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Marissa Cooper is dead. Might her friends and family be next?

Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen
(Getty Images for Torch)

As The O.C. limps into 2006-2007 on FOX, the network isn’t showing very much faith in the drama. Only 16 new episodes have been ordered for the show’s fourth season. The basis for this decrease in output?

It’s largely the major competition that Seth, Summer and other Newport residents will be facing on Thursday nights. Aside from CSI returning to its 9 p.m. time slot, ABC has moved juggernaut, Grey’s Anatomy, opposite The O.C., as well.

Combine these hits with the severe drop in ratings the FOX series faced last season – although it still averaged a respectable 5.7 million viewers a week – and there’s little wonder why the show may soon be joining Marissa in entertainment heaven.

For those who still care, look for Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson and others to return on November 2, after FOX is finished airing The World Series.