfee was offered a renewal of the naming contract, but it was declined. On September 19, 2008, the name reverted back to the pre-1997 name of Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The stadium retained its original name until April 27, 2011, when it was renamed Overstock.com Coliseum via a 6 year, 1.2 million dollar naming rights deal with online retailer O.co. On June 6, 2011, the Coliseum was renamed O.co Coliseum.

Despite the different name changes, locals generally refer to the stadium as "The Coliseum." This fits the trend of older stadium renamings being rejected by the general public. This is especially true in the San Francisco Bay Area where changes to the name of nearby Candlestick Park have been wholly rejected by voters, and changes to the names of both Pacific Bell Park and the San Jose Arena were received with much negative criticism and widely ignored by fans and media alike.

Seating Capacity

Baseball

50,000 (1968-1976)

49,649 (1977-1980)

50,255 (1981-1982)

50,219 (1983-1984)

50,255 (1985)

50,219 (1986)

49,219 (1987)

50,219 (1988)

49,219 (1989)

48,219 (1990)

47,450 (1991)

47,313 (1992-1995)

39,875 (1996-1997)

43,662 (1998-2005)

34,077 (2006-2007)

35,067 (2008-present)

Football

54,500 (1968-1995)

63,132 (1996-present)

Possible replacements

On August 12, 2005, the A's new owner Lewis Wolff made the A's first official proposal for a new ballpark in Oakland to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority. The new stadium would have been located across 66th Avenue from the Coliseum in what is currently an industrial area north of the Coliseum. The park would have held 35,000 fans, making it the smallest park in the major leagues. Plans for the Oakland location fell through in early 2006 when several of the owners of the land proposed for the new ballpark made known their wish to not sell.

Throughout 2006, the Athletics continued to search for a ballpark site within their designated territory of Alameda County. Late in 2006, rumors began to circulate regarding a parcel of land in Fremont, California being the new site. These rumors were confirmed by the Fremont city council on November 8 of that year. Wolff met with the council that day to present his plan to move the A's to Fremont into a soon to be built ballpark named Cisco Field. Wolff and Cisco Systems conducted a Press Conference at the San Jose-based headquarters of Cisco Systems on November 14, 2006 to confirm the deal, and showcase some details of the future plan. However, on February 24, 2009, after delays and increased public opposition, the Athletics officially ended their search for a stadium site in Fremont. Speculation was raised as to whether or not the Athletics franchise would remain in Northern California in the long term as a result of the termination of the Cisco Field plan.

In 2010, two building sites have become leading candidates for a new Athletics' home: a site in downtown San Jose located near HP Pavilion (home of the NHL San Jose Sharks) and a proposed stadium in Oakland named Victory Court.

Under any such replacement proposals, the Oakland Raiders would presumably continue to play football in the Coliseum, although there have been recent proposals for a new football-only stadium in the Bay Area which the Raiders could share with the San Francisco 49ers and rumors regarding the Raiders' possible return to Los Angeles.

Mount Davis

One feature of the 1996 expansion was the addition of over 10,000 seats in the upper deck that now spans the outfield in the baseball configuration (and face the setting sun late in the day during NFL games). The effect of these new stands, comprising sections 335–355, was to completely enclose the stadium, eliminating the view of the Oakland hills that had been the stadium's backdrop for 30 years.

The stands are very narrow and steeply pitched, bringing the back row of its upper-most tier to a height rarely seen in modern stadiums. Due to the stands' height and the loss of the Oakland hills view, A's fans have derisively nicknamed the structure "Mount Davis" or "the AL-ps," in mockery of Raiders owner Al Davis.

It has been criticized as an area which has made the O.co Coliseum look ever more like a football stadium, and not at all one for baseball. From 1997 through 2004, the A's left the section open, but it was rarely filled except for fireworks nights and the postseason. The A's did not count the area in the listed capacity for baseball; hence, even though the "official" baseball capacity was 43,662 (48,219 with standing room), the "actual" capacity was around 60,000.

The tarp

In 2006, the Athletics covered the entire third deck with a tarp, reducing capacity to 34,077—the smallest capacity in the majors. For the 2008 season, Sections 316–318 of the 3rd deck behind home plate were re-opened as the A's introduced their own "All-You-Can-Eat" seating area, similar to the right field bleachers at Dodger Stadium. This has increased the Coliseum's capacity for baseball to 35,067 - still very small. For the 2009 season, seats were $35 and only sold on a single game basis; All-You-Can-Eat seating was offered for every game in 2008, but for 2009 the section was only open for weekend games (Friday-Sunday) & all games against the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants. For 2010, the A's discontinued All-You-Can-Eat, instead rebranding the area as the "Value Deck". Prices for these seats have decreased to $12 and are sold for every game ($15 price for premium games). To help compensate for the loss of AYCE, the A's have introduced Jumbo-Tickets that have stored stadium credit for food & merchandise ($10 on Plaza Club tickets & $6 for Value Deck tickets). Even if the game is otherwise sold out, the A's will not sell any seats in the area that remains covered. An exception may be made when the A's return to the post-season. However, the A's did not remove the tarp during the 2006 postseason.

The closure of the upper deck can also be viewed as establishing two seating configurations: the lower and middle decks for baseball, and all sections plus additional seating for football and concerts.

See also

Oracle Arena

References

External links

Stadium site on oaklandathletics.com

Official Site

County Coliseum_coliseum.htm Visit to Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

History of Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

USGS aerial of Coliseum-Arena complex

}} Category:Buildings and structures in Oakland, California Category:Sports in Oakland, California Category:Sports venues in the San Francisco Bay Area Category:Soccer venues in California Category:American football venues in California Category:CONCACAF Gold Cup stadiums Category:1966 establishments Category:Oakland Athletics stadiums Category:Oakland Raiders stadiums Category:Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States Category:Major League Soccer stadiums Category:United States Football League venues Category:Baseball venues in California Category:Major League Baseball venues Category:Sports venues in Alameda County, California

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