Teen dramas have been a popular fixture on television for years. Perhaps none more popular and groundbreaking than The O.C. Josh Schwartz and company did an excellent job of infusing the dramatics with family, friendship, and comedy. Currently, one of the few television series that can make you cry, laugh, and want to tell your best friend or parent that you love them is Teen Wolf. While the premises for these two shows couldn’t be more different (one being about wealthy teenagers and the other about supernatural high school students), the feelings they evoke are highly similar.
This is largely due to the arguably most loved characters from each show: Seth Cohen (The O.C.) and Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf). Seth Cohen began the television trend of attractive, lovable nerds and Stiles has taken up that mantle in such a way that the parallels between the two are uncanny. Many of us had a hole left in our hearts when The O.C. went off the air that we thought only Seth Cohen could fill. It seems that we may have been wrong. Stiles could very well be the piece that makes our hearts whole again:
Both characters have a close, loving, and comfortable relationship with their dads. As an only child whose only friend was a plastic horse for most of his life, Seth understandably sought not only parental love but also friendship from his parents. Stiles may have lost his mother but that just drew him closer to his father. Time and time again they race to save each other, bringing both heartache and joy to viewers.
Their taste (and history) with girls is almost exactly the same. Seth has been in love with Summer Roberts since she read a mermaid poem in elementary school. He even names his sailboat after her. Only problem? She doesn’t even know he exists. Stiles has had a crush on Lydia Martin since the third grade. He thinks she’s beautiful when she cries and is the only one who knows how smart she really is. Only problem? She doesn’t even know he exists. Because of their more popular best friends and their girlfriends, Seth and Stiles both finally get their chance. Stiles may not have actually dated Lydia yet, but they have kissed and he has held her in his arms more times than we can count.
Seth and Stiles are both known for their sarcasm. Both characters bring much of the comic relief to these drama-filled shows and they both prove sarcasm is comedic gold.
Both characters are the nerds of the group. While Seth is loud and proud about his nerdiness, Stiles keeps his a little more under wraps. We do find out he plays games online and his love for Star Wars is no secret.
They are two of the best bromances in television history. Feel free to argue this point, but you are going to lose. Not only are Seth and Ryan best friends who talk about everything and even take a punch for each other, Ryan literally becomes a part of the Cohen family. As punishment, Seth and Stiles are not allowed to see each other and even without super strength and healing, Stiles constantly puts his life in danger for Scott. Once to the point of almost getting blown up to stop Scott from killing himself.
Lastly, Seth and Stiles are the sidekicks who steal the show. Both characters started out as the number two guy on the series. Their best friends are the ones with popularity, strength, and typical good looks, but these two quickly become the characters fans root for and perhaps even the one person the show could not go on without.
Missing these loyal and lovable characters? No worries, you can check out your favorite episodes Seth and The O.C. on CW Seed anytime and you can watch Stiles on Teen Wolf on MTV with the second half of season 5 premiering on January 5th.