The O.C.

A Critical Understanding

By (author) Lori B. Bindig, Andrea M. Bergstrom

Publication date:

25 October 2012

Length of book:

242 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9780739133163

The O.C., A Critical Understanding, by Lori Bindig and Andrea M. Bergstrom, is a feminist cultural studies analysis of FOX’s hit teen television drama The O.C. (2003-2007). Episodes of The O.C. are analyzed as a set of media texts that blur the boundaries between hegemonic and counter-hegemonic content. This analysis utilizes ancillary media such as director commentary in conjunction with content in order to understand how ideological content, in regards to gender, race, class, sexuality, and consumerism, is presented throughout the show. The O.C. is also examined in terms of audience analysis, auteur theory, aesthetics, and reality television spin-offs. Bindig and Bergstrom place The O.C. in a larger social context and explore the potential ramifications of popular media texts, as well as the series' cultural legacy which continues to resonate in media and culture.

Part 1. Welcome to The O.C.: Understanding the Content and Audiences of The O.C.
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Youth and Media Culture
Chapter 3. "My Life Just Doesn't Work Without You": How Gender Works in The O.C.
Chapter 4. Angels and Demons: Depictions of Race and Class on The O.C.
Chapter 5. "Gay Dad Trumps Slutty Mom": Sexuality on The O.C.
Chapter 6. Welcome to the...Over Consumption?: Representations of Consumerism and The O.C.
Chapter 7. Audience Analysis and The O.C.
Part 2. The End's Not Near, It's Here: The Cultural Legacy of The O.C. in Today's Media Landscape
Chapter 8. Josh Schwartz: Auteur?: Showrunners, Authorship, and The O.C.
Chapter 9. Scene and Sound: The Media Aesthetics of The O.C.
Chapter 10. The "Real" O.C.?: Reality Television and The O.C.
Chapter 11. Conclusion
Appendix A. Brief Synopsis of the Four Seasons of The O.C.
Appendix B. Methodology

This engaging book fascinates with its detailed reading of The O.C., its well-grounded theory, and its numerous insights into the multiple spaces of television programming. The authors trace the program’s historical trajectory, and understand that the medium shapes and is shaped by the youth culture it speaks to.