LOS ANGELES -- No spoilers! That's how it's done in the O.C.

The cast and producer of the popular Fox soap "The O.C." showed up at press tour with little information to feed TV critics, preferring to keep everything a surprise for the Nov. 4 second-season premiere of the Orange County, Calif.-set soap.

The biggest challenge facing the show in year two? A new time slot: 8 p.m. Thursday opposite "Friends" spinoff "Joey." Get those VCRs warmed up.

"We have our fan base, and I think they're going to come with us," said "O.C." creator Josh Schwartz. "I think we're going to be able to build on that audience and expand."

"The O.C." has been praised on several fronts, particularly for its willingness to incorporate humor into the largely humorless world of the prime-time soap and also for giving the adult characters, not just the teens, substantial story lines.

"A world where teenagers are geniuses and the world's a better place without those pesky adults would not ring true, especially in a [real] world where there are high stakes and that's full of anxiety," said star Peter Gallagher, who plays patriarch Sandy Cohen. "Fortunately, [Schwartz] wanted to tell both sides of the story."

Interestingly, "The O.C." has had wide appeal, not just with female teens, usually the core audience for a teen soap, but also with teenage boys. Adam Brody, who plays funny Seth Cohen, said he was on a golf course recently and was approached by a gaggle of 16-year-old Seth Cohen wannabes who all shared Seth's indie rock interest.

"I was surprised how many people this character is speaking for now," Brody said.

Melinda Clarke, who plays vixen mom Julie Cooper, got an interesting reaction from one fan at the show's wrap party. Last season Julie had a brief affair with Luke (Chris Carmack, now departed from "The O.C."), her daughter's teenage ex-boyfriend.

"This young man and his friend were sitting at a table, and he grabbed my arm and said, 'I want to say thank you. Because of you, I'm dating my best friend's mom,' and the friend next to him was rolling his eyes. ... Every time I'd see him across the room he'd mouth, 'Thank you!'"

This much Schwartz would divulge about next season: Sandy's ailing mom, played by Linda Lavin, will return.

"The nana really popped for people, and therefore I think it's safe to say the chemo's working," he said.

And look for fewer fistfights.

"We're going to slow down the storytelling some this year," Schwartz said. "There won't necessarily have to be a brawl at every black-tie affair."

Fans hungry for more "O.C." stuff might want to check out "Stop Being a Hater and Learn to Love 'The O.C.' " ($9.95, Penguin), an unauthorized guide to the series by Alan Sepinwall, TV critic for The Star-Ledger of New Jersey. A boxed set of the first season of "The O.C." will be released in October.

More drama series updates

"24": Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer will be the only returning series regular for the fourth year, although executive producer Robert Cochran said all of the past regulars -- well, the survivors, anyway -- will likely make appearances.

"We felt like we were in danger of repeating ourselves," Cochran said. "We wanted fresh characters to keep the show fresh. Tony is obviously in a lot of hot water, but presidential pardons are not unknown."

He said in the new season there will be a new president of the United States, but former President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) may return as a useful ally for Bauer.

"Smallville": Lois Lane (Erica Durance) will make a 13-episode appearance on "Smallville," beginning with the season premiere that also features a battle between Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and a flying Kal-El.

Executive producer Miles Millar wouldn't not divulge whether Chloe (Alison Mack) survived the house explosion, but her face was included in a WB promo slide. Millar said last season was a little dark and the goal for this season, the characters' last year in high school, will be lighter.

Clark will join the football team, and the issue of whether he can have sex with a human will be explored. Jensen Ackles ("Dark Angel") will join the cast as a new boyfriend for Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk), and Sam Jones III, though no longer a series regular as Pete Ross, is likely to return as a guest star.

"Gilmore Girls": Creator Amy Sherman Palladino made no apologies for having Rory (Alexis Bledel) lose her virginity to her now-married first love, Dean (Jared Padalecki).

"She's a complete whore!" Sherman Palladino joked. "She was 19. Either she'd have sex or get an iron chastity belt with a lock."

Their moment of passion may be short-lived. The Hollywood Reporter says Matt Czuchry will join the cast as a new love interest for Rory.

Sherman Palladino said the relationship between Luke (Scott Patterson) and Lorelai (Lauren Graham) will go forward.

"The thing about it is they have so many wonderful obstacles we can throw in their way," she said. "There's the Gilmores, there's Rory's father, they've built separate lives. To me that's the fun of how do they make it work."

"7th Heaven": Simon (David Gallagher) and Matt (Barry Watson) will return for 11 episodes each, and Simon will be the first Camden to have sex outside of marriage.

"We have the ideal family, and that's a very real problem of children growing up in the house and the parents having to confront that," said series creator Brenda Hampton.

"Everwood": Scott Wolf ("Party of Five") joins the cast as a new doctor in town who may become a love interest for Nina (Stephanie Niznik).

'CSI' actors dropped

Two supporting players on CBS hit "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" have been dropped from the series, according to Daily Variety. Jorja Fox and George Eads, who play investigators Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes, were fired after demanding raises. Eads reportedly failed to show up for work yesterday and was sacked.

A CBS spokesman refused to comment.

Channel surfing

Ratings for syndicated game show "Jeopardy!" have been on the rise since the first appearance of $1 million winner Ken Jennings on June 2, up 36 percent compared to a year ago. ... UPN has flopped its Friday night fall series, moving "Star Trek: Enterprise" to 8 p.m. and putting reruns of "America's Next Top Model" at 9 p.m. ... Fox has renewed summer sitcom "Quintuplets" for a full season of 22 episodes to air through January. ... Fox has raised the upper-end age limit on "American Idol" by three years. Anyone age 16 to 28 is now eligible to compete in the fourth season. The first round of auditions will be held Aug. 4 in Cleveland.