I don't know what it is - especially considering that I was never a Melrose Place or Party of Five fan (although I did watch Beverly Hills 90210 for a short time) - but I have this sudden hankering to watch The O.C. I think it's partly because the show features Adam Brody - a.ka. Lane's cute boyfriend on The Gilmore Girls - but I think it might also be due to the fact that I'm really craving some good trashy TV. It's winter, I need comfort viewing.

Sure, the next installment of America's Next Top Model starts tonight. Sure there's the new Donald Trump show. But I need more. Anyway, is it a coincidence that Glorious Noise has a piece on why The O.C. is the new show to watch? Who knows, but this is their assessment of the series:

Its underlying messages about the collective flaws of humanity rich and poor are heartening. But when Kirsten's foxy hippie sister shows up, and Ryan's doe-eyed girlfriend Marissa (Mischa Barton) starts a sashay with a glowering goblin of a fellow therapy patient, and our man Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) draws on Ryan's tough-ass Chino chi to make moves on his dream girl Summer (Rachel Bilson), only to get more than his snarky Death Cab for Cutie-listening, PS2-playing ass bargained for when impossibly cool and cute new girl Anna (Samaire Armstrong) wants some Seth in her life, too – that's when we all sit up, take notice, and start talking about a TV show like we haven't seen a real one – a real good one – since Sydney got killed on her wedding day.

Maybe that's just it. Maybe I just want to be part of the in crowd. In any case, I've got some watchin' to do.