TNT
Remember The O.C.? It's only been off the air three years, so you probably do. But it's doubtful you're pining for that cotton-candied Fox drama. Despite its hip soundtrack and in-the-know references, The O.C. went downhill fast after a buzzed-about first season. When it got axed in 2007, most of us had already switched to Grey's Anatomy for on Thursday nights.
Don't get me wrong: McKenzie, who played The O.C's troubled teen Ryan, has landed well. Southland (season 2 premieres tonight at 10 p.m. ET), canceled by NBC and revived on cable, has been a critical darling. Even observers unimpressed by this gritty police drama as a whole have praised McKenzie's portrayal of the show's rookie cop. "Southland is, by far, at its best when it remains in the squad car with Ben Sherman [McKenzie] and his cranky, painkiller-addicted training officer, John Cooper [Michael Cudlitz]," writes Alan Sepinwall of the Newark Star Ledger.
So what's become of McKenzie's O.C. costars? Most haven't fared as well. Mischa Barton (The O.C.'s rebellious, often out-of-control Marissa) went on to star in The CW's fashionista drama, The Beautiful Life, which was canceled after just two episodes. Meanwhile, gossip columns suggest she hasn't left her hard-partying character behind.
The middling post-O.C. success of the cast, once bona fide hot properties in Hollywood, is a reminder of how challenging it is to maintain a high-profile acting career. Even McKenzie may soon find his Southland gig ending: "TNT has been rerunning the NBC episodes since January and the ratings were unsurprisingly not great," writes Sepinwell. "If the ratings for the new batch are better, we might see a third season, but the show would have to be produced on a cable budget." In other words, McKenzie's had the good fortune to land on a critically acclaimed show...that might be canceled within a year.
Plus: See Rachel Bilson on How I Met Your Mother!
