Many are familiar with the hit television series “Gossip Girl,” but did you know that this fan favorite is based on a series created four years before it called “The O.C.?”
“Gossip Girl” is a television series that was released in 2007 and developed by Josh Schwartz. This teen drama focuses in on the lives of privileged families on the Upper East Side of Manhattan creating nothing but scandal for one another.
Similarly, “The O.C.” was also developed by Schwartz four years prior. This drama also includes three main families living in Newport Beach, in Southern California’s Orange County. The Cohens, Roberts and Coopers also had their fair share of drama.
Now jumping into the character comparisons. For every “The O.C.” character there is an equivalent “Gossip Girl” character who has been through the same experiences and shares the same characteristics.
Starting off with the protagonists of both dramas, we have Dan Humphrey and Ryan Atwood. Dan and Ryan were always outsiders, not as rich as the others and always on the outside looking in. Dan was from Brooklyn and not as wealthy as the others, whereas Ryan was a delinquent from Chino, living with a family full of problems.
However, things changed, and both of these series took off when these characters broke into the upper-class world. In a way, Seth Cohen of “The O.C.” is also similar to Dan. Even though Seth was as wealthy as the others, he was an outcast in The Harbor School because of his unpopularity. This is extremely similar to Dan, as he also went to St. Jude’s, where Nate and Chuck went, but he still didn’t fit quite in.
Now we have our unhinged and free-spirited queens, Serena Van Der Woodsen and Marissa Cooper. Although it is undeniable that these two main girls had the most issues and drama surrounding them, that didn’t stop them from having the biggest hearts throughout both of the series. Both girls started as the golden girl who everyone looked up to and believed had the perfect life.
We soon learn that everything is not as it seems with these two. It is revealed throughout the series that Serena and Marissa have ongoing drinking problems and have to face issue after issue and deal with so many struggles that teenagers as young as them should never have to deal with.
However, these two girls proved themselves to be a sign of hope for the outsiders because they never once made them feel like they didn’t belong. Serena ended up marrying Dan, and although we didn’t get a happily ever for Marissa and Ryan, they were the loves of each other’s lives.
Next up, we have Blair Waldorf and Summer Roberts. When we were first introduced to them, both characters came across as stuck-up mean girls. During exchanges between them and other characters, both appeared to be entitled and felt as if they were better than everybody else. And let’s not forget that both share a passion for fashion.
As we get deeper into both series, however, these characters begin to become more complex. Although they portray brattiness, they secretly also have such kind souls. We see this especially as we see their romantic relationships develop throughout both dramas and how they deal with personal losses.
Nate Archibald and Zach Stevens are the respectful boyfriends you would take home to meet your family. Although their complexity isn’t communicated as much as the protagonists of their dramas, Nate and Zach would do anything to help their friends.
These two characters were both involved in love triangles pertaining to the “mean girls” (Blair and Summer). Unfortunately, neither ended up with the girl, but this did not stop them from putting their friends first and not having bad blood take over.
Now, moving on to the main parents of the dramas, we have Lily Van Der Woodsen and Kirsten Cohen. Not only do the actresses Kelly Rutherford and Kelly Rowan look almost identical, they even share the same first name.
Now, getting back to the actual characters, Lily and Kirsten are the main mother figures in this series. They were introduced as put together and wealthy. As the drama goes on, we get a deeper look into their real lives and see how both have to go through their own internal struggles, including alcoholism. No matter what, all of their decisions were made for the better of their children.
The men who have fallen in love with both of these ladies and have taken on the father figure role in these dramas are Rufus Humphrey and Sandy Cohen. Both characters have never let money get to them in the long run and always remained true to their morals.
Although both can be described as “hippies,” they always stay true to their word and what’s right. Rufus and Sandy are wise and whom the younger generation of characters is steered towards when they need genuine advice.
Although these two shows are designed with such attention to detail and equivalent characters, you may think this no longer holds true for the side characters. However, that is not the case.
Georgina Sparks and Taylor Townsend were both introduced in an attempt to take the lives of Serena and Marissa and become the golden girl. However, both never ended up succeeding and were still represented as snippy and flat-out mean. As the seasons progress, so do these characters and we learn to have a soft spot for them as we realize their motives for how they acted.
In addition, we have Bart Bass and Caleb Nichol. Bart and Caleb were pretty much the source of all the wealth. Both were serious, bald businessmen who weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.
Although seen as family men by the public, what this truly meant was not being hesitant to hurt the ones they love to get what they want. Both were money-crazed and success-driven, rather than loving to their families, which made both hated by both fanbases.
Finally, we have Jenny Humphrey and Kaitlin Cooper. Jenny is Dan’s younger sister and Kaitlin is Marissa’s, both always living in the shadow of their older siblings. In order to create their own reputation and name, these two started their own fair share of drama and scandal.
Like the majority of characters, we continuously see the heart these two have for their family, but who says they can’t have a little fun?
Now striding away from the characters, there are two iconic scenes that share the same music. In season three episode 11 of “Gossip Girl,” titled, “The The Treasure of Serena Madre,” Jason Derulo’s “Whatcha Say” contributes to each character dramatically exiting the dinner table one-by-one.
This is because we have Blair attempting to reveal her mother’s “pregnancy,” Lily lying to Rufus about where she’s been for months, Jenny finding out Eric sabotaged her at the Cotillion, Vanessa’s ongoing grudge with her mother and Chuck revealing to Nate security footage of Serena and Tripp’s (Nate’s cousin and married businessman) ongoing affair. This ended up creating one of the most well-known Thanksgiving scenes in pop culture.
With even more of an effect on the public than this scene, we have “The O.C.’s” season 2 finale called “The Dearly Beloved.” In this scene, Ryan finds out that his brother, who he had thought fixed his life, has sexually assaulted his girlfriend, Marissa.
Things escalate, and as Ryan is almost beaten to death by his brother, Marissa has no other choice but to shoot Tray in order to get him to stop. This dramatic scene is followed by the song “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap, which, if you listen it, is what “Whatcha Say” is sampled from.
Overall, both of these shows are absolutely binge-worthy teen dramas. Although both have a majority of similarities, the heart and love in these two series are unmatched by any other.