It has officially been 15 years since The OC ended its four-season long run. Although the series was canceled after four seasons owing to the low ratings, it is still close to heart for many of its fans. In fact, the series got positive reactions for the first season, after which the decline began. Fans found the storyline to be very touching and youthful, but some commentators criticized the casting. Although Fox started a campaign to save the series, the company went ahead and canceled it anyway. They wanted to be out of the show while it was still in a good place.
While there isn’t much hope for the show’s renewal, fans can revisit the series by having a look at our list of all the filming locations used in the show. The conceptualization of the show began in 2002 when the makers wanted to focus on a show set in Newport Beach in Orange County. The idea expanded, and soon the production began.
The series aired from 5 August 2003 to 22 February 2007. It was one of the most popular shows in the 2003-2004 time period. The show was then canceled after season 4 despite over 700,000 signatures on an online petition to save the show. Exploring themes of social class, comedy, metaphysics, postmodernism, and melodrama, the series has made a huge impact on many lives. Let’s now take a look at some of the major filming locations for The OC.
The OC Filming Locations
The show is set in Newport Beach, Orange County Region. However, it was majorly shot in the Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles County Region. Different sites in the Los Angeles County Region were also used as locations for different regions in the series. The external shots were extensively reused and shot in Los Angeles. The beach shots come from different beaches across America. However, the Cohen home is located in Malibu and was shot on location. Let’s take a look at these locations one by one.
Redondo Beach Pier – Redondo Beach, CA
As mentioned above, though, the supposedly Newport Beach you keep seeing is majorly Redondo Beach, which falls in Los Angeles County and not Orange County. This backdrop of a gorgeous seaside view with the pier has been used extensively in the series. The beach has also made an appearance on the television show Dexter.
Malibu, California, USA
The Malibu beach was another replacement beach for Newport Beach from the series. This location also used an exterior, and in fact, they have shot Cohen’s home. Ocean Breeze Drive in Malibu is the location for the driveway and house’s front. However, the pool house was built solely for the shooting of the pilot episode and was taken down after.
Tony’s Restaurant – Redondo Beach, CA
This particular restaurant has been used as an exterior in many scenes. This is particularly shown when Summer’s dad and Marissa’s mom have a discussion about dating. They have some of the show’s best sea views.
Mira Costa High School, 701 S. Peck Avenue, Manhattan Beach, California, USA
This school acted as the location for some shots of Newport High School.
Redondo Beach Coffee Shop – Redondo Beach, CA
In the show, there is the presence of a particular diner called “Pier Diner”, and the Redondo Beach Coffee Shop was used as the location for those scenes. This is also where Ryan punches Luke in the face. The location also acted as an exterior for the Diner.
Fisherman’s Village – Marina Del Rey, CA
This is the region in the show where The Summer Breeze is docked. This appears very few times in the whole series. But it is important because this setting is used for the scene where Seth sails away on an adventure.
Balboa Fun Zone – Newport Beach, CA
There is this particular scene in the series where Ryan and Marissa kiss for the first time on top of a Ferris Wheel. And while this particular location is not the exact Ferris Wheel where they kissed, it comes pretty close to it. And the best part is that it is open and running the whole year round.
The Lifeguard Tower – Playa Del Rey, CA
Although, just like beaches, most of the lifeguard towers are fake that were built on set or shot on different beaches, there is one iconic tower that is still standing. The S49 tower in Season 3, Marissa consoled and chatted with Ryan, is the one on Playa Del Rey in California.
Warner Grand Theatre, San Pedro, California
Remember that scene when Marissa found out that Luke slept with her mother, and her friends tried to cheer her up? They took her to a theatre to watch a film that ended up being a sad film. This resulted in all of them crying their eyes out. The location used for that scene is the Warner rand Theatre in San Pedo, California.
Raleigh Manhattan Beach Studios, California
When using externals got too expensive, the show moved to Raleigh Manhattan Beach Studios in California to create the interiors and shoot there. Especially for shooting Cohen’s home.
University of California & University of Southern California
The University of California was used to represent Berkeley in the show, and the University of Southern California was used to show Brown University.
Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles
Mount St. Mary’s College was used as the location for Harbor High School. This is the school all the main characters attend. It was originally based on a school in Newport that one of the creators had attended.
These are all locations that are most accessible and are each beautiful and nostalgic in their own way. If you want to rewatch the show and remind yourself of a time 15 years ago, or if your interest is raised and you want to see what this show is all about, then you can stream it on Netflix.
