Josh Schwartz and The O.C. are at the center of E!'s new documentary special about 2003, the pop culture year packed with Madonna and Britney Spears' MTV Video Music Awards kiss, Gigli starring Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, and the launch of a major teen television era. The O.C. premiered on August 5, 2003, introducing viewers to Ryan Atwood, played by Ben McKenzie . Created by Josh Schwartz and executive produced by McG and Stephanie Savage, The O.C. dropped audiences into Newport, a wealthy Orange County community where outsider Ryan Atwood collided with the Cohen family and the region's polished chaos. The series also turned Mischa Barton , Adam Brody, and Rachel Bilson into breakout stars. Did The O.C. Really Change Everything? The O.C. did more than deliver relationship drama and sun soaked California scenery. The show helped push Juicy Couture tracksuits and Phantom Planet into the cultural conversation, while its fictional Orange County world helped inspire reality and scripted hits including The Real Housewives of Orange County, Desperate Housewives, and Laguna Beach. Josh Schwartz has said Laguna Beach producers told him they would not have made the MTV series without The O.C. That influence makes the show a strong contender for 2003's defining pop culture creation, even alongside the year's biggest celebrity headlines and blockbuster misfires. E!'s The Greatest Year in Pop Culture: 2003 is streaming on Fandango, E! Entertainment's YouTube channel, and E! Online. The special also looks back at early plans for The O.C., including the original Cohen family surname, which Josh Schwartz revealed was once Needleman, and the decision to cast Peter Gallagher first as patriarch Sandy Cohen.