Seth Cohen
Encyclopedia
Seth Ezekiel Cohen is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 on the FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 television series The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...

, portrayed by Adam Brody
Adam Brody
Adam Jared Brody is an American film and television actor and part time musician. He began his career in 1995, appearing on Gilmore Girls and other series, and subsequently came to fame for his role as Seth Cohen on The O.C. Brody later appeared in several film roles, including Mr. & Mrs...

. Seth was one of the "core four" characters on The O.C. alongside Ryan Atwood
Ryan Atwood
Ryan Francis Atwood is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Benjamin McKenzie. A troubled teenager from Chino, California, he is considered the protagonist of the show, beginning as an outcast and is brought to a lifestyle of luxury by the Cohen family and is...

, Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. until her death in the season three finale, "The Graduates."...

, and Summer Roberts
Summer Roberts
Summer Roberts is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Rachel Bilson.-Background:Summer Roberts grew up in Newport Beach, California, with her wealthy father, Dr. Neil Roberts...

.

Background

Seth Cohen was born in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, to parents Sanford "Sandy" Cohen
Sandy Cohen
Sanford "Sandy" Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX series The O.C., portrayed by Peter Gallagher.Sandy, a lawyer, raconteur, and son of Sophie Cohen, is married to Kirsten Cohen. Their eldest child, Seth, is something of a social misfit. Sandy's father left his mother when he was young and...

 and Kirsten Cohen
Kirsten Cohen
Kirsten Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Kelly Rowan. Kirsten is the wife of Sandy Cohen, mother to Seth Cohen, and the adoptive mother of Ryan Atwood...

 (née Nichol). Raised in Newport Beach
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...

, he is Jewish on his father's side and connects and identifies with his father's religious and cultural background. However, he embraces the mutual holiday of Chrismukkah
Chrismukkah
Chrismukkah is a pop-culture neologism referring to the merging of the holidays of Christianity's Christmas and Judaism's Hanukkah as celebrated in interfaith households where one parent may be of Christian heritage and another parent of Jewish heritage. The word itself is a portmanteau arisen...

, a joint Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 and Hanukkah
Hanukkah
Hanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...

 holiday.
Seth is very sarcastic and uses irony to find the humor in the events that occur around him. He has a positive nature, and although sometimes his humor is misconceived as ill-mannered, he tries to joke his way out of sticky situations, and is more likely to laugh off the negatives and be overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the positives in his, and everyone else's, life. He is shown throughout the series to be self-obsessed and neurotic, with a tendency to make himself the center of attention. However, in many episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...

s, he proves to be a sweet and genuine guy with good intentions and a good heart, and this is often overlooked by others. Seth is a very bubbly character, thanks to the likes of his "only true friend" Ryan, and is prone to not knowing when to keep his mouth shut, however this is more endearing and humorous, than irritating. He is a self-proclaimed geek
Geek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...

 and likes comic books, science fiction, video games, and old movies. He also has a toy horse named Captain Oats
Lawrence Oates
Captain Lawrence Edward Grace Oates was an English Antarctic explorer, known for the manner of his death, when he walked from a tent into a blizzard, with the words "I am just going outside and may be some time"....

. Seth has an adoptive brother Ryan Atwood
Ryan Atwood
Ryan Francis Atwood is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Benjamin McKenzie. A troubled teenager from Chino, California, he is considered the protagonist of the show, beginning as an outcast and is brought to a lifestyle of luxury by the Cohen family and is...

 who is also his best friend. Seth is the brother of baby Sophie Rose Cohen.

Storylines

He was befriended at the start of the series by Ryan Atwood
Ryan Atwood
Ryan Francis Atwood is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Benjamin McKenzie. A troubled teenager from Chino, California, he is considered the protagonist of the show, beginning as an outcast and is brought to a lifestyle of luxury by the Cohen family and is...

 (Benjamin McKenzie
Benjamin McKenzie
Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan , better known as Benjamin McKenzie, is an American actor and producer. He is best known for playing Ryan Atwood in the television series The O.C. and for playing Ben Sherman in Southland. He appeared in the films Junebug and 88 Minutes which earned him a Sarasota Film...

) and has enjoyed a rise in popularity ever since then. Before Ryan's arrival, he was ignored by most of his peers, including the future love of his life, Summer, due to his awkward nature and unusual hobbies. Soon after Ryan's arrival, Seth became friends with Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. until her death in the season three finale, "The Graduates."...

