The O.C. producers on why they ‘regret’ killing off Mischa Barton’s character Marissa Cooper in car crash

The OC creator and executive producer Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage spoke during an interview with Vanity Fair which was released on Monday.

Entertainment industry figures showed that they received a largely negative response from the teen drama fans after the on-screen character died.

The show’s creator, who propelled many of his cast members to stardom, and his creative partner also expressed outspoken regret over the way Cooper died on the program.

Schwartz began by speaking about the storylines The OC’s creative team would have loved to explore had the show been renewed for a fifth season.

“Alex and Ryan might have been fun, a love triangle between Alex, Ryan, and Marissa. Seth and Marissa were always unholy,’ he said.

Harsh: Entertainment industry numbers showed that they received a mostly negative response from the teen drama fans after the on-screen character died; they can be seen in 2021

The screenwriter, 47, then spoke about the decision to write Cooper off in a car accident.

“It’s something we regret, and looking back on it, we wish we could have come up with a different solution,” he said.

Schwartz added that the show’s creative team “didn’t see an alternative path at the time, which is why we went down that path.”

The writer then said that the show’s team would have liked to have ensured that Barton could have come back to the series.

“In hindsight, there were a lot of other ways we could have written the character out of the show — and given Mischa the break she needed and wanted — that would still have allowed that character to return,” he said.

Schwartz went on to discuss the general fan reaction to Cooper’s shooting of Trey Atwood over the program’s three seasons.

“Everyone was very upset in a way that was fun to experience. They were shocked and I heard from parents who said their children were crying over what had happened. In the end, it was the response you wanted to get from the audience,” he said.

He then noted that The O.C.’s producers immediately noticed the scorn from fans after Cooper was killed off.

Reasoning: Schwartz added that the show’s creative team “didn’t see an alternative path at the time, which is why we went down that path”

Looking back, the writer said at the time that the show’s team would have liked to have assured Barton could have come back to the series

Unfortunate Circumstances: Savage further stated that the decision to kill off Cooper was ultimately out of the hands of the creative team

“When we saw the reaction from that audience after Marissa’s death, it didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like that audience had been served or respected in the way that we always wanted and wanted,” he said.

Schwartz stated that the show’s creative team was experiencing a lot of “regret” at the time.

Savage went on to state that the decision to kill Cooper was ultimately out of the hands of the creative team.

“We were also under tremendous pressure to do something with that level of drama. Killing a series regular came from above. If we wanted a season four, we should do something like this,” she said.