Rachel Bilson believes that Zoe and George from Hart of Dixie deserved their fair chance at romance.
“I will say they did not really get their shot, and they were supposed to!” Bilson, 42, shared exclusively while promoting her partnership with 21Seeds. “Wade came and swooped in, and I do feel like they could have had a little bit more time [with Zoe and George]. But it all worked out.”
Bilson starred in the popular CW dramedy, which ran from 2011 to 2015 for four seasons. The show revolved around Zoe, a New York City doctor who moved to the small town of Bluebell, Alabama, after she’s offered a job by a stranger, only to discover he was her biological father who had passed on and left her his half of a medical practice in his will.
Along with fighting to keep her father’s half of the practice by securing 50 percent of the clients, adjusting to small-town life, and figuring out her professional future, Zoe found herself in a long-running love triangle with the town lawyer, George (played by Scott Porter), and the local bartender, Wade (played by Wilson Bethel).
While George called off his wedding to Lemon (played by Jaime King) for Zoe at the end of season 1, Zoe decided to hold off on their romance and date Wade instead. Though she planned to circle back to George, the two never dated throughout the show.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2011, HOD showrunner Leila Gerstein mentioned she enjoys changing romantic prospects. “I like to think, ‘Oh, Zoe and George should really be together,’ and next week, ‘Wait, Wade is special, maybe she should be with Wade.’ It’s fun for the audience to change expectations,” she said.
Bilson also starred on The O.C. as Summer Roberts, where her character was caught in multiple love triangles. Her most prominent was with longtime love Seth (Adam Brody, her real-life boyfriend then) and Zach (Michael Cassidy). While Summer ultimately chose Seth, Zoe might have chosen differently.
Bilson shared, “She would have dated both.” And if the roles were reversed, Summer might have found it hard to choose between Wade and George. She added, “In modern times, it’s acceptable.”
While Zoe and George never got their shot, a Hart of Dixie reboot might be on hold. However, fans have long wanted The O.C. to return. While Bilson understands the desire to revisit Newport, she finds it hard to touch something so great. “You watch it and think, it was a magical time. How do you go back? But then, reconnecting with the cast and crew makes you wonder how cool it would be to do it again,” she said.
Bilson is up for anything, including a revival if creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are involved. For now, fans can revisit Summer and The O.C. through Bilson’s 21Seeds partnership, where Schwartz and Savage revisit iconic scenes in 2024.
Bilson added, “I always say I would do anything with Josh and Steph. So when Josh approached me with this, I said absolutely. The timing is amazing with The O.C. premiering 21 years ago, aligning perfectly with 21Seeds.”
As for getting back into the role of Summer Roberts, Bilson had no problem. “What’s so weird is how easy it was,” she quipped. “It felt really good to step back into Summer’s shoes. It was really fun and didn’t feel like any time had passed, which is super bizarre.”