 (Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...

) and started dating Summer Roberts
Summer Roberts
Summer Roberts is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Rachel Bilson.-Background:Summer Roberts grew up in Newport Beach, California, with her wealthy father, Dr. Neil Roberts...

 (Rachel Bilson
Rachel Bilson
Rachel Sarah Bilson is an American actress. Bilson grew up in a California show business family, and made her television debut in 2003, subsequently becoming well known for playing Summer Roberts on the prime time drama series The O.C. Bilson made her film debut in the 2006 film The Last Kiss and...

). Seth's goal was to attend Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

 but he ends up going to RISD
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...

 and continuing work on his comic book, "Atomic County."

Seth is close to both of his parents and often playfully teases them. Though he occasionally will not accept their help or advice, he does so sometimes and seems to value their opinions and knows they would do anything for him and vice versa. Seth is shown to care very much about his mother. His actions are demonstrated in episodes such as "The Dearly Beloved" when Seth hesitates to send his mother to rehab and in "The Man of the Year" when he takes care of her when she's relapsed in her drinking.

Summer Roberts

At the start of the series, Summer Roberts
Summer Roberts
Summer Roberts is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Rachel Bilson.-Background:Summer Roberts grew up in Newport Beach, California, with her wealthy father, Dr. Neil Roberts...

 (Rachel Bilson
Rachel Bilson
Rachel Sarah Bilson is an American actress. Bilson grew up in a California show business family, and made her television debut in 2003, subsequently becoming well known for playing Summer Roberts on the prime time drama series The O.C. Bilson made her film debut in the 2006 film The Last Kiss and...

) and Seth had barely spoken, seeing as Summer was popular and Seth was certainly not. Seth had a huge crush on her regardless (even naming his sailboat the Summer Breeze), and saw that she was more than the shallow girl she appeared to be. Seth's passion for her never truly died out, and never will.

The pair seemed to grow closer after, despite Summer's denial of liking him, they traveled to Tijuana together. She quickly turned him down for a date after seeing a few cheerleaders eyeing the pair. School began soon thereafter, and Summer, after finally admitting she liked Seth, grew jealous of Seth's friend Anna Stern
Anna Stern
Anna Stern is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Samaire Armstrong. Initially intended to appear in only one episode, she was brought back at fan request for several episodes of the first season...

, whom he shared many interests with, including comics and dress. Their friendship blossomed into a relationship soon after.

Summer found out about the relationship and tried to sabotage them and attempted to date another boy (trying to make Seth jealous). Anna and Seth broke up and he confessed his true feelings to Summer. The pair then lost their virginity to each other and became a couple, although Summer still wanted it to be secret. Seth refused to put up with this, and declared his love for her atop a coffee cart in front of the school. Seth and Summer's relationship continued until Seth's best and pretty much only friend Ryan Atwood
Ryan Atwood
Ryan Francis Atwood is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Benjamin McKenzie. A troubled teenager from Chino, California, he is considered the protagonist of the show, beginning as an outcast and is brought to a lifestyle of luxury by the Cohen family and is...

 announced he'd be returning to his home neighborhood, Chino, after his pregnant ex-girlfriend declared she wanted to keep the baby, and raise it in her hometown. Seth tried to make him stay, and was distraught at his departure, but tried to appear uninterested by it, although it pained him deeply. Seth couldn't face the idea of becoming a loner once more, and even though he still had Summer, he decided sail the oceans for the summer in his boat, Summer Breeze, which was revealed to have been named after Rachel Bilson's character. He left a note to her, and to his parents, who were distraught at losing both Seth and Ryan in one day.

Once he returned, Summer had moved on with Zach Stevens
Zach Stevens
Zach Stevens is a fictional character in the second season of The O.C., portrayed by Michael Cassidy.-Conception:Creator Josh Schwartz described Zach as someone "who's sort of the WASP Seth, a.k.a. the anti-Cohen, and a formidable potential opponent for Seth"-Season 2:Zach joined Seth's fledgling...

. After accepting the fact that it was over, Seth started dating Alex Kelly. The tension came to a breaking point when Zach, Summer and Seth went on a trip to sell their comic book. Seth subtly admitted his feelings about Summer, who was about to leave on a trip to Italy with Zach a few weeks after, but Seth begged for her to be with him. She couldn't deny her feelings and left Zach for Seth at the airport, sealing the new relationship with a rainy kiss in the style of Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...

