Character Study: Seth Cohen

I'm quite certain Ryan Atwood was meant to be the heartthrob of FOX's The OC, but it was Seth Cohen who captured the hearts of teenage girls and became the nation's resident sweetheart. A hipster before the term was coined, Seth brought many otherwise "geeky" things into mainstream culture, including the music from the show's soundtracks (that were arguably just as popular as the show itself).

Somehow, Seth pushed his way from "nerd of the school" to a high-standing rank on the social ladder. The redeeming thing about this climb was that Seth's personality never did change. The writers weren't forced to change his characteristics - to make him seem more "cool" - and instead relied on his unique traits to show America that geekdom really is a worthwhile lifestyle.

Seth Cohen writes comic books. He wears really terrible (expensive) clothes. His hair is unruly. He relies on witty, sarcastic banter to get him through situations. He's also extremely loyal to those he cares about. Oh, and did I mention that he practically invented Chrismukkah?

The New York Times described Seth Cohen as "eccentric and literate." Sounds like a winning combination to me.