THE COMPARISONS of Fox’s new series “The O.C.” to “Beverly Hills, 90210” are inevitable. Like its predecessor, “The O.C.” is an hour-long drama featuring an out-of-towner main character the show drops in the midst of the problems suffered by wealthy, attractive teens in Southern California. This time around, though, the backdrop is farther south in Newport Beach, Orange County. And instead of watching the culture shock through the eyes of Minnesota transplants, “O.C.” viewers see it through Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie), a 16-year-old from unglamorous Chino, California.
In the series premier, Ryan steals a car with his older brother Tray. (“If I don’t teach you this, who will?” Tray asks a hesitant Ryan as he smashes the car’s window with a crow bar.) When they’re caught, Tray goes to jail while the underage Ryan is sent home.
