Month 2003 | The O.C.: Oh, crap

Now, it's true that tiny dog used to be a fan/slanderer of the erstwhile teen soap Dawson's Creek, which met its demise last season in a hail of improbably over-the-top finale plotlines. (Jen, dead at 20-something from a nameless heart condition that caused her to speak in sage whispers??)

Just when this piece of televised refuse finally gave up the ghost (not before descending into the familiar hallmark of a show gone south, "celebrity appearances" by defunct 90's notables No Doubt and the dweeby duo from MTV's "Love line"), the nefarious troll Aaron Spelling springs The O.C. upon a bereft and vulnerable Dawson's Creek fan base. (editor's note... is it an Aaron Spelling show?? It sure looks like one).

The O.C., if you haven't seen the ads, ventures deep into new and never-before-televised territory with the following premise: a brooding, leather-jacketed boy from the wrong side of the tracks dabbling with boozing, botoxed rich folks of questionable moral character, and in the process, learning that money can't buy happiness.

In the inaugural episode, there were threesomes, bongs, fistfights, drunk lowlife stepfather stereotypes, partial nudity, SUVs and BMWs, the Feds, guys calling one another "bitch," a jangling angst-pop soundtrack, and a rich lady in a peach terrycloth track suit referring to frozen yogurt as "froyo."

Thursday nights at 9pm, Pacific time. Be there.

Hey, peeps. Send mail to mail@tiny-dog.com.