{"id":261497,"date":"2026-09-05T05:07:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T05:07:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/05\/the-o-c-alum-ben-mckenzie-says-hes-up-for-returning-for-a-reboot-it-was-a-great-show\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T05:07:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T05:07:03","slug":"the-o-c-alum-ben-mckenzie-says-hes-up-for-returning-for-a-reboot-it-was-a-great-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/05\/the-o-c-alum-ben-mckenzie-says-hes-up-for-returning-for-a-reboot-it-was-a-great-show\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The O.C.\u2019 Alum Ben McKenzie Says He\u2019s \u2018Up for\u2019 Returning for a Reboot: \u2018It Was a Great Show\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

The O.C.<\/em><\/a> alum Ben McKenzie<\/strong><\/a> isn\u2019t necessarily shutting the door on his time as Ryan Atwood for good.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Australia\u2019s KIIS 1065<\/a> on Friday, September 4, McKenzie, 47, admitted he would be open to a reboot of the series.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know that there has ever been serious talks, but I\u2019d be up for it,\u201d he said. \u201cYeah, I think so, under the right circumstances. It was a great show. We had a great time. I learned a lot. I was so young, we were all young.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKenzie shot to fame on the teen series<\/a>, which premiered in 2003 and ran for four seasons until 2007. He starred alongside Mischa Barton<\/strong>, Adam Brody<\/strong> and Rachel Bilson<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\"Mischa<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Mischa Barton Admits to ‘Tricky’ Ben McKenzie Romance on ‘The O.C.’ Set<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\tAfter years of denying that things went down between Mischa Barton and Ben McKenzie on set of The O.C., the actress is changing her story about the \u201cwhole ordeal.\u201d \u201cIt was kind of complicated for me,\u201d Barton, 38, began on the \u201cCall Her Daddy\u201d podcast episode on Wednesday, February 21, when discussing her breakout role [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Meanwhile Barton, who portrayed McKenzie\u2019s love interest Marissa Cooper, teased that there could one day be a return on the horizon during an interview with RTL<\/em> last month. (Marissa was killed off at the end of season three.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere might be a reunion coming up; we\u2019ll see,\u201d she cryptically told the outlet. After being pressed for more details, she said again, \u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bilson has also expressed potential interest in reviving her character Summer Roberts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would always be up for it. But it\u2019s also this thing that people still watch and are still discovering,\u201d the actress, 45, told Variety<\/em> in June 2024. \u201cSo do you just leave that special moment as it is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"GettyImages-2360312-The-OCs-Ben-McKenzie-Says-Hes-Open-to-a-Reboot.jpg\"<\/div>

\n Rachel Bilson, Adam Brody, Mischa Barton and Ben McKenzie.<\/span> (Photo by Frederick M. Brown)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She added, \u201cYou weigh both sides because obviously it would be fun and I love everybody and it would be awesome to go back and we need to somehow bring Marissa back to life and do the whole thing if we do it. But also leaving it for what it was and how special it kind of was, is also a positive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brody, who played Seth Cohen, has been less enthusiastic about bringing back the beloved characters \u2014 suggesting it may not work as well decades after the show\u2019s peak popularity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of don\u2019t think it can be done because I feel like, socially, I think we\u2019re in a different place. And I think we\u2019re in a more conscious place,\u201d Brody, 46, explained on the \u201cWelcome to The O.C., Bitches!\u201d podcast in October 2021.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\"\"
\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n