"The O.C." Back for Thirds
The kids of The O.C. are headed for another season of sun-soaked drama.
Fox has reupped its prime-time soap for a third season, the network's soon-to-be former Entertainment President Gail Berman announced Tuesday.
"We're pleased to give The O.C. a very early pickup for its third season," Berman said in a statement. "The show has performed exceptionally well, achieving hit status on a highly competitive night and giving us a solid anchor on Thursdays for the first time in years."
The renewal was one of Berman's final moves at Fox, before her surprise exit from the network to move to Paramount Pictures.
Despite shakeup attempts by the show's creators, including a lesbian story line for Marissa (Mischa Barton), the show hasn't enjoyed the droves of viewers it did in the past, in part due to its move from Wednesday to Thursday nights--a gamble for Fox, in light of the strong lineups offered by NBC and CBS.
The O.C. finished 63rd in the ratings for the week ended Sunday with only 7.6 million faithful fans tuning in for Marissa and Alex's (Olivia Wilde) big breakup scene.
Those numbers are down from the show's season opener, which aired in November before the eyes of 8.6 million viewers, per Nielsen Media Research.
Even those numbers are down from the first season, when The O.C. averaged 9.7 million viewers in its original Wednesday night slot.
Meanwhile, in addition to slipping in some girl-on-girl action, O.C. creators have been trying out other viewer-drawing ploys, including debuting five unreleased Beck tracks from the upcoming album Guero during the Mar. 10 episode.
During the same episode, Fox unveiled the trailer for Star Wars: Episode III--The Revenge of the Sith, instantaneously, if briefly, upping the appeal of the show for sci-fi geeks everywhere.
Despite the ratings slip, as star achievers for the struggling network, Barton and her O.C. cronies Benjamin McKenzie, Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson can rest assured their jobs are safe--at least for now.
The Big Picture
Two Peas in a Pod Los Angeles Lakers fans Fergie and Will.i.am show their support for the home team in unison
More PhotosMost Commented
- Bitch-Back! Breaking News—Johnny's a Hottie (1026)
- Costars and Suits Give Robsten Their Blessings! (650)
- Blab Blab Blab: Is Twilight Sexist? (552)
- Truth, Lies & Ted: Twilight Special (478)
- Why Won't Sarah Palin Go Away? (440)
- Bitch-Back! What's Brad Got to Do With It? (426)
- Is New Moon Even Good? (455)
- Is Ugly Betty Ending? And Who Gets the Girl? (411)
- Review: New Moon Is Either Just Fine or Way Mopey, Depending On Who You Are (330)
- Ridiculous Twilight Hookups in an "All Taken" Cast (348)
Top 10 Stories
- Michael Jackson's Cash-Strapped Doctor Returns to Work
- Taylor Swift Tops Even Michael Jackson at American Music Awards
- Carrie Prejean the Hot Topic at Miss California USA Pageant
- New Moon Makes a Lot of Money (But Not Quite Batman Money)
- Jon (Plus Flowers) & Kate Reunite to Put Finishing Touches on Divorce
- New Moon Eclipses Dark Knight!
- Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray & More Continue Singing Oprah's Praises
- Michael Jackson's Doc Shipped Propofol From Vegas to L.A., Records Show
- Unleashed Fangirls Derail Justin Bieber Appearance
- Miley Cyrus' Tour Bus in Deadly Crash
Fashion Police
Green With Envy?Not quite, but we do give Kristen props for this shot of color during her New Moon press tour
More Photos
Latest Movie Reviews
Get Your E! News Now
0 Comments
Now loading...