Despite only airing for four seasons on FOX, The O.C. is one of the most beloved teen dramas of all-time. The show helped launch the careers of stars like Rachel Bilson, Mischa Barton, Adam Brody and Ben McKenzie, while also featuring longtime familiar faces like Melinda Clarke, Tate Donovan and Peter Gallagher. Even though the show started 20 years ago, it’s still buzzed-about to this day. Of course, the stars of the show have changed quite a bit since the series aired.
Mischa was just a teenager when The O.C. was on. As the show aired, and afterward, she publicly went through some troubled years, but has come out on the other side. She has grown into a much healthier woman. It was Adam who underwent the biggest physical transformation, though, as he changed from a nerdy teenager to a hunky man. Oh, and of course, fans love that Adam married one of the biggest stars from another teen drama of The O.C. era — Leighton Meester from Gossip Girl.
Like Mischa and Adam, Rachel has also grown up from a sweet-looking teenager to a drop-dead gorgeous woman. After The O.C., she starred on Hart of Dixie, and brought the same charm and charisma to the show that she did on The O.C.. Meanwhile, Ben, of course, has grown up as well, with roles in series’ like Southland and Gotham.
We rounded up then-and-now photos of The O.C.’s biggest stars to show how much they’ve changed over the years. Click through the gallery above to check out how far they’ve all come since the show ended in 2007!