35 of the most shipped television couples
By Sundi Rose
Seth and Summer – The O.C.
What you need to know: There has never been a more deserving half of a couple than the Seth of Summer and Seth. In a trope we all know so well, the nerdy Seth Cohen developed and maintained a crush on Summer Roberts for years and years. Summer, of course, was beautiful and popular, and never really saw past Seth’s eclectic hobbies and quirky sense of humor.
Once they hit high school and the series picks up, Seth’s crush intensifies, but Summer’s feelings start to thaw. They become an actual couple, albeit a couple who break up about a million times, but a couple nonetheless.
Why we ‘ship them so hard: You can’t ignore how badly Seth wants to be with Summer. Despite her ways as a spoiled, bratty, snob, he hangs in there. You can’t sleep on quiet persistence, and Seth’s pays off big time. Summer transforms herself from the vacuous mean girl into a person of real depth, and once she pulled her head free, she realized what a catch Seth is.
However, let’s face it, Seth Cohen is only TV nerdy. In real life, he’d probably be the most eligible guy around. He’s handsome and sensitive, and doesn’t perform the toxic masculinity we see in a lot of teenage soaps of the time. Rachel Bilson is perfectly fine as Summer, but it’s Adam Brody’s Seth that really gives the ‘shippers motivation.
How to watch it all unfold: All four seasons of The O.C. are on HBO Max. But don’t let the synopsis, or the first season, fool you. The show acts like it wants to be about Ryan, but Seth is, by far, the best thing about this show.