The O.C.

When tough, guarded, fiercely intelligent 16-year-old Ryan Atwood (series star BENJAMIN McKENZIE) is arrested for participating in a car theft, idealistic pro-bono public defender Sandy Cohen (series star PETER GALLAGHER) is assigned to the case. But after Ryan's neglectful mother, Dawn (recurring guest star DAPHNE ASHBROOK), banishes Ryan from her house in Chino, Sandy becomes much more involv...

Now that Ryan's mother has abandoned Ryan and moved away, Sandy has no choice but to accede to Kirsten's wishes and remand Ryan to Social Services. Facing the prospect of living in a foster home, Ryan prepares to secretly leave on his own. But Seth finds out and suggests a better idea: Together with Marissa, the boys sneak to an unfinished model home, the perfect hiding place for Ryan. Seth's m...

Kirsten's company does not charge Ryan with arson for the model home burning, but he must remain in juvenile hall until he can be placed in the care of a guardian. Kirsten reluctantly brings Seth to the jail to visit Ryan. During the meeting, a violent inmate almost assaults Kirsten, but Ryan bravely defends her. Fearing for Ryan's life, Kirsten takes temporary custody of him. After hiring a pr...

Sandy and Kirsten convince child services officials to let them become Ryan's caretakers, and Ryan agrees to stay out of trouble. But with the upcoming cotillion, an old-fashioned formal event at which teenagers make their "debut" in society, that may be hard to do. Reluctantly, Ryan is matched with an iconoclastic East Coast girl, Anna Stern (recurring guest star SAMAIRE ARMSTRONG); to his del...

After befriending a likeable busboy, Donnie (PAUL WASILEWSKI), at a casual seafood restaurant, Ryan takes a job there. Wanting to experience Ryan's social group, Seth accepts Donnie's invitation to a party in Donnie's neighborhood. Ryan fears the Seth doesn't comprehend the type of people he will encounter, so he sacrifices a potential date with Marissa to protect him. During the wild party, th...

Kirsten nervously prepares a magnificent birthday party for her widowed father, Caleb Nichol (recurring guest star ALAN DALE), an extremely successful and driven businessman for whom Kirsten works. She is devastated when, rather than being proud of her hard work while he was out of the country, Caleb berates and demotes her for making deals without his approval. The situation worsens when Sandy...

It's the end of summer, and Seth convinces a reluctant Ryan to plan a trip to Tijuana, where hundreds of rowdy teens congregate to indulge in escapist excess before they have to begin school again. In addition to dating Luke again, Marissa is angry with Ryan after witnessing him with an older woman. She also wants to stay home and take care of her overstressed father. But Summer persuades her t...

While Marissa recovers in the hospital from her overdose, everyone remains concerned about her. Julie (recurring guest star MELINDA CLARKE) vents her anger at Ryan, blaming him for all of Marissa's problems and warning him to stay away from her daughter. Meanwhile, Sandy tries to get acclimated to his new job at an affluent corporate law firm. Kirsten is displeased about her husband's rekindled...

The summer is officially over, and it's the first day of school. Summer (recurring guest star RACHEL BILSON) still ignores Seth in public, but privately she is jealous of Seth's burgeoning relationship with iconoclastic East Coast girl Anna Stern (recurring guest star SAMAIRE ARMSTRONG). And Summer isn't the only person fighting feelings of jealousy. Kirsten still isn't comfortable with Sandy's...

Having seriously dated for one week, Marissa and Ryan are progressing slowly. Summer (recurring guest star RACHEL BILSON) tries to deny her true feelings for Seth as she witnesses Anna (recurring guest star SAMAIRE ARMSTRONG) and Seth getting closer. Meanwhile, the case against Kirsten's father, Caleb (recurring guest star ALAN DALE), continues to cause friction between Sandy and Kirsten. And J...

When Seth tries to choose between dating Summer (recurring guest star RACHEL BILSON) or Anna (recurring guest star SAMAIRE ARMSTRONG), he ends up in the middle of a very complicated situation. Meanwhile, Ryan visits his brother, Trey (recurring guest star BRADLEY STRYKER), in prison, accompanied by Marissa. When Julie (recurring guest star MELINDA CLARKE) finds out that Marissa is with Ryan in ...

After Thanksgiving, Anna (recurring guest star SAMAIRE ARMSTRONG) and Summer (recurring guest star RACHEL BILSON) remain upset with Seth for his behavior on the holiday, and Seth struggles to reconcile with them. Meanwhile, Julie (recurring guest star MELINDA CLARKE) has relationship problems of her own. Jimmy and Sandy team up to tackle Jimmy's legal issues. A secret indiscretion by Kirsten is...

Seth excitedly introduces a skeptical Ryan to Chrismukkah, a Cohen family tradition that resulted from Kirsten being Christian and Sandy being Jewish. As everyone prepares for a huge holiday party organized by Julie (recurring guest star MELINDA CLARKE), Seth continues attempting to juggle Anna (recurring guest star SAMAIRE ARMSTRONG) and Summer (recurring guest star RACHEL BILSON), both of who...

Kirsten's rebellious 25-year-old sister, Hailey Nichol (recurring guest star AMANDA RIGHETTI), comes to town on New Year's Eve, causing turmoil in the Cohen household. Ryan and Marissa plan a quiet evening of popcorn and movies at home, but Marissa later decides to attend a party hosted by a young man, Oliver Trask (recurring guest star TAYLOR HANDLEY), who goes to the same therapist as she doe...

Kirsten's unemployed sister, Hailey (recurring guest star AMANDA RIGHETTI), moves in with the Cohens and disrupts the entire family when she behaves as the houseguest from hell. Hailey depletes the refrigerator, controls the television, disrespects Kirsten and shows no signs of leaving anytime soon. Desiring some time alone with his wife, Sandy urges Kirsten to resolve the problem with her sist...

Ryan, Seth, Marissa, Anna (recurring guest star SAMAIRE ARMSTRONG), Luke and Summer head to Palm Springs for a parent-free weekend at the home of Marissa's new, troubled friend Oliver (recurring guest star TAYLOR HANDLEY). Hoping to spend some time alone with Marissa, Ryan, who is neither interested in golf nor spas, reluctantly agrees to make the road trip with Luke. Oliver quickly irritates R...

Sandy and Jimmy begin a new business partnership when they buy The Lighthouse, a beloved Newport restaurant. Meanwhile, Kirsten and Julie become workmates when Julie is hired as Newport Group's new model-home designer. Also, Seth's jealousy of Summer's new boyfriend causes Seth to doubt his relationship with Anna (recurring guest star SAMAIRE ARMSTRONG). And Ryan loses control while trying to p...

Caleb (recurring guest star ALAN DALE) once again puts Kirsten in a difficult situation when he forces her to terminate Julie. After yet another crisis with Ryan, Sandy and Kirsten question their decision to bring him into their home. Meanwhile, Ryan and Luke become allies in their quest to protect Marissa from Oliver (recurring guest star TAYLOR HANDLEY). When Marissa discovers the truth about...

Marissa tries to mend her relationship with Ryan, but he can't forgive her for the situation with Oliver. Things become even more complicated when Theresa (recurring guest star NAVI RAWAT), Ryan's ex-girlfriend from Chino, arrives to waitress at Kirsten's Valentine's Day dance. Meanwhile, Seth and Summer decide to take their friendship to a new level, and Jimmy finds out he has a secret admirer.

Marissa and Ryan try to start over as friends, but it's not as easy as they had hoped. As Theresa (recurring guest star NAVI RAWAT), Ryan's ex-girlfriend from Chino, begins spending more time in Newport, Ryan discovers that she hasn't been honest about why she's there. Seth believes his relationship with Summer is great, but when she refuses to acknowledge him at school, he feels he has to teac...

When Theresa (recurring guest star NAVI RAWAT) decides to stay in Newport, Ryan is glad, but he feels obligated to help her find a job and a place to live. Julie and Luke's affair continues to flourish, but their secret is threatened when Jimmy witnesses an intimate moment between them. Meanwhile, Anna (recurring guest star SAMAIRE ARMSTRONG) announces that she is moving back to Pittsburgh. Con...

When actor Grady Bridges (COLIN HANKS - "Orange County," "Roswell") invites Summer and Marissa to his birthday party, the girls take Ryan and Seth to Los Angeles to join in the festivities. At the party, Summer is thrilled to spend time with Grady, but Seth is not as happy. The situation is reversed when Seth meets sexy Kate (PARIS HILTON - "The Simple Life"), and it's Summer's turn to be jealo...

The Cohen family prepares for a visit from Sandy's mother, Sophie (LINDA LAVIN - "Alice"), for Passover dinner. Fearing that his grandmother will not approve of Summer, Seth tries to keep the two from encountering each other--but Summer sets out to prove him wrong. Meanwhile, Ryan desperately searches for Marissa, who disappeared when she found out about Luke and Julie's affair.

Marissa isn't ready to speak to Luke or her mother, Julie, following her discovery that the two have been having an affair. Luke is desperate to explain himself. When he gets into a near-fatal accident, however, both Marissa and Ryan decide to listen to what he has to say. Meanwhile, it's opening night for new restaurant The Lighthouse. Just prior to opening, Jimmy and Sandy are shocked to find...