You would think that about 20 years after Howard Stern discovered “lesbians equal ratings,” people would be over it by now.
We’ve been down this road so many times before.
But the buzz started quickly after news last week that Mischa Barton’s character Marissa Cooper on “The O.C.” will explore a gay relationship in the not-too-distant future – mid-January, for those waiting until then to check it out.
The easy, cynical view is that the move is just a ratings ploy – a desperate attempt by a show with sagging viewership.
But so far, there hasn’t been a great fallout.
No riots in the streets. No protests. No calls for Fox to cancel the show.
Perhaps, finally, we’re turning a corner.
Over the past decade or so such moments have been scattered around prime time television.
“L.A. Law,” “Picket Fences,” “Roseanne” and even “Friends” have all dabbled in the art of the girl-on-girl kiss. Then, of course, there was the famous coming-out episode of “Ellen.”
In the past five years, other shows such as “Party of Five,” “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” and “ER” have introduced the lesbian story.
Even Barton – the up-and-coming “It” girl – has seen it all before as a guest star on ABC’s “Once and Again” a couple of years ago when she engaged in an on-screen girl-on-girl romance with Jessie, played by Evan Rachel Wood.
This time around, she’ll hook up with newcomer Alex, played by Olivia Wilde.
Sure, ratings for “The O.C.” are down from last year after moving from Wednesday to Thursday night – pulling in about 7.5 million viewers compared to just over 9.6 million last season.
But don’t be quick to assume the show is overcompensating.
Josh Schwartz, creator and executive producer of “The O.C.,” insisted in a conference call with TV writers on Monday that the story line wasn’t done for ratings. In fact, he has said it was conceived even before the new season started airing in November.
“I have no idea what kind of ratings impact it would have,” Schwartz said. “Any kind of big story line we do, we hope will attract people.”
“I think you’ll see the way it’s handled is very character-driven, it’s not done for a sort of exploitation,” Schwartz explained. “This is an emotional character trying to find an identity. She’s a lonely, lost person and finds someone who becomes a mentor to her. She’s at a point in her life where she’s willing to roll with that.”
“It’s a relationship,” Schwartz said. “It’s not just a kiss and everyone freaks out and runs away. They go for it as a relationship.”
Anyone who has seen the show already knows that Marissa wouldn’t exactly be described as stable, so Schwartz’s reasoning seems genuine.
“All I can do about it is talk about why we came up with the story line,” he said. “How it’s interpreted and how it’s promoted is out of my control.”
The real tragedy that could come from Marissa’s upcoming exploration would be for it to overshadow the good work and intriguing stories that are surfacing as the show matures in its sophomore season.
With NBC’s “Joey” struggling to maintain interest and CBS’s “Survivor: Vanuatu” off the island for a while, the coming weeks offer “The O.C.” a chance to shine on Thursday night.
Beyond Marissa’s upcoming romance, Emmy winner Kim Delaney is due for a guest spot, and musical performances from Modest Mouse, The Thrills and Rachel Yamagata should provide some real incentive for tuning in.
Columnist Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
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