'The O.C.' creator Josh Schwartz imagines where the characters are today

01 of 13

Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie)

Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) — WB / Courtesy Everett Collection; Matthew Eisman/Getty Images

The character: Though he's now the owner of the Newport Group and resident of a gated community, the ex-bad boy hasn't forgotten his roots: Ryan focuses on urban planning for lower-income neighborhoods. (He even brought a P.F. Chang's to Chino!) And while the architect and perky Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser) didn't stay together, there's still romance in Ryan's future. "Recently, Ryan was seated next to Alex Kelly, Olivia Wilde's character, on a flight," Josh Schwartz says. "They have a first date scheduled for Friday."

The actor: In 2013, Ben McKenzie wrapped his role as Ben Sherman on the cop series Southland, which ran for five seasons. Since 2014, he has starred as Jim Gordon on Gotham.

02 of 13

Seth Cohen (Adam Brody)

The character: The CW rejected the script for a TV series based on his self-referential comic, Atomic County — but Joseph Gordon-Levitt snapped it up and "will play the Seth Cohen role" of the Ironist in an Atomic County feature film, Schwartz says. Also on board: Channing Tatum as Kid Chino (Ryan), Jennifer Lawrence as Cosmo Girl (Marissa), and Lucy Hale as Little Miss Vixen (Summer).

The actor: Adam Brody has collected credits on indies like 2015's Sleeping With Other People and 2016's Yoga Hosers.

03 of 13

Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson)

The character: The airhead-turned-activist can be found at Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada, leading an anti-fracking protest alongside Mark Ruffalo. She and Seth tied the knot in 2012, but there are no babies yet. "Summer wants to hold off until the world zeroes out its carbon footprint," Schwartz explains. As for Captain Oats and Princess Sparkle? They're "happily still together — they share a beautiful toy stable."

The actor: From 2011 to 2015, Rachel Bilson starred on Hart of Dixie, and made appearances in several episodes of How I Met Your Mother.

04 of 13

Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton)

The character: Yep, she's still dead. Ryan visits his first love at the cemetery "every May," says Schwartz.

The actor: Mischa Barton has become a modern scream queen, with multiple horror credits to her résumé.

05 of 13

Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher)

The character: Envy UC Berkeley's law students — they get to see those glorious eyebrows every day. Schwartz reveals that Sandy is the Bay Area university's most popular law professor, as well as the beloved host of its yearly Passover seders. The lawyer has also lent his name to the Sandy Cohen Fellowship, a summer grant for future public defenders that was founded by real-life Berkeley students in 2004.

The actor: Peter Gallagher has found steady work on TV, including his role as a CIA bigwig on USA's Covert Affairs. He's also presented Berkeley's Sandy Cohen Fellowship in person several times.

06 of 13

Kirsten Cohen (Kelly Rowan)

The character: Workaholic Kirsten is a stay-at-home mom to Sophie Rose Cohen, born in the series finale, as well as a best-selling author. "Kirsten penned a memoir about working moms leaving the workplace called Step Out," Schwartz says, "which was her version of Lean In."

The actor: Though Kirsten opted out, Kelly Rowan hasn't — she played both Eric McCormack's imaginary friend and his psychiatrist on the TNT crime drama Perception. (Wait, didn't we watch that show?) Like Barton, she's also had brushes with web oddballs on screen: Rowan furrowed her brow as a concerned mom in ABC Family's original movie Cyberbully in 2011.

07 of 13

Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke)

The character: Schwartz imagines Marissa's mom got a degree in adult marketing at OCU. She works at porn purveyors Vivid Entertainment, dealing with all celebrity-related business. The company nabbed her in light of how she handled her own "home movie" crisis (back in season 2). Julie lives in Riverside with her husband, Frank Atwood (Ryan's dad), and their son, Caleb Cooper Atwood — a good friend of little Sophie Rose Cohen. Next-gen spin-off, anyone?

The actor: The TV mainstay had a four-episode arc on CBS's canceled series Vegas and plotted revenge as the villainous Amanda on the CW's Nikita, which ended in 2013.

08 of 13

Jimmy Cooper (Tate Donovan)

The character: Years spent on his boat primed Marissa's dad for a job as a Carnival Cruises captain. Unfortunately, his maiden voyage was infamous for its "plugged toilets and onion sandwiches," ultimately becoming known as the "Poop Cruise," Schwartz jokes. Jimmy is currently unemployed.

The actor: Jennifer Aniston's ex (remember Joshua on Friends?) saw his O.C.-esque "rich people problems" drama Deception crash and burn on NBC in 2013. He fared about the same with his short-lived next project: Jerry Bruckheimer's Hostages, where he played the captive husband of Toni Collette's character, a surgeon told to murder the president. He later appeared on 24: Live Another Day and in a pair of episodes of Masters of Sex.

09 of 13

Luke Ward (Chris Carmack)

The character: Marissa's beefy ex is following in his father's footsteps; Schwartz calls him "the first crossover gay country music star." He's been opening for Darius Rucker in Nashville and no doubt launching each show by yelling, "Welcome to the Music City, bitch!"

The actor: Chris Carmack is a series regular on ABC's Nashville where he plays a gay country music star. Art imitates art!

10 of 13

Kaitlin Cooper (Willa Holland)

The character: Marissa's little sister lives in Cambridge, Mass., where she's "a Fulbright scholar doing research into nanotechnology" at MIT. Not bad for a girl who used to date Chris Brown.

The actor: The star of Judy Blume's Tiger Eyes (2012) stays true to her roots on Arrow, where she plays vigilante archer Oliver Queen's (Stephen Amell) troubled younger sister, Thea. Fun fact: The role of Kaitlin was recast in The O.C.'s third season. Mini-Coop was originally played by Shailene Woodley, who's best known for breaking out in The Descendants (2011) and landing plum leading parts in the 2014 adaptations of Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars.

11 of 13

Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser)

The character: This fan favorite has earned a happy ending of her own — with Gossip Girl's Nate Archibald. Wait, what?! Let Schwartz explain: "Taylor moved back to Paris to ghostwrite a memoir for a French intellectual who lived in the flat next to Harold and Roman, Blair Waldorf's dads. One day, Taylor returned their cat, Cat, to their apartment and met Blair, who was very taken with her." Blair set up Taylor and Nate; the rest is Schwartzoverse history.

The actor: Poor Autumn Reeser keeps being the best thing about TV series that only last one season (see: No Ordinary Family and Last Resort). She had recurring roles on Hawaii Five-0, Necessary Roughness, and The Whispers — though really, we won't be happy until Reeser snags her own show.

12 of 13

Che (Chris Pratt)

Chris Pratt, The O.C. | The Character: How'd Atomic County: The Major Motion Picture snag such big talent? With the help of Summer's ex-activist buddy Che, who's ditched heavy hippie — Michael Desmond/Fox

The character: How'd Atomic County: The Major Motion Picture snag such big talent? With the help of Summer's ex-activist buddy Che, who's ditched heavy hippie knits for ''tailored Armani'' and a gig at WME, Schwartz reveals.

The actor: As if you didn't know! Chris Pratt played lovable dolt Andy Dwyer on NBC's Parks and Recreation for seven seasons. You could also catch him advising Vince Vaughn in the 2013 sperm donor comedy Delivery Man; voicing an average Lego Joe in 2014's stop-motion Lego Movie; showing off his anti-beer belly in the 2014 superhero flick Guardians of the Galaxy; or calming down velociraptors with his bare hands in 2015's Jurassic World.

13 of 13

The Valley/Josh Schwartz

Colin Hanks, Josh Schwartz, ... | The Show-Within-a-Show: According to Schwartz, The O.C 's soap-within-a-soap — which starred fictional actor Grady Bridges (Colin Hanks) — is celebrating its own 10th anniversary — Everett Collection; Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The show-within-a-show: According to Schwartz, The O.C's soap-within-a-soap — which starred fictional actor Grady Bridges (Colin Hanks) — is celebrating its own 10th anniversary with a brand new season on Netflix ''because the fans demanded it.'' Hmm, is that a hint?

The creator (inset): The man behind both The Valley and the series it parodied currently has two shows on the CW — Hart of Dixie, starring his close pal Rachel Bilson, and the Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries. Schwartz's production company, Fake Empire — cofounded with Gossip Girl co-creator Stephanie Savage, also an EP on Dixie and Carrie — has made several films, including the 2014 Endless Love remake, starring Alex Pettyfer.