What the death of "The OC" really means for pop culture

FOX canceling yet one more critically acclaimed television series is hardly newsworthy. "The O.C." has joined other cult and critical favorites such as "Freaks and Geeks" and more recently "Arrested Development" in the FOX TV show graveyard; and although it's tough, we're over it. Well, at least we're over the loss of another short-lived, angsty teen drama staring late twenty-something C-list actors (although I am still in shock that "One Tree Crap" outlasted the drama in Orange County); however, it's possible the cancellation of "The O.C." means death to one of pop culture's biggest trendsetters. Whether you recognized it or not, fashion trends, geeks, the rise of the independent music scene and even religion were made cool by those dramatic teens in SoCal.

In Harbor Prep, walking down the hallways is like watching a catwalk. Baby doll dresses with combat boots, the return the empire waist, pleated skirts, over-the-knee boots, Uggs, cute flats and the cable-knit sweaters are just a few trends, "The O.C.'s" most popular, Summer (Rachel Bilson) and Marissa (Mischa Barton), brought from the runway and into the lives of fashionable teens and twenty-somethings alike. Barton's terminally-doomed character also showed that it was okay for tall girls to embrace their height and even accentuate it with heels and mini skirts.

And it wasn't just the babes of "The O.C." who were fashion forward. Adam Brody's Seth Cohen made geek, chic. Humor T-shirts ("P" is for player), the resurrection of Converse All Stars, tight-fitting hoodies and skinny jeans for men quickly dominated the closets of today's hipsters. And for those not so trendy, Ben Mckenzie's Ryan brought wife-beaters and dirty jeans from trashy to sexy when he made the move from Chino to New Port Beach.

Speaking of geek chic, this pop culture trend didn't just stop at clothing. Seth's obsession with comics helped us come out of the closet and embrace our hidden pleasure in watching Jessica Alba in "The Fantastic Four" and reading "Archie." Even in the infamous battle against "the female version of Seth," Anna (Samaire Armstrong), for Seth's love, Summer confessed that Betty and Veronica had a huge influence on her growing up (Surprised? Me either. Although I am a little stunned Summer could even read a whole "Archie" comic). But can you blame Summer and Anna for wanting to duke it out for Seth's affection? How can you not love a guy who confesses all to a plastic pony named Captain Oats?

One of the main reasons "The O.C." got thrown into the spotlight so quickly was the show's incredible music the producers had ballad each week's drama. This probably explains why the show released more albums than it had seasons. The Killers, Death Cab For Cutie (Seth's favorite band), Keane, Modest Mouse, Imogen Heap, Phantom Planet and Lady Sovereign all had tracks debut on the series before they shot to fame. Rooney also guest starred on the show during the "Oliver Chronicles" in the first season and had a prime position, in poster form, over Seth's bed during all his most romantic (more awkward actually) encounters. If you aren't a teen soap opera kind of person, I don't blame you, but the shows soundtracks are amazing and worth sampling on the show's Web site at http://www.fox.com/oc.

Ever heard of Chrismukkah? If not, you definitely never watch "The O.C." Seth's infamous made-up uber-holiday is a combination of his mother's roots as a Christian and his father's Jewish beliefs. Seth brought all the drama to a halt when he called everyone around his Christmas tree and Hanukah bush to celebrate his holiday that has, "twice the resistance of any other holiday." To wear on top of his self-proclaimed "Jew-fro," Cohen even made "yarm-a-clause" a combination of a Santa Clause hat and a yarmulke. As ridiculous as Seth can be, he made religion cool to today's youth. Even in one of the show's final scenes, Seth and Summer get married and carry out Judaism traditions.

The show won several Teen Choice Awards as well as several writing, casting and overseas programming awards in its short run. Sometimes the drama was a little extreme even for a soap opera; let's recall Marissa's three-week long stint as a pill-popping, alcoholic lesbian while her mother slept with Marissa's boyfriend during the singles gala, which ended in Marissa's fatal car crash; however, with the cancellation of "The O.C." where are we to turn for classy yet new wave trends? Britney Spears, so we all shave our heads before entering rehab? The promiscuous toothpicks on "Laguna Beach?" Chad Michael Murray's underage slee-- I won't go there.

So, as I place Captain Oats on the tombstone of "The O.C." I have to say, rest in peace to my favorite dramatic teens as they join the Spice Girls, Dawson, N'SYNC, bleached hair and Pee-wee Herman in the pop culture graveyard.