'The O.C.' Showrunners Have A Lot of Regrets Over Killing Off Mischa Barton's Marissa Cooper

The O.C. showrunners have a lot of regrets over killing off Mischa Barton‘s character, Marissa Cooper.

Fans will remember that at the end of season 3, Marissa was killed off during a car crash and in an interview with Vanity Fair, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, opened up about what led to the storyline, and why they’d change that if they could.

Keep reading to find out more…

Speaking with the outlet to promote the “Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History” book, which comes out in November, Josh and Stephanie shared their regrets over the Marissa Cooper decision.

“We were under tremendous pressure to do something with that level of drama,” Josh shared. “Killing a series regular came down from the top. If we wanted a season four, we’d have to do something like that.”

He added that “looking back on it, we wish we could have come up with a different solution. We didn’t see an alternative path at the time, which is why we went down that road. But obviously in hindsight, there were lots of other ways we could have written the character off the show — and given Mischa the break that she needed and wanted — that still would’ve allowed for that character to return.”

Josh also spoke about the fan reaction to Marissa’s death.

While “everyone was very upset in a way that was fun to experience, they were shocked, and I heard from parents who said their kids were crying about what had happened.”

He adds that “when we saw the reaction after Marissa died from that audience, it did not feel good. It did not feel like that audience had been served or respected in the way that we always wanted and aimed to. Immediately, we had regret at that point.”

The O.C. is nearing its’ 20th anniversary, and a lot of new information about the show has been popping up.

If you missed it, find out which other actors were in the running to play Ryan and Marissa.