.

Zach ultimately gave Summer up at prom, and Seth swooped in to once again tell the school how he loved Summer when she was named Prom Queen. They stayed together and started to apply for colleges, deciding on Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

, Seth's dream college. Summer decided that if she got in to Brown and Seth didn't she would not attend because she wanted to be with him. Summer ended up getting in and Seth did not, but he lied and told her he did because he didn't want her to pass up Brown. This led to their breakup, but he surprised Summer in the season finale with his acceptance to RISD
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...

 for the spring semester. The couple ended high school happily, but things got difficult when Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. until her death in the season three finale, "The Graduates."...

 died and Seth and Summer were separated.

As the story continues six months later, Seth works at a comic-book store and has problems with Summer, who turned from materialistic gossip into a tree-hugging Vegan (who later protests against poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...

 at a Thanksgiving meal at the Cohens) at college and would not answer his phone calls. He left long messages on her answering-machine. When they met in Newport, Summer acted cold towards him. With a visit from Taylor, Summer began to realize that she was isolating Seth because she couldn't deal with what was in Newport - the memory of Marissa. She visited home for Thanksgiving and he confronted her with this concept as well which she eventually gave into, telling him via voice mail as she left to return to Brown to deal with it on her own.

Though Summer came to terms with Marissa's death through therapy and seemed to return to her old self, she and Seth quickly discovered that her tree-hugging ways had left a deep imprint. Seth chose to support her by stepping back and giving her space to pursue her new interests; however, this made Summer realize how important Seth was in her life and their relationship grew stronger. False pretenses led to Summer's suspension from Brown just as Seth was to start at RISD, but Seth decided he would put off college until the following fall so they could return to Providence together. On the eve of the New Year, a pregnancy scare ultimately caused Seth to ask for Summer's hand in marriage. Although the scare turned out to be a false one, plans for their marriage remained. Later on Summer backed out of the engagement but they were still dating. Their relationship is again questioned when Summer is offered a job at GEORGE, while Seth has nothing set for him. An earthquake hits, and they both get out of harm's way when a light pole falls on Ryan's car (which Seth was driving with Taylor's
Taylor Townsend
Taylor Townsend is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., played by Autumn Reeser.-Personality:...

 birthday presents in the back) during the event. The series concludes four years later in The End's Not Near, It's Here with the couple getting married, and in a deleted scene its revealed they had three children starting with the letter "S", Stephen Cohen (born in 2012) and twins Savannah (born 2015) and Sheridan (born 2015).

Anna Stern

Anna Stern
Anna Stern
Anna Stern is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Samaire Armstrong. Initially intended to appear in only one episode, she was brought back at fan request for several episodes of the first season...

 (Samaire Armstrong
Samaire Armstrong
Samaire Rhys Armstrong is an American actress, fashion designer and model. She is best known for her roles in Stay Alive, The O.C. and It's a Boy Girl Thing. Her best known role to date is portraying the role of Juliet Darling in the ABC television series Dirty Sexy Money...

) was Seth's first girlfriend, whom he met during a cotillion
Cotillion
In American usage, a cotillion is a formal ball and social gathering, often the venue for presenting débutantes during the débutante season – usually May through December. Cotillions are also used as classes to teach social etiquette, respect and common morals for the younger ages with the...

 dance practice. They started dating after Seth decided in her favour during a contest for his affection between her and Summer Roberts. They had a lot in common such as enjoying Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....

, graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...

s, and sailing. Their relationship was short lived as they broke up when Seth made it obvious that he truly wanted Summer instead and had made the wrong choice. Anna had felt that there is no chemistry between them as lovers, and their ideal relationship is as friends. She soon left to go home in Pittsburgh. Stern returns in season three, when she helps Seth deal with his problems with Summer Roberts. She did not appear in season four, Anna in fact did attend Brown University as both Seth and Summer met her at the Brown orientation. She did say in The Party Favor (Episode 3.23) that she would see them both in Providence, but she never once came in contact with either Seth or Summer.

Alex Kelly

Alex Kelly (Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is an American actress and fashion model. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles in the serial-drama The O.C. and The Black Donnellys. She portrayed Dr...

