Ben McKenzie says he’s open to returning for a revival of “The O.C.”
Ben McKenzie says he’s open to returning for a revival of “The O.C.”
Kathleen PerriconeFri, September 4, 2026 at 7:22 PM UTC
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Ben McKenzie as Ryan Atwood on ‘ The O.C.’; McKenzie in 2026Credit: Michael Desmond/FOX; Matt Wilson/GettyKey Points -
Ben McKenzie, now 47, says he’d be open to a reboot of The O.C.
“Yeah, I think so, under the right circumstances,” he admitted. “It was a great show.”
McKenzie recently showed his 10-year-old the pilot, but forgot “there is binge drinking, cigarette smoking, cocaine, and a threesome.”
California, here he comes?
Two decades after The O.C.went off the air, series star Ben McKenzie says he’d be open to playing “one of the dads” on a revival of the teen drama.
“I don’t know that there has ever been serious talks, but I’d be up for it,” the 47-year-old actor revealed during an interview with Sydney radio station KIIS 1065. “Yeah, I think so, under the right circumstances. It was a great show. We had a great time. I learned a lot. I was so young, we were all young.”
McKenzie, who was 24 when The O.C. premiered in 2003, was actually the oldest of the main cast, which included Adam Brody, Mischa Barton, and Rachel Bilson.
The role of Ryan Atwood, a troubled teen taken in by wealthy Newport Beach public defender Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) and his wife (Kelly Rowan), was only McKenzie’s second acting credit.
Ben McKenzie (center) with ‘The O.C.’ cast featuring Rachel Bilson, Mischa Barton, and Adam BrodyCredit: Shutterstock
“I had no experience,” admitted the actor, who went on to star on Los Angeles crime drama Southland and Batman prequel series Gotham — the latter costarring his future wife, Morena Baccarin.
The couple actually crossed paths years earlier on the set of The O.C., although their characters didn’t share any screen time. Baccarin revealed in 2020 that she even stopped by McKenzie’s trailer to introduce herself, but he blew her off.
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McKenzie and Baccarin eventually fell in love on Gotham, got married in 2017, and now share two sons and a daughter. Although the kids are “too young to watch” their father’s iconic television show, McKenzie revealed he did show the first episode to 10-year-old Frances, a decision he immediately regretted.
“I forgot that in the pilot, there is binge drinking, cigarette smoking, cocaine, and a threesome,” he said. “Of course, my 10-year-old loved it and wanted to watch more.”
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The O.C., which ran for four seasons on Fox until 2007, is still a hit with younger audiences, noted McKenzie.
“I now have kids come up to me, teenagers, and they talk about what a fan they are of the show,” he told KIIS 1065. “‘You weren’t even alive when it came out.’ They watch it with their parents.”
During the interview, the radio hosts couldn’t help but play the opening chords of The O.C.’s iconic theme song, “California” by Phantom Planet.
When asked if he ever gets tired of hearing it, McKenzie admitted never. “It’s a good song. You could do a lot worse.”
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
