This is dark, gritty Jeffrey Road, part of my dark, gritty reboot of The OC starring a grown-up Ryan Atwood as an upper-middle-class finance manager who’s moved to Irvine. Feeling mildly resentful about his association’s rule against non-white window coverings, Ryan’s troubled childhood increasingly haunts him until he finally cracks and begins a suburban campaign of mayhem and retribution. In the first episode, he sneaks into neighboring houses at night, replacing the kitchen curtains in each one with a tasteful paisley pattern—and a clue to where he’ll strike next. The police are confounded, but one detective—a crusty maverick who sometimes walks to work even though he lives a full half mile from the station—is determined to stop the Paisley Prankster at all costs. But can he do it without becoming the very person he’s dedicated his life to tracking down: a serial violator of HOA rules and regulations?
