Andy Samberg Loves The OC...And I Think It's Pretty Ok Too

A long time ago, while I attended a high school not so far away, there was once an existence without The OC. Then I remember being in the mall (yes, remember when that's all we had to do with ourselves?) and seeing a gigantic billboard with nothing but a beach sunset, a surfer, and a tag line emblazoned across the wall opposite the movie theater. Little did I know that that show would ultimately redefine the prime time-soap genre and make being a smart, nerdy, indy-music loving, pop-culture laden Jew cool again (or maybe for the first time, either way I'm all for it). And I'll even go so far as to say that season 1 of The OC was genius; I dare you to defy me (Annabiotics? Genius!). The fact of the matter is that, for at least one season, The OC had some of the wittiest banter on television and a semi-believable premise with well-written characters.

But I digress... it appears that I am not alone in my respect for The OC, for Andy Samberg has now proven to me in multiple ways that a little part of him too died when the show jumped the shark/nuked the fridge. Thanks to my ravenous love of Scrubs I couldn't help but notice that a particular web series on Andy's Lonely Island website featured none other than Sarah Chalke/Dr. Eliot Reid herself. The show? Why The 'Bu of course. You see, that's what young kids call Malibu now...or so says the series' tag line at least. The series is funny mostly for all of the tropes of teen soaps, dramas, and comedies of which it spoofs, in addition to some hilarious gags, most notably Frazzles the Squirrel's use of 3D glasses in episode 1 (trust me on that one).

As good as The 'Bu is, however, I was even more surprised to see that it is not alone among his OC riffing repertoire. Last season on SNL, Shia LaBoeuf guest starred in one of the greatest digital shorts of all time, Dear Sister, submitted for your approval below.


For comparison, the original source material is online here. The main gags here of course are just the farcical nature of the clip itself paired with its apt parody of the above-referenced love for indy artists (here Imogen Heap, also of Garden State soundtrack fame, though you may know here there as Frou Frou) by shows such as The OC.

Thankfully, we will not be running out of source material to parody any time soon either. Though The OC may have gone the way of the VCR, its spawn certainly have not. Not to get all "nodal" on you again, but let's think of what The OC and its creator, Josh Schwartz, have given us. There is it-show of the moment Gossip Girl, quirky spy-spoof Chuck, the Laguna Beach-Newport Harbor-The Hills-The City mega complex that airs on MTV, and even Baldwin Hills on BET (who knew?). The OC also popularized Death Cab for Cutie, Rooney, and countless other indy rock acts and enabled many to become mainstream successes (I mean come on, they dedicated an entire episode to attending a Rooney concert!). So enjoy all that The OC has given you and be thankful. And while you're at it, maybe watch The 'Bu also, it's pretty sweet.

PS- Sorry for the delay in posting, but I still do have to pass all of my classes here...And if you like Arrested Development skip to 4:00 in the following episode, love it.

PPS- Who is ready for Lost this Wednesday?