Rachel Bilson, Melinda Clarke kick off new digital recording by returning to The O.C. pilot

 Rachel Bilson, Melinda Clarke kick off new digital recording by returning to The O.C. pilot

Rachel Bilson; Melinda Clarke 

Photograph: Amanda Edwards (Getty Pictures); Kevin Winter (Getty Pictures) 

Signal the Apparition Planet tune "California" since Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke are truly taking The O.C. fans "directly back where we began from." The two entertainers dispatched their fresh out of the box new web recording, Welcome To The O.C., Bitches on Tuesday, April 27 by taking us in the background of the notable high schooler dramatization's absolute first scene. Bilson and Clarke played Summer Roberts and Julie Cooper, separately.

In their weekly rewatch podcast, both of them will chronologically binge the Fox show set in the affluent Newport Beach and provide insider details and feature interviews with the cast and crew. They kicked off the first episode by speaking with The O.C. creator Joshua Schwartz, who is also known for developing Gossip Girl, Chuck, and more recently Hulu’s Looking For Alaska and The CW’s Nancy Drew. He’s basically helped drive television’s yearning for young adult dramas.

In the over 90 minute podcast episode, the three of them reflect on the show’s legacy. The O.C. was incredibly popular when it premiered in 2003 and while the same impact didn’t retain for its four-season run, the drama gradually became a pop culture phenomenon. Bilson, Clarke, and Schwartz talk about the making of the pilot, Schwartz’s inspirations for the character dynamics (think E.T. and Elliott’s friendship for Ryan and Seth), and the casting process for its protagonists, including Ben McKenzie as Ryan Atwood, Adam Brody as Seth Cohen, Mischa Barton as Marissa Cooper, and Peter Gallagher as everyone’s favorite fictional dad, Sandy Cohen.

In fact, Bilson revealed that she really wanted to play Marissa initially and Schwartz spoke about how Olivia Wilde, who plays Alex in season two, also auditioned for Marissa. Friday Night Lights Garrett Hedlund was a frontrunner for Ryan, but Atwood’s take on the character won everyone over. 

The trio also unpack the show’s instantly iconic moments (the character’s greeting each other with “Hey,” Summer’s “Ew, Chino” delivery, and Luke’s (Chris Carmack) dialogue “Welcome to the O.C., bitch,” also the the inspiration for the podcast title).