The O.C. season 2

It's junior year for Ryan, Marissa, Summer, and Seth all the while they all navigate the tension that's been building all summer long. Problems from both past and present soon creep into Kirsten and Sandy marriage that has it hanging on by a thread. Now married to Caleb, Julie tries to take the reign as the new Queen of Newport, however her dangerous past catches up with her. Ryan's older ex-con brother Trey gives Newport a try. ==Cast and characters==

Regular • Peter Gallagher as Sandy Cohen (24 episodes) • Kelly Rowan as Kirsten Cohen (24 episodes) • Benjamin McKenzie as Ryan Atwood (24 episodes) • Mischa Barton as Marissa Cooper (24 episodes) • Adam Brody as Seth Cohen (24 episodes) • Melinda Clarke as Julie Cooper (21 episodes) • Rachel Bilson as Summer Roberts (24 episodes) • Alan Dale as Caleb Nichol (19 episodes) • Tate Donovan as Jimmy Cooper (8 episodes) Recurring • Michael Cassidy as Zach Stevens (19 episodes) • Olivia Wilde as Alex Kelly (13 episodes) • Shannon Lucio as Lindsay Gardener (12 episodes) • Logan Marshall-Green as Trey Atwood (8 episodes) • Billy Campbell as Carter Buckley (7 episodes) • Nikki Griffin as Jess Sathers (7 episodes) • Nicholas Gonzalez as D.J. (6 episodes) • Johnny Messner as Lance Baldwin (5 episodes) • Kim Delaney as Rebecca Bloom (4 episodes) • Marguerite Moreau as Reed Carlson (4 episodes) • Kathleen York as Renee Wheeler (4 episodes) Special guest starring • Amanda Righetti as Hailey Nichol (2 episodes) • Navi Rawat as Theresa Diaz (2 episodes) • Chris Carmack as Luke Ward (1 episode) • George Lucas as himself (1 episode) ==Episodes==

Notes : - These episodes were first shown in Canada at 8:00 p.m. ET on CTV. In America the airing of "The Return of the Nana" was postponed due to a press conference by President Bush. Instead it aired the following week at 8:00 p.m. ET immediately followed by "The Showdown" at 9:00 p.m. ==Crew==

The season was produced by Warner Bros. Television and Wonderland Sound and Vision. The executive producers were series creator Josh Schwartz, McG and Bob DeLaurentis. Stephanie Savage and Allan Heinberg served as co-executive producers, with Loucas George credited as producer. The staff writers were Schwartz, Savage, Heinberg, John Stephens, J.J. Philbin and Mike Kelley. The regular directors throughout the season were Michael Lange, Ian Toynton, Michael Fresco and Tony Wharmby. ==Cast==

, Lindsay, Zach and Alex. The second season had star billing for nine major roles. Peter Gallagher as Sandy Cohen, Kelly Rowan as Kirsten Cohen, Ben McKenzie as Ryan Atwood, Mischa Barton as Marissa Cooper, Adam Brody as Seth Cohen, Melinda Clarke as recently married Julie Cooper-Nichol and Rachel Bilson as Summer Roberts all returned to the main cast. Tate Donovan also initially reprised his role as Jimmy Cooper, but was written out of the series in the seventh episode. However Donovan returned with Jimmy as a guest star in the season finale. Alan Dale, as newly wed Caleb Nichol, joined the main cast, having previously been a recurring role. Marissa, Summer, Ryan and Seth, who are all single now. Actors returning as guest stars included Amanda Righetti (as Hailey Nichol), Michael Nouri (as Dr. Neil Roberts), Navi Rawat (as Theresa Diaz), Brian McNamara (as Carson Ward), Kim Oja (as Taryn Baker) and Linda Lavin (as The Nana). Ryan's brother Trey Atwood also returned, but Logan Marshall-Green replaced Bradley Stryker in portraying him. Other guest stars in new recurring roles included Billy Campbell, as magazine editor Carter Buckley, Kim Delaney, as Sandy's ex-fiancée Rebecca Bloom, Johnny Messner, as Julie's ex-boyfriend Lance Baldwin, Nikki Griffin as party girl and drug addict Jess Sathers and Marguerite Moreau, as Reed Carlson the Vice President of a graphic novel company, and Max Burkholder as a child in airport, with a toy similar to Captain Oats, in "The Rainy Day Women" ==Reception==

The second season was widely received as inferior to the first, but it has been noted that this may be slightly unfair. which Schwartz described as a "real vote of confidence [from] the network", but many attributed placing The O.C. against the likes of Survivor, Joey and Will & Grace as part of The O.C.'s decline in popularity. The move improved FOX's performance at the new time slot, but lost the show viewers. The season premiere attracted 8.6 million viewers, but average viewing figures decreased thirty percent from the previous season to 7 million. For the second season the show was nominated for five Teen Choice Awards winning four of them, including best drama. It was also nominated for the Favorite Television Drama People's Choice Award. Kelly Rowan won a PRISM Award for Performance in a Drama Series Episode, with Peter Gallagher also getting nominated. Additionally the season finale was nominated for the TV Drama Series Episode award. The introduction of bisexual character Alex, was praised as "an especially charismatic new presence", Mischa Barton was criticized for her acting skills in portraying Marissa, alongside other noted flaws including "flavorless plots", and "flat new characters who failed to grab the audience's interest". IGN faulted the move to quickly rekindle the Ryan and Marissa relationship and "abruptly write off Alex and Lindsay, after [making] them a pretty big part of the show" but commended a "compelling story centering on Ryan's brother Trey coming to town, leading to a very dramatic season finale" Tate Donovan, who played Jimmy, credited a drop in ratings to "the show moving away from the family dynamic to focus more on the kids". ==DVD release==

The DVD release of season two was released by Warner Bros. in the US on August 23, 2005, after it had completed broadcast on television. As well as every episode from the season, the DVD release features bonus material including a gag reel, audio commentary and a fashion featurette. • : - In the UK the DVD was released as a 6-disc set. Omitted was the US release seventh disc that featured Beachy Couture, Obsess Completely and the two season gag reel. ==References==