) worked in The Bait Shop in Newport Beach, had emancipated from her parents and rented her own flat. She portrayed a tough image, which made Seth believe she was out of his league. Alex, however, found Seth's innocence appealing and the pair started dating shortly after he got a job working at The Bait Shop with her. The relationship was short lived however, since Alex too realized that Seth truly loved Summer, not her. It was also revealed that Alex was bisexual. Seth broke it off with Alex in The Ex-Factor, and she later dated Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. until her death in the season three finale, "The Graduates."...

.

Ryan Atwood

Seth meets Ryan Atwood when his father, Sandy Cohen
Sandy Cohen
Sanford "Sandy" Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX series The O.C., portrayed by Peter Gallagher.Sandy, a lawyer, raconteur, and son of Sophie Cohen, is married to Kirsten Cohen. Their eldest child, Seth, is something of a social misfit. Sandy's father left his mother when he was young and...

, brings him home and they get along well. Before Ryan came to Newport Seth was a lonely kid who everyone ignored. Seth tells Ryan that his boat is named after Summer Roberts who he has a crush on. When Summer invites Ryan to a party, he persuades Seth to join him. When Ryan and Seth arrive at the party Ryan quotes, 'Welcome to the dark side,' which Seth had attended a party with sex, drugs and alcohol. Seth sees Summer flirting with Ryan and pushes him and reveals his true background to everyone in the party. When Seth is being bullied by Luke Ward
Luke Ward
Luke Ward is a fictional character in the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Chris Carmack. At the beginning of the series, Luke was in a long-term relationship with Marissa Cooper. However, it was later revealed that Luke was cheating on Marissa with Holly Fischer. After seeing the two...

 Ryan defends him and punches Luke. When Ryan goes back to Chino, Seth hugs Ryan. Since Ryan came to Newport, Seth Cohen was able to make friends with Luke, Marissa Cooper and date Anna Stern and Summer Roberts. When Oliver Trask
Oliver Trask
Oliver Trask is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Taylor Handley. Oliver appeared in the series' first season as thorn in Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper's relationship, soon developing a severe obsession with the latter...

 becomes friends with Marissa Cooper, Ryan suspicious that he's not normal. Ryan tells Seth that Oliver is dangerous but Seth does not believe Ryan and tells him that Oliver is just friends with Marissa. In the ending episode of The Truth
The Truth (The O.C. episode)
"The Truth" is the 18th episode of the FOX television series, The O.C.. The episode was written by Allan Heinberg and was directed by Rodman Flender. It originally aired on Wednesday February 11, 2004.-Guest starring:-Plot:...

, Seth tells Ryan since he came to Newport he's always had his back and he promises never to doubt Ryan again. In the episode The Gringos, Seth goes along with Ryan to Mexico to stop Ryan from finding Volchok and in the end of the episode, Seth goes to the pool house and Ryan locks the door and closes the blinds. In the series finale of The O.C, Ryan is Seth's best man at his wedding.

Trivia

  • Seth Cohen is prime time television's poster boy for indie music. The "Seth Cohen Starter Pack", which contains The Goonies
    The Goonies
    The Goonies is a 1985 American adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. The premise surrounds a band of pre-teens who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon hoping to save...

    DVD, a copy of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
    The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
    The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is a 2000 novel by American author Michael Chabon that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001. The novel follows the lives of two Jewish cousins before, during, and after World War II. They are a Czech artist named Joe Kavalier and a Brooklyn-born...

    , and albums by Death Cab for Cutie
    Death Cab for Cutie
    Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....

    , Bright Eyes, and The Shins
    The Shins
    The Shins are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, guitarist/bassist Dave Hernandez, Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, drummer Joe Plummer and bassist Ron Lewis. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock,...

    , says a lot about his tastes and pop culture sensibilities. He likens his friendship with Ryan to Kavalier and Clay. His room contains posters of punk rock bands such as The Ramones and The Sex Pistols and of grunge band Nirvana and frontman Kurt Cobain. Other posters include Ben Folds and Death Cab For Cutie (with a NoFX sticker). He was surprised to find he listened to the same punk rock as Marissa Cooper.
  • He's also passionate about comic books, citing Brian Michael Bendis as one of the greatest comic book writers of all time.
  • Art done by Seth Cohen is actually done by artist Eric Wight.
  • Although Chrismukkah appears to be Seth's favorite holiday throughout the series, his favorite holiday is actually Thanksgiving, which he states in the 11th episode of the first season, The Homecoming. Of course, as that episode predates Chrismukkah's first appearance on the show, this could merely be a plot hole.
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