Is 'O.C.' DOA?

PASADENA, Calif. — Fox hasn't canceled "The O.C." Yet. But it has one-third canceled the show. Sort of.

As it enters its fourth season, only 16 episodes of "The O.C." have been ordered. That's after producing 27 episodes its first season, 24 its second and 25 its third.

"I wouldn't read too much into it," warned Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori, who tried to put it off on starting the show in November (after the baseball playoffs and World Series) instead of starting the show in August or September.

"This year, in continuing our strategy of, once on air, to try to run as continuously as possible, we're starting it November (2)," Liguori said.

Nice try. But, even allowing for pre-emptions during the holidays, 16 episodes will only carry "The O.C." through March. And, while he won't come right out and say it, Liguori doesn't expect "The O.C." to be fighting the ratings wars by the time next spring rolls around.

This season, not only will "The O.C." continue to run into the buzz saw of ratings juggernaut "CSI" on Thursdays at 8 p.m., but ABC is moving mega-hit "Grey's Anatomy" there. And NBC will have the popular "Deal or No Deal," while The CW programs the cult hit "Supernatural."

"Thursday night is going to be one monster-competitive night of television, and 'The O.C.'s ratings have been a bit challenged recently," Liguori said, perhaps understating the problem. "I think the audience is loyal. Frankly, Thursday night has been a weak spot for us, and 'The O.C.' has done well."

Well, relatively well. Its numbers on Thursdays at 8 p.m. last season were about 30 percent better than what Fox did there two years ago, but Fox did extremely poorly there two years ago.

And, as is part of his job description, Liguori talked up the coming season of "The O.C." and creator/executive producer Josh Schwartz's plans for the show now that most of the characters have graduated from high school.

"The fact that they're leaving high school should be able to open it up to more of an 18-24 audience. . . . He's got a lot of stories to tell, and they're juicy and they're good," Liguori said. "And we're going to go head-to-head with two of the biggest juggernauts on TV, and our bet is that the 'O.C.' loyalists are going to be back."

How many of them will be back is the question.