A mix of laughs, lust, love

Fans can be prepared for a season finale cliffhanger .
By HAL BOEDEKER
ORLANDO SENTINEL
The youngest person to create a prime-time drama has a special way of describing his show. When you're making broadcast history, you're entitled to create words.
"It's a 'soapedy,"' says Josh Schwartz, 27, in explaining the mixture of soap opera and comedy propelling Fox's "The O.C."
"We owe as much to melodrama as to comedy and romantic comedy," he says. "We're fusing a lot of genres. I never watched soaps or 'Beverly Hills, 90210.' I missed the 'Dallas'-'Dynasty' movement. The show is as much a soap as it is a romantic comedy as it is a family show."
Above all, it's a hit. In a season when few new dramas and comedies have intrigued the public, "The O.C." has broken through with its attractive actors, conflicted characters and swank settings. The rich families of Orange County, Calif., are different from you and me -- and we like it that way.
Earlier this month, "The O.C." drew more viewers than NBC's "The West Wing" or CBS' "The King of Queens." Scheduled at 9 p.m. Wednesdays, after the phenomenon "American Idol," "The O.C." is on the brink of wide popularity.
Reason for success?
Marcy Ross, Fox's senior vice president of current programming, attributes the success to Schwartz's clear vision for the show.
"He never wavers from it," she says. "He's funny. That's why the show has captured the imagination of so many young people. It has all of the wonderful nail-biting soap qualities with some real self-awareness."
"The O.C." can vary in tone from week to week, keeping fans surprised. One week, it pokes fun at itself by focusing on "The Valley," a teen drama within the teen drama. The next week, "The O.C." turns dramatic by bringing on a visiting grandmother (played by "Alice" star Linda Lavin) in grave health.
Schwartz "intuits all the conventions of TV but tells the melodrama in a fresh and innovative way," says Ron Simon, television curator at the Museum of Television & amp; Radio in New York.
"You can take it on a realistic level and on an ironic level," Simon adds. "It's commenting on its own narrative. That's smart television for kids who grew up with 'Beverly Hills, 90210.' It's the perfect drama for viewers who want to discuss all the intricacies and emotional upheaval on the Internet."
"The O.C." is on the way to a May 5 cliffhanger. Schwartz and his colleagues are planning a big, old-fashioned season finale that hooks fans until the series returns, probably after baseball in October.
"We want to keep the show self-aware and funny and frisky enough, but I don't want it to be so self-aware that you can't do emotional stories as well," Schwartz says. "The last episodes are real emotional."
About the show
"The O.C." started emotionally in August, when public defender Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) took in wayward teen client Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie). Sandy's wealthy wife, Kirsten (Kelly Rowan), objected at first, then realized that Ryan needed the family's help.
Ryan bonded with the Cohens' geeky son, Seth (Adam Brody), and fascinated the troubled girl next door, Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton). Ryan drew the wrath of handsome villain Luke (Chris Carmack) before the two embarked on an unlikely friendship.
In the show's most pleasant break with TV formulas, "The O.C." manages to make the adults every bit as compelling as the teens. Sandy Cohen is a smart, good man who loves his family.
"There's a lot of my dad in that character," Schwartz says. "There's a lot of Peter Gallagher in the character. Both guys are really wonderful fathers. They have a sense of humor and get it. Sandy gets it. He can lay down the law. He surfs. He's cool. He's compassionate."
In his genes?
Schwartz, the child of toy inventors, grew up in Providence, R.I. He gained the inspiration for "The O.C." while attending the University of Southern California and meeting kids from Newport Beach, Calif.
Balancing the adult and teen characters makes business sense by giving "The O.C." broader appeal than such teen-fixated dramas as "90210" and "Dawson's Creek."
"The show would be far less interesting if it was just a teen show," Fox executive Ross says. "We don't just target the teen audience in our promos. This is a family-oriented show, where parents can sit with teenagers and watch the show. That doesn't happen often."
Some viewers might dispute that view, especially when Luke had an affair with Julie (Melinda Clarke), the mother of former girlfriend Marissa. But Ross says that she watches with her 12-year-old daughter and that "The O.C." has lately been drawing more teenagers than the preceding edition of "American Idol" on Wednesday.
When Sandy says "here we go" at a dramatic moment, it's as if the characters realize they live in a soap opera.
"I've become more comfortable with melodrama as the year progressed," Schwartz says. "That was the way to embrace it -- to be aware of it."
His alter ego
Fans should realize that the Seth character, as played charmingly by "Gilmore Girls" alum Brody, is executive producer Schwartz's alter ego.
"There's a lot of myself in Seth," Schwartz says. "It's a true collaboration between Adam and me."
The whole show has been a collaborative effort as well. Schwartz created the show at age 26 and developed it with film director McG ("Charlie's Angels"). In establishing the stories, Schwartz has gained invaluable support from veterans Allan Heinberg ("Sex and the City") and Bob DeLaurentis ("Providence").
But ultimately, "The O.C." remains Schwartz's creation. His name appears on 16 of this season's scripts, and all 27 went through his computer.
"We trust him, so if he feels strongly about something, we're going to let him fulfill it," Fox executive Ross says.
Most series produce 22 episodes per season, and the exhausted cast finished the last one last week. Production on season two, during which the show will do 24 episodes, starts in July.