"The O.C." is FOX's new mega-hit, and
has received vast praise for its established stars such as Peter
Gallagher and newcomers like Mischa Barton, but now the show's creators
is being accused of stealing the show's basic from some former fraternity
brothers.
In addition to sizzling ratings, "The
O.C." has earned critical praise for its writing. And
for that, we can thank Josh Schwartz, "The O.C.'s"
creator and writer, who says his college days at USC served
as his inspiration. "That's where all the Newport Beach
kids were from," he told "CJ" of the show that
takes place in the exclusive enclaves of Orange County. "That's
where they went. And I met them behind their gated communities.
That's what the show is really inspired by."
But two of Schwartz's former friends from USC
are claiming he stole the idea for the show from them. "CJ"
has obtained a stunning lawsuit filed by Scott Donnelly and Eric
Lindsay, both Schwartz's college fraternity brothers. The suit claims
"The O.C." is based on Lindsay and Donnelly's TV series
idea, called "The Pointes."
According to the suit, "The Pointes"
was "an ensemble teen drama centered on a rough and tough teen
boy from the wrong side of the tracks, who gets removed from this
environment and moved to a wealthy beachfront community where life
seems perfect." Anyone who has ever watched "The O.C."
knows that's the basic storyline of the show. The plaintiff claims
they gave Schwartz a copy of the show idea and he ran with it.
At "The O.C.'s" recent
finale party, the stars celebrated the success of their first
season. "I wanted to do this show because it was well-written,"
Gallagher said. "I just felt at this time a show like this
might find an audience."
"The O.C." will be back for season
two with plenty more drama ahead, both on and off the screen. FOX
says it doesn't comment on suits it hasn't seen, and as for Josh
Schwartz, his reps tell "CJ" the suit is totally without
merit.
