Wrapped up in “The OC”

Life isn’t pretty. Except on television.

Tonight, TV-style beauty reaches its peak in the… Life isn’t pretty. Except on television.

Tonight, TV-style beauty reaches its peak in the highly anticipated return of Fox’s breakout drama, “The OC.” It’s a simple show about some rich high school kids who live in Orange County, Calif., and have a lot of problems –like being kicked out of the house or getting caught making out with their ex-girlfriend’s mother.

You know, the usual.

I remember high school. I went to a pretty large school in Ohio with about 2,000 students and spent most of my time reading for fun during class or wondering why I couldn’t wear a baseball cap during school, but Miss Teen Blondie was allowed to walk around with her pierced navel hanging out from under her tight t-shirt and too-low jeans. It wasn’t exactly glamorous, but like most everyone else, I made it through.

There were popular people, the cool kids in the honors classes, the jocks, etc. Then there were the unpopular kids. You could just tell by looking. They either stuck with their one good friend 24/7 or flitted around the popular circles, trying to nudge their way in somehow.

“The OC” has its own group of unpopular kids. That clique consists of the main characters of the show. Think back to your high school. Try to imagine someone who looks like Rachel Bilson, who plays Summer on the show, sitting alone in the cafeteria twiddling her thumbs.

Yeah, didn’t think so.

“The OC” has nothing to do with real life. The show survives on sheer ridiculousness and it succeeds. The actors playing 16-year-olds are all in their 20s and definitely look it, despite unruly haircuts for the guys. When money isn’t an issue, deep emotional problems are the only things to ruin the lives of our hapless heroes.

In one season, “The OC” has already blasted through most of the cliched themes that belong to teen dramas: drug use, alcoholism, bullying, teenage pregnancy, divorce, step-parents, love triangles, crazy stalker guys waving guns around, the dad who suddenly comes out of the closet, the loss of virginity, the abusive boyfriend, and suicide — and that’s just what I came up with off the top of my head. Shows usually take a couple of seasons to touch on half of the things on that list, but “The OC” throws caution to the wind, enjoying a wild ride which may end at a moment’s notice.

The show is reckless. It’s fast and fun. The dialogue uses the kind of wit and humor that only occurs to normal people after the conversation is over. The actors may not have that whole acting thing down yet, but there has to be at least one person on the screen who can supply the required eye candy for that hour of your life.

The two people who really carry the show are Peter Gallagher and Adam Brody, who play father and son Sandy and Seth Cohen, respectively. If you refuse to watch anything else, just watch the scenes that play out between these two. The banter that they have is hilarious and seems deliciously improvised, a skill that everyone else on the show has yet to achieve. Talent can exist in strange places, even in a teen show on Fox.

Branching out beyond “The OC,” primetime teen dramas have a rich tradition of skewing reality. “Dawson’s Creek” emphasized the importance of memorizing the dictionary, a skill most of us probably neglected in our formative years. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was heavy on the monster killing and light on the midterms. “Boy Meets World” had too much Cory and Topanga, not enough Shawn. Even back in the day, did anyone truly believe that Dylan McKay from “90210” was really a sophomore or that Brandon Walsh was really that good looking? None of these scenarios would fly in the real world, yet millions kept flocking back to the television set episode after episode.

So what keeps people coming back to this world of high school and teenager that could never truly have existed? It might be the fantasy, the view of the greener grass on the other side. What if your life could be like that, and those kids were your friends and you could weave references to a variety of pop culture events into your lively conversations as easily as you could tie your shoe? Life would be sweet.

Or maybe it’s the other side. People tune in because the premise of the show is so outrageous that they can only laugh and use TV to remind them how the real world really operates. It’s definitely not like “The OC.” My dad was hesitant to let me go to the mall alone when I was sixteen, let alone Tijuana, Mexico. But the gang went on “The OC” and they had a good time down there, except the whole Marissa-almost-dying part. That was a little messy.

Thursday night primetime has truly become “Must See TV” again, except NBC doesn’t have much stock in it anymore, with the exception of “The Apprentice.” Fox’s decision to give “The OC” an 8 p.m. slot on Thursdays puts it in direct conflict with my nine seasons of loyalty to “Survivor,” but somehow I’ll make it through. I guess that’s why VCRs were invented. Actually, that’s why TiVo was invented, but sadly, I do not actually live in Orange County and have to get by with my VCR.

With all the second-season hype, “The OC” better deliver more of its over-the-top plots, and I believe it will deliver. There are still plenty of storylines it can borrow from teen shows and movies of the past, plenty of guest stars and musical acts the show can invite, and hopefully, plenty of close-ups on some of the cuter actors if the action starts to get a little slow.

I’ll definitely be watching.