One Tree Hill (TV series)

This article is about the American television series. For One Tree Hill, see One Tree Hill (TV series) (disambiguation).

One Tree Hill
File:OTH Title Sequence.jpg The One Tree Hill intertitle.
Created by	Mark Schwahn
Starring	See below.
Opening theme	"I Don't Want to Be" by Gavin DeGraw
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	88 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Mark Schwahn Michael Tollin Brian Robbins Joe Davola
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	approx. 42 minutes
Original release
Network	The WB (2003-2006) The CW (2006-)
Release	September 23, 2003 – present

One Tree Hill is an American teen television drama. It premiered on September 23, 2003 and aired on The WB in the United States until May 3, 2006. On September 18, 2006, The WB merged with UPN and formed The CW, so One Tree Hill began its fourth season on the The CW on September 27, 2006 at 9/8C on Wednesdays, and it now airs weekly. One Tree Hill is filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Story of One Tree Hill

Season One: 2003-2004

Main article: One Tree Hill (season 1)

The one-on-one game between Lucas and Nathan.

File:Oth112.jpg

The Brooke/Lucas/Peyton triangle begins.

File:Oth118.jpg

Nathan strips at the Boy Toy Auction.

Tree Hill is a small town in North Carolina, home to the famous high school basketball team "The Tree Hill Ravens" and two half-brothers Lucas Scott (played by Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (played by James Lafferty). The two brothers have grown up in the same town, but have had little or no contact with each other due to the influence of their mutual father, Dan Scott (Paul Johansson).

Dan dated Lucas' mother Karen Roe (Moira Kelly) in high school but left her and his unborn child (Lucas) behind to go to college and pursue a basketball scholarship. In college, he met Nathan's mother Deb (Barbara Alyn Woods) who also became pregnant. Dan married Deb and provided her and Nathan with a stable home and rich lifestyle. In stark contrast, he never once tried to become a part of Lucas' life. Lucas was raised single-handedly by Karen, with help from his paternal uncle Keith (Craig Sheffer), the father figure in his life.

Nathan plays for the Ravens, just as Dan did in his high school days. Lucas confines his talent to the River Court, until an opening in the lineup gives Keith an idea; he recommends Lucas to the Ravens' Coach, Whitey Durham (Barry Corbin) who asks Lucas to play. This adds to the tension between Lucas and Nathan. Nathan, encouraged by Dan, tries to make life on the team difficult for Lucas, especially since Lucas has his eye on Nathan's girlfriend Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton). Peyton dumps Nathan when she tires of his attitude towards her, towards Lucas and towards the fact that Nathan is using Lucas' best friend Haley James (Bethany Joy Lenz) to get at Lucas. To Nathan's surprise, he falls in love with Haley and she with him, although their relationship puts a strain on Lucas and Haley's friendship.

Lucas starts dating Peyton's best friend Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush) but his feelings for Peyton resurface and they end up being unfaithful to Brooke, who wants nothing more to do with either of them once she finds out. Brooke has a pregnancy scare later in the season, putting Lucas in Dan's position; Lucas understands for the first time why Dan did what he did and decides that he doesn't want to do the same thing so he offers to be there for Brooke and the baby, leading a guilty Brooke to confess that she lied about being pregnant to punish Lucas for cheating on her with Peyton. Peyton gets close to single father Jake Jagielski (guest star, Bryan Greenberg) and his baby, Jenny, but the return of Jenny's mother Nicki (guest star, Emmanuelle Vaugier) and her decision to battle Jake for sole custody of Jenny drives Jake out of Tree Hill and leaves Peyton on her own.

Karen heads to Italy for a few weeks and leaves Lucas in Keith's care. Lucas almost dies in a car accident caused by Keith's drinking. He also sustains a very serious shoulder injury and Karen's potential romance with Keith is destroyed as a result. Deb tires of the pressure Dan puts on Nathan and seeks a divorce from Dan, but things turn nasty and Nathan is caught in the middle of his warring parents. After learning that Deb once had an affair, Nathan emancipates himself and moves into his own apartment. Karen and Deb become friends and go into partnership together at Karen's café while Keith is forced to sell his auto shop to Dan to pay Lucas' medical bills. Keith proposes to Karen but she turns him down so he decides to leave Tree Hill and move to Charleston.

In the season finale, the Playoffs have arrived and with Whitey in hospital having eye surgery, Dan is now coaching the team. Lucas and Nathan form a united front against their father but end up losing the Playoffs and their season is over. Lucas decides to move to Charleston with Keith and he and Nathan part on good terms. Haley decides that she wants to sleep with Nathan and is ready to lose her virginity to him. They make plans to do it after the game. Dan walks in on Keith and Deb sleeping together and then suffers a massive heart attack the next morning as a result. Brooke and Peyton reunite and concoct a plan to get rid of Nicki; Brooke tells Nicki that Jake took Jenny to Seattle (he actually took her to Savannah) and Nicki sets off, leaving Brooke and Peyton delighted. They vow never to let another guy come between them again. Lucas comes to Nathan's apartment to say goodbye to Haley and discovers that they slept together. He confronts Haley about it and is astounded when she announces that she and Nathan got married the night before. Following this groundbreaking revelation, Lucas and Keith leave Tree Hill.

Season Two: 2004-2005

Main article: One Tree Hill (season 2)

After Lucas and Keith learn of Dan's heart attack, they return to Tree Hill and Dan decides he wants to get to know Lucas. Lucas cautiously enters into a relationship with his father and after Dan learns that Lucas has contracted HCM, the genetic defect which caused Dan's own heart attack, he convinces Lucas to move in with him and pays for his medication, keeping his condition a secret. Dan also agrees to stay away from Keith and his new girlfriend Jules (guest star, Maria Menounos) as Lucas discovers that Dan hired Jules to make Keith fall in love with her and then break his heart to get back at Keith for sleeping with Deb. Jules jilts Keith at the altar and he leaves Tree Hill with a broken heart.

Nathan and Haley's marriage is soon tested with the arrival of Chris Keller (guest star, Tyler Hilton), a musician who convinces Haley to leave Nathan and Tree Hill to come on tour with him. In despair, Nathan attempts to kill himself by crashing a race-car but a dream makes him realize that he has to get on with life without Haley and so he allows papers to be drawn up to annul their marriage.

Peyton starts an all-ages club named TRIC but at the same time, finds herself tempted to take drugs and enters a dark place in her life, which Jake helps her out of when he returns. Jake and Peyton fall in love and begin a relationship, but Jake is forced to leave Peyton and Tree Hill once again when Nicki kidnaps Jenny and disappears with her. Brooke begins the season by forming a "Friends with Benefits" arrangement with her new neighbour, Felix Taggarro (guest star, Michael Copon), but after her parents lose all their money, Brooke discovers an inner strength she never knew she had. She runs for student council president and is elected over her bitter opponent, Erica Marsh (guest star, Katherine Bailess). She dumps Felix after discovering he vandalized Peyton's locker and Felix is sent to military school by his parents. Brooke gets close to Lucas and moves into his old bedroom after her parents move to California. Lucas dates Felix's sister Anna (guest star, Daniella Alonso) but ends things with her after realizing that he still holds a torch for Brooke. Anna's break-up with Lucas leaves her confused about her sexuality. After kissing Peyton in a misunderstanding, Anna starts coming to terms with the fact that she is bisexual. After coming out to her parents, Anna returns to her old boarding school to be with her girlfriend.

Dan and Deb reconcile, united in their disapproval of Nathan's marriage. Lucas finds out Deb has developed an addiction to painkillers and after Nathan's car accident, she tries to overcome it by going to rehab, blaming her unhappy marriage to Dan for her addiction. Karen dates her business professor, the much younger Andy Hargrove (guest star, Kieren Hutchison), who makes an enemy out of Dan.

In the season finale, Andy is forced to return to New Zealand and look after his ill mother. Karen decides to go after him but is concerned that he hasn't checked into his hotel. Before Karen leaves Tree Hill, she thinks she sees Keith on the street opposite the café. Deb is discharged from rehab and learns that Dan tried to make Nathan feel guilty for her addiction. Deb tells Nathan that she wants them to make a fresh start away from Tree Hill and Lucas gives her the ledger of Dan's illegal business activities, which Andy uncovered. Dan blackmails Deb into giving the ledger back to him and disowns Lucas for betraying him. Nathan also disowns Lucas because he is angry with him for interfering in his family. Dan learns that Whitey has been telling Deb and Nathan a few home truths about him and threatens to have him fired. Lucas finally tells Brooke how he feels about her but she leaves for a summer in California without telling him how she herself feels. Peyton receives chilling instant-messages from someone named "WATCHMEWATCHU" and believes that it is the mysterious reporter, Ellie Harp (guest star, Sheryl Lee) who has been talking to her lately. Ellie comes to Peyton's house and shocks Peyton by telling her that she is her mother. Dan finds a white substance on the rim of a bottle of liquor left for him anonymously at the dealership and discovers he has been poisoned. Before Dan falls unconscious, a black-clad figure enters his office and sets it alight. Nathan moves back in with Deb but gets a surprise when he arrives home to find Haley on his doorstep. Lucas and Peyton find themselves alone on the beach together and realize that it's just the two of them this summer...

Season Three: 2005-2006

Main article: One Tree Hill (season 3)

File:Oth301.jpg

Lucas and Peyton spend the summer alone together in Tree Hill.

File:Oth305.jpg

Lucas and Nathan are at loggerheads again.

File:Oth318.jpg

Brooke, Rachel, Peyton and Haley with Pete Wentz.

File:Oth322.jpg

Nathan and Haley renew their vows.

Three months later, things pick up where they left off at the beginning of the summer. Lucas and Peyton spent their summer together and are hiding a secret from Brooke when she returns from California and proposes a non-exclusive relationship with Lucas. Brooke takes pity on a homeless Haley and takes her on as her roommate. Haley tries to win back Nathan, who has spent the summer at "High Flyers", a basketball camp, however Nathan isn't ready to trust Haley again. He pays Chris to come back to Tree Hill and help Haley with her music. Chris causes even more trouble this time round when he sleeps with Brooke, almost destroying her relationship with Lucas. Nathan and Haley get back together as do Lucas and Brooke and Chris leaves Tree Hill for good. Peyton tries to come to terms with the fact that Ellie is her birth mother and the fact that Ellie is terminally ill. They make a benefit album together in aid of breast cancer research but Ellie dies before the album is finished.

Everyone returns to Tree Hill High to begin their senior year and basketball practice starts up again. Whitey reveals to the Ravens that win or lose, this is his last season as coach while Lucas tries to conceal his HCM from Karen and Whitey, despite the serious impact it is having on his performance. Dan survives the fire at the dealership and it is revealed that Lucas rescued him. Dan decides to run for mayor but gets a nasty shock when Karen announces that she is running against him. However, Dan wins the election and Deb flees Tree Hill when Lucas tells her that he knows she tried to kill Dan. Keith returns and he and Karen start seeing each other, even getting engaged. Dan is convinced that Keith tried to kill him and sets about plotting his revenge.

Newcomer Rachel Gatina (Danneel Harris) tries to come between Lucas and Brooke before setting her sights on Mouth McFadden (Lee Norris). Mouth falls for Rachel only to discover that she is seeing Nathan's uncle Cooper (guest star, Michael Trucco) who is oblivious to Rachel's true age, 17. Rachel also opens the time capsule recorded in season two and exposes it to the whole school in an attempt to cause trouble, but neither Rachel nor anyone else is prepared for the damage it does cause; Lucas and Mouth's former friend, Jimmy Edwards (guest star, Colin Fickes), bullied and tormented for voicing his contempt towards other students on the time capsule, takes the school hostage with a gun. Peyton is shot in the leg and kisses Lucas when he takes care of her in the library. Edwards turns the gun on himself, despite Keith's attempts at talking him round. Dan finds Keith kneeling over the student's dead body and still believing Keith tried to kill him, Dan picks up the gun and shoots his brother.

Keith's death affects everyone; Nathan and Haley move back in together and get engaged, Peyton has a brief romance with Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy before going to find Jake in Savannah, Lucas finally admits to Karen that he has HCM and can no longer play basketball and Dan is haunted by visions of Keith as a child. Peyton proposes to Jake but Jake discovers Peyton's feelings for Lucas and encourages her to go back to Tree Hill to deal with them. Brooke is outraged when she discovers that Peyton still has feelings for Lucas.

In the season finale, Nathan and Haley renew their vows in a beautiful ceremony. Deb has by now returned to Tree Hill and when she discovers that Dan thinks Keith was responsible for the dealership fire, she sets the record straight and tells him that she tried to kill him. Dan realizes he murdered his brother for no reason and breaks down at his grave. Later, Karen tells Dan that she is pregnant and Dan promises her that he will be there for her this time. Brooke is not speaking to Peyton and when Lucas lets slip that he and Peyton kissed on the day of the school shooting, she is devastated and tells Peyton that as far as she is concerned, their friendship is over. Rachel is bitter over Cooper's rejection and drunkenly tells everyone at Nathan and Haley's wedding reception that Cooper slept with her even though he knew that she was only seventeen. Rachel takes off in the wedding limo with Cooper and his attempts to talk her round eventually work. As Lucas and Karen leave the reception, he finds a pregnancy test in someone's purse. Lucas asks his mother if she is pregnant and she tells him that she is - but that's not her purse. Rachel asks Cooper if there is anything that she can say to keep him. He solemnly tells her that there isn't, prompting Rachel to reveal something that causes a ferocious argument between them when Cooper refuses to believe her. Rachel grabs control of the wheel and after a near-collision with Nathan and Haley (en route to London for their honeymoon), the limo veers off the bridge and into the water. Against Haley's wishes, Nathan dives in to save them but ends up becoming trapped and stuck for air himself. And when Dan gets home, he finds the word "MURDERER" smeared on his wall - someone knows what he did.

Season Four: 2006-2007

Main article: One Tree Hill (season 4)

File:Oth401.jpg

Karen tries to revive Cooper after the accident.

File:Oth409.jpg

Lucas and Peyton kiss as the Ravens win the State Championship.

File:Oth414.jpg

Haley confronts Rachel about the stolen calculus test.

File:Oth416.JPG

Brooke and Peyton are held hostage by Ian Banks.

As the end of High School approaches, everyone finds themselves at a crossroads in their lives. Nathan survives the accident and after some initial confusion, Haley is revealed to be pregnant while Rachel turns her attentions to Nathan after Cooper leaves town, using Nathan's theory that it was really Keith who saved him from the accident to get Nathan's attention. Rachel backs off when she learns that Haley is pregnant and Nathan later learns that he had a vision of Keith and it was this vision that gave him the strength to get out of the water.

Shortly after finishing her friendship with Peyton, Brooke also breaks up with Lucas and then moves in with Rachel. Rachel sets Brooke up on a date with an older guy, Nick Chavez (guest star, Reynaldo Valentin), who turns out to be Brooke's new teacher. After Brooke dumps Nick for cheating on her, Rachel informs Brooke that she is failing calculus and together, the two girls steal the calculus test from school but to cover their tracks, they are forced to join the "Clean Teens: Virgins for Life". Newcomer Chase Adams (guest star, Stephen Colletti) also joins the Clean Teens and he and Brooke begin dating while Rachel is expelled for taking the fall for the stolen calculus test and later leaves Tree Hill with Mouth, who returns alone after she goes AWOL.

Skills Taylor (Antwon Tanner) becomes a Raven and Lucas is granted permission from Whitey to rejoin the team (as long as he keeps taking his heart medication and doesn't play for more than fifteen minutes per game). In the run-up to the State Championship, Nathan borrows money from a loan shark, Daunte Jones (guest star, Rick Fox), who tells Nathan that the only way he can repay his debt is by shaving points in the semi-final and then by losing the State Championship. When the Ravens actually end up winning, Daunte attempts to kill Nathan but instead hits Haley with his car and she is rushed to hospital along with Lucas, who had a heart attack because he didn't take his medication before the game. While Lucas is unconscious, he has a vision of Keith, who shows Lucas how he has changed so many lives for the better and also tries to help Lucas remember what he saw on the day of the school shooting. Lucas wakes up with serious doubts about who killed Keith while Dan is in jail, covering for Nathan who beat Daunte to death in a rage for running Haley down. Daunte's autopsy results, however, show that he was killed in the car accident he had after hitting Haley, and not by the beating he was given so Dan is released and Nathan is overjoyed to learn that both Haley and the baby are going to be fine.

When Karen discovers that Dan was protecting Nathan all along, she starts to let Dan back in, realising that he wants to be there for her and the baby. Deb, however, alienates everyone, including Karen, when her pill addiction resurfaces and she ends up taking an overdose. To keep Deb on the straight and narrow, Nathan and Haley move in with her and throw a party on the night before prom where Mouth loses his virginity to Clean Teen Shelly Simon (guest star, Elisabeth Harnois), who runs out on him afterwards, and a tape from Nathan's past shows him having sex with Brooke at a time when he was seeing Peyton. Chase breaks up with Brooke because of this and any chances Brooke had of reuniting with Peyton are diminished. When Brooke learns that Peyton isn't coming to prom, she goes looking for her and finds her tied up in the basement by her stalker, Ian Banks (guest star, Matt Barr), who terrorised her earlier in the season by posing as the half-brother she never knew she had, Derek Sommers (guest star, Ernest Waddell) and by sending her instant-messages under the username of "WATCHMEWATCHU". The two girls defeat Ian together and restore their friendship in the process, moving into Nathan and Haley's old apartment together.

At prom, Lucas realises that a student named Abby Brown (guest star, Allison Scagliotti) witnessed Keith's murder and he confronts her about it - she tells him that Dan was the one who killed Keith, however Karen (having gotten together with Dan) refuses to believe Lucas. Lucas steals Deb's gun and is about to shoot Dan when Karen collapses and is rushed to hospital with eclampsia. After an emergency C-section, Karen gives birth to a baby girl, Lily, though her own life hangs in the balance. Dan, meanwhile, turns himself in to the police.

Having finally gotten together, things are going well between Lucas and Peyton until she is offered an internship in Los Angeles. Chase and Brooke get back together and Brooke owns up to stealing the calculus test, though is still allowed to graduate while Nathan also owns up to his point-shaving; Duke retract their scholarship offer but Whitey is offered a coaching job at a nearby college and convinces Nathan to come with him as his star player. At graduation, Haley goes into labour during her valedictory speech.

In the season finale, Nathan and Haley become the proud parents of a baby boy named James Lucas Scott, choosing Lucas and Brooke as godparents, while Deb, in her role as grandmother, seems to have finally found happiness. Chase and Brooke consummate their relationship while Rachel returns to Tree Hill and throws a party for everyone. Mouth does something he's always wanted to do and kisses Brooke, while also making his peace with Shelly. Karen has a dream in which she introduces Lily to Keith and Dan's attempts to hang himself in prison fail. Karen visits Dan (only to tell him that one day she'll have to explain to Lily that her father was killed by the brother he loved so much) but Lucas and Nathan both agree that they never want to see Dan again. Lucas reveals that he will be Whitey's Assistant Coach at college and supports Peyton as she and Brooke prepare to go to LA together. In the closing scene of the season, everyone heads to the River Court for a game of basketball; boys against the girls, followed by a one-on-one game between Lucas and Nathan, taking them back to the night Lucas became a Raven.

Season Five: 2008

Main article: One Tree Hill (season 5)

On May 17, 2007, The CW announced that the show would return for a fifth season, but as a mid-season replacement. The show will be "dramatically retooled and set four years into the future - after the characters have already graduated from college." Until the show's return to the schedule, the network has plans to post diaries online to fill in the intervening years in the characters' lives.

Hilarie Burton confirmed on TRL that the show's fifth season will focus on their lives after college, citing the reason for this as "We've seen the High School dramas not do so well while they're in college, and another thing, we've done everything that everyone does in college". She said this will "enable them to do flashbacks and a lot of cool stuff with the characters". The fifth season now has a 22-episode order.

Chad Michael Murray has stated that Lucas will be a best-selling author releasing his second book, and will also be Coach of Tree Hill's High School Basketball Team. Lucas will help a struggling 18 year old and become very depressed and look to his friends for help.

According to Ask Ausiello on TVGuide.com, "Expect some new faces to join the familiar ones: a cocky new Ravens player who will butt heads with Lucas, possibly named Quentin, a New York book editor who has a hard time balancing work and play, plus a manipulative business executive with a cruel streak (either of the two mentioned will be named Lydia or Lindsey not sure as to which is which) and a beautiful and nurturing nanny named Carrie for Nathan and Haley's son, James, who will cause a strain on their marriage. Speaking of that baby we left in diapers last season, expect one smart little boy when we return, who will be about four years old and very mature for his age."

The fifth season began shooting on July 29,2007

Characters

Main article: Characters of One Tree Hill

Lucas Scott (played by Chad Michael Murray) (S1 - present): Lucas is the son that Dan never claimed, although Keith more than made up for the lack of a father figure in his life. He and Nathan start out as enemies but bond as friends and as brothers as the show progresses. Lucas' best friend is Haley and he has been a romantic interest for both Peyton and Brooke. Lucas has a serious heart condition known as HCM, which he concealed for a long time. Aside from basketball, his greatest passion is literature and quotes from the books he reads are used on the show. He also has a half-sister named Lily.

Nathan Scott (played by James Lafferty) (S1 - present): Nathan, a stereotypical jock, is the son that Dan did claim, although his relationships with both his parents are strained at the best of times. Nathan marries Haley in Season two and again in Season Three and becomes a father to baby James Lucas Scott in Season Four. He and Lucas start out as enemies but bond as friends and as brothers as the show progresses. Nathan is the star player of the Ravens and is named "Most Valuable Player" in Season Four. Basketball has always been his greatest passion and he sees it as his "way out".

Peyton Sawyer (played by Hilarie Burton) (S1 - present): Peyton is an interesting and unusual girl. Her two greatest passions in life are music and art; she is an expert in the punk rock genre and uses her art to express the issues that play out in her life. Peyton's father Larry works on a dredging boat and is never at home and her mother Anna is dead. In Season Two, she discovers that she is actually adopted. She has never met her biological father although she has met his son, her half-brother, Derek. After getting to know her birth mother Ellie, she loses her to breast cancer. In Season Four, Lucas and Peyton finally act on their long-repressed feelings for each other and begin a relationship.

Haley James Scott (played by Bethany Joy Galeotti) (S1 - present): Haley is Lucas' best friend. She marries Nathan in Season two and again in Season Three and gives birth to his son, James Lucas Scott, in Season Four. She is an extremely intelligent young woman with high morals. In Season Two, she leaves Nathan to tour the country as a musician but realizes that her marriage is worth more than her dream and she returns to him.

Dan Scott (played by Paul Johansson) (S1 - present): A once great basketball player, Dan is father to both Nathan and Lucas, although he never wanted anything to do with the latter. After his marriage to Deb crumbles and she and Nathan try to rid themselves of him, Dan's evil comes to the forefront. After Dan finds Deb sleeping with his brother, Keith, a war begins between the two brothers, culminating with Dan fatally shooting his brother in Season Three, believing that Keith had set his car dealership alight. Since discovering that Deb was actually behind the fire, Dan has tried to make amends by supporting Karen through her pregnancy and appears to have turned over a new leaf. However, after Lucas discovers he is Keith's murderer, he is placed in jail and disowned by both his sons and Karen.

Brooke Davis (played by Sophia Bush) (S1 - present): Brooke is Peyton's best friend and captain of the cheerleading squad. Feisty and flirtatious, she has fallen for Lucas twice but both times, their relationship didn't work out. Lucas had cheated on Brooke with Peyton, both times of their relationship. Brooke is very insecure with her relationships, since of what she had went through with Lucas. Brooke has lived in several different places since her parents moved to California without her. She never has had any good parental figures, other than Karen. She creates a clothing line, Clothes Over Bro's in Season Three - it is accepted by Rogue Vogue and later by Victoria's Secret in season 4. She is Haley's son's Godmother.

Deb Scott (played by Barbara Alyn Woods) (S2 - present, recurring S1): Deb is Dan's neurotic ex-wife and Nathan's mother. Married to Dan for seventeen years, she eventually divorces him in Season Three, her hatred of him driving her to attempt to kill him at one point. Deb battles a pill addiction in Season Two and again in Season Four, but overcomes it for good the second time.

Marvin "Mouth" McFadden (played by Lee Norris) (S3 - present, recurring S1-S2): Mouth is one of Lucas' oldest friends, originating from the River Court. He is somewhat unlucky in love, being the victim of Brooke's unrequited love in Season Two, being dumped by Erica when she becomes popular and falling for Rachel, only to get sidelined for the older Cooper. GiGi, his co-sports announcer, has also broken up with him after only seeing him for a few weeks and Shelly Simon runs out on him after he loses his virginity to her. Mouth hopes to be a sports commentator and commentates at the Ravens' games.

Antoine "Skills" Taylor (played by Antwon Tanner) (S4 - present, recurring S1-S3): Skills is one of Lucas' oldest friends, originating from the River Court. He takes on a more prevalent role in Season Four when he fills Lucas' vacancy on the Ravens. He dates Bevin Maskey, a cheerleader and is accepted to the college of his choice.

Rachel Gatina (played by Danneel Harris) (S4 - present, recurring S3): Rachel moves to Tree Hill in Season Three. After joining the cheerleading squad, she instantly clashes with Brooke as she pursues Lucas, although Brooke and Rachel later become friends. Rachel gets close to Mouth but sidelines him for Cooper, who dumps Rachel when he finds out she lied about her true age. After Nathan and Haley's wedding, Cooper and Rachel have an altercation in the limo which causes it to veer off the Mollina Bridge and into the water. Nathan rescues Rachel and she develops a crush on him but backs off when she discovers that Haley is pregnant. Rachel takes the fall for a calculus exam she stole with Brooke and is expelled from Tree Hill High.

Coach Brian "Whitey" Durham (played by Barry Corbin) (S1 - present): Whitey is the Ravens' coach. He and Dan have never seen eye-to-eye and often bicker over their differing opinions on the team. Whitey often laments the death of his wife Camilla and the fact that he didn't spend more time with her while she was alive. He retires after the Ravens finally win him his much-coveted State Championship title in Season Four but later takes a coaching position in a college three hours away from Tree Hill, so that Nathan has the chance to play college basketball.

Keith Scott (played by Craig Sheffer) (S1 - S3, recurring S4): Keith was Dan's older, kinder, under-achieving brother. After Dan chose Deb over Karen, Keith helped Karen to raise Lucas (acting as a surrogate father to him) and fell in love with her but they only got together in Season Three. He had a recurring drink problem and an ongoing rivalry with his brother which involved him sleeping with Deb and Dan paying Jules to seduce Keith and then dump him to get back at Keith for this. When Dan mistook him for the one who tried to kill him in the dealership fire, he shot him after the siege at Tree Hill High, killing him instantly. Since his death, Karen has given birth to Keith's daughter, Lily, and Keith has been haunting Dan as a teen and as an adult ghost and has been guiding his nephews as a sort of guardian angel.

Karen Roe (played by Moira Kelly) (S1 - present): Karen is Lucas' mother. Dan abandoned her after she became pregnant in High School and with a lot of help from Dan's brother (and in later years, Karen's lover) Keith, Karen raised Lucas alone. She runs a small café in Tree Hill and along with her business partner and friend, Deb, she owns an all-ages club named TRIC. Karen is devastated by Keith's death in Season Three. In Season Four, she gets close to Dan again before learning that he was the one who killed Keith and has given birth to Keith's daughter, whom she names Lily Rose Scott.

Episodes

Main article: List of One Tree Hill episodes

There were 22 episodes in Season One, 23 episodes in Season Two, 22 episodes in Season Three, and 21 episodes in Season Four. For Season Five, The CW has ordered 22 episodes. Since February 15, 2007, One Tree Hill episodes have been available for download at iTunes.

The CW, SOAPnet

On February 7, 2007, SOAPnet announced that it would be picking up reruns of The O.C. and One Tree Hill. The deal made with the show's production company, Warner Brothers, does not necessarily guarantee the show a fifth season. It simply states that should a fifth season be made, SOAPnet holds on to the option of picking it up for syndication. The show began airing at 1:00PM and again at 5:00PM on April 9, 2007, preceded by two hours of Beverly Hills, 90210 and followed by The O.C.

Origins

As stated on Disc Three of the first season DVD set, Mark Schwahn originally planned for One Tree Hill to be a feature length film, under the name of Ravens. He pitched the idea around town but under the advice of a WB front man, he revised the movie into an hour long teen drama series. Tree Hill is a fictional town, named from the song "One Tree Hill" by U2. Schwahn had named the town "Tree Hill" because while he was writing the idea for the show he had been listening to the album The Joshua Tree by U2. The show was to be called Ravens until the network asked Schwahn to change it. Ravens made the show seem more sports-centred and seeing as their lead-in was Gilmore Girls and TV is watched predominantly by females, it would be better to change the name to appeal to a larger audience. So Schwahn renamed the show One Tree Hill, appropriately so. At the start of the show, fans often asked Schwahn why the show was named One Tree Hill when the town was just called Tree Hill. The question is ostensibly answered when Karen tells Lucas in Episode 1.21 that "There is only one Tree Hill - and it's your home." The irony in this is that there is actually more than one real life "One Tree Hill"; as well as the volcanic cone in New Zealand, it is the name of an Australian suburb and a teenage make-out spot in Essex, England. Schwahn has been quoted as saying that the "one" comes from the high school's address; 1, Tree Hill.

Music

