Bye bye "O.C."

Because I've never watched the show, nor did I ever care to, and I didn't even think to write about its finale, going on as I type, I direct you to TV.com's farewell to FOX's short-lived teen drama, The O.C. (expect me to be more vigilant in the future):

The sun is finally setting on the Cohen clan and their moneyed Newport Beach associates tonight as Fox's The O.C. ends its four-season run. After skyrocketing to pop-phenomenon status during its summer 2003 debut, the series, focusing on a group of friends and families whose lives were changed by the arrival of an outsider (Benjamin McKenzie), suffered from a succession of timeslot shuffles and, in the eyes of many, creative slumps that steadily cost the teen soap ratings until the network ultimately decided to pull the plug this year.

So far this season, the show is averaging about 4.1 million total viewers, less than half of what it garnered during its debut season, according to Nielsen Media Research. Last season it averaged 5.7 million.

Like Beverly Hills, 90210 a decade earlier, The O.C. became the barometer of cool for a generation of tweens and teens weaned on dozens of iterations of MTV and reality television programming.

*snip*

"This feels like the best time to bring the show to its close," said O.C. creator/executive producer Josh Schwartz, according to The Hollywood Reporter/Reuters. "Thanks to the hard work of our cast, crew and writers, we have enjoyed our best season yet, and what better time to go out than creatively on top."

As I said, vigilance is my new motto. Next time, I promise a full-fledged obituary.