The O.C. (2003)

Comedy · Drama · Romance

Ryan Atwood, a teen from the wrong side of the tracks, moves in with a wealthy family willing to give him a chance. But Ryan's arrival disturbs the status quo of the affluent, privileged community of Newport Beach, California.

IMDb rating: 7.6 (105,466 votes)
Episode average: 7.8 ↑ +0.2 vs IMDb
Seasons: 4
Streaming (US): Hulu · HBO Max
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

Browse shows by rating shape → Open in Rising Shows app → View on IMDb

Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 4 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (2003)

8.04 avg 27 episodes 8.8 → 8.7 44 min avg

U-shaped

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Premiere	8.8	1,962
2	The Model Home	8.3	1,177
3	The Gamble	8.1	1,043
4	The Debut	8.2	1,005
5	The Outsider	7.7	938
6	The Girlfriend	8.0	935
7	The Escape	8.3	962
8	The Rescue	7.8	853
9	The Heights	8.1	863
10	The Perfect Couple	8.0	837
11	The Homecoming	8.6	926
12	The Secret	8.3	820
13	The Best Chrismukkah Ever	8.4	910
14	The Countdown	8.3	885
15	The Third Wheel	7.6	744
16	The Links	7.4	732
17	The Rivals	7.5	740
18	The Truth	8.1	748
19	The Heartbreak	8.1	767
20	The Telenovela	7.8	745
21	The Goodbye Girl	8.2	758
22	The L.A.	7.4	811
23	The Nana	7.9	702
24	The Proposal	7.9	693
25	The Shower	7.4	665
26	The Strip	8.1	727
27	The Ties That Bind	8.7	968

Season 2 (2004)

7.86 avg 24 episodes 8.0 → 9.0 43 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Distance	8.0	690
2	The Way We Were	7.7	624
3	The New Kids on the Block	7.7	637
4	The New Era	7.8	639
5	The SnO.C.	8.0	657
6	The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn't	8.5	704
7	The Family Ties	7.9	615
8	The Power of Love	7.8	610
9	The Ex-Factor	7.6	603
10	The Accomplice	7.5	608
11	The Second Chance	7.5	580
12	The Lonely Hearts Club	7.4	605
13	The Father Knows Best	7.3	577
14	The Rainy Day Women	8.8	883
15	The Mallpisode	8.0	681
16	The Blaze of Glory	7.5	572
17	The Brothers Grim	7.6	563
18	The Risky Business	8.0	582
19	The Rager	7.6	557
20	The O.C. Confidential	7.5	568
21	The Return of the Nana	7.6	590
22	The Showdown	7.8	553
23	The O.Sea	8.6	646
24	The Dearly Beloved	9.0	843

Season 3 (2005)

7.55 avg 25 episodes 7.8 → 8.7 43 min avg

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Aftermath	7.8	621
2	The Shape of Things to Come	7.4	566
3	The End of Innocence	7.5	544
4	The Last Waltz	7.7	540
5	The Perfect Storm	7.5	511
6	The Swells	7.2	522
7	The Anger Management	7.8	525
8	The Game Plan	7.6	514
9	The Disconnect	7.3	496
10	The Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-vahkkah	7.6	529
11	The Safe Harbor	7.9	518
12	The Sister Act	7.5	506
13	The Pot Stirrer	7.3	487
14	The Cliffhanger	7.7	516
15	The Heavy Lifting	7.1	528
16	The Road Warrior	7.1	517
17	The Journey	7.5	519
18	The Undertow	7.2	527
19	The Secrets and Lies	7.2	509
20	The Day After Tomorrow	7.5	516
21	The Dawn Patrol	7.5	513
22	The College Try	7.6	511
23	The Party Favor	7.9	546
24	The Man of the Year	7.7	558
25	The Graduates	8.7	889

Season 4 (2006)

7.73 avg 16 episodes 8.1 → 9.1 43 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Avengers	8.1	713
2	The Gringos	7.5	552
3	The Cold Turkey	7.8	558
4	The Metamorphosis	7.6	545
5	The Sleeping Beauty	7.8	564
6	The Summer Bummer	7.9	587
7	The Chrismukk-huh?	8.5	786
8	The Earth Girls Are Easy	7.7	539
9	The My Two Dads	7.3	514
10	The French Connection	6.9	529
11	The Dream Lover	6.7	525
12	The Groundhog Day	7.3	525
13	The Case of the Franks	7.5	524
14	The Shake Up	7.9	566
15	The Night Moves	8.1	623
16	The End's Not Near, It's Here	9.1	1,493