No one saw this one coming...Ha!

from eonline.com:

The O.C., RIP
Apparently when the bell tolled for Marissa Cooper, it also spelled curtains for the entire O.C.
After ordering up an abbreviated season of what was once TV's hottest prime-time teen drama (Beverly Hills, 90210 with even more beach time, if you will), Fox announced Wednesday that it has officially deep-sixed The O.C. The finale will air Feb. 22 after a nonstop run of new episodes starting Thursday.
"The O.C. season four finale will also be the series finale. This feels like the best time to bring the show to its close," O.C. creator and executive producer Josh Schwartz said in a statement. "Thanks to the hard work of our cast, crew and writers, we have enjoyed our best season yet, and what better time to go out than creatively on top."
At least the gang got to spend one more Chrismukkah together.
When the soapy series premiered in August 2003, 8.4 million people enjoyed its initial seven-week run, and the conclusion of the first season, which ran from Oct. 29, 2003, to May 5, 2004, attracted a 9.7 million-strong audience. In turn, Mischa Barton, Rachel Bilson, Ben McKenzie and Adam Brody became fodder for People and Us Weekly.
Alas, the ratings have been steadily sinking ever since, despite the popularity of the show's main actors; the hot new musical artists that have received career-boosting airtime, starting with Phantom Planet, the band responsible for the anthemic theme song "California"; and the rise of reality spinoffs based on The O.C.'s glam-lifestyle premise, such as MTV's Laguna Beach: The "Real" Orange County and Bravo's The Real Housewives of Orange County.