Fun fact: I worked at Fox when this premiered, it premiered alongside the show "Skin" (not to be confused with "Skins") which only lasted three episodes and premiered to horrible ratings.

The president addressed the company saying "American Idol is great for ratings, but it's not he future of Fox, the future of Fox is Skin and The O.C." That president was forced out 3 months later.

Also, the art department in the marketing wing of Fox had a hilarious poster hanging with The O.C. logo and the subtitle "Only Caucasians"