Mischa Barton's Character Killed Off in The O.C.? Higher-Ups Are to Blame

Fox's The O.C. was one of the most popular teen series of the early 2000s, and for good reason — the show was one of the first to approach teenagers as real people, showing their struggles with love, acceptance, bullying, and even drugs. And while The O.C. was quite controversial in its heyday, fans and critics loved it from the start and were glad to see the subsequent seasons improving in quality.

However, according to many viewers, the writers did make one big mistake when they decided to kill off Mischa Barton's Marissa Cooper.

Marissa was Ryan Atwood's love interest for three seasons, and the actress' portrayal of the troubled teen really resonated with fans, who often called her the best character on the show. However, after three years of playing such a difficult character, Mischa was exhausted and wanted out.

But instead of writing her off peacefully, the creators decided to kill Marissa off in a horrific car accident, and they regret the decision to this day.

'It's something that we regret, and 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,' creator Josh Schwartz said.

Also, it looks like the writers were actually pressured by the Fox producers to kill off Barton's character because the show's ratings were starting to slide a bit, and the executives needed something massive to boost the ratings.

'We were also under tremendous pressure to do something with that level of drama. Killing a series regular came down from the top.' the show's producer Stephanie Savage explained. 'If we wanted a season four, we'd have to do something like that.'

So it looks like the unexpected death of The O.C.'s best character became a reality because of some unfortunate coincidences, as both Barton wanted to leave and the producers tried to save the show in their own way.

Needless to say, the fourth season of The O.C. didn't feel the same without Marissa, and the show was quickly canceled.

Source: Vanity Fair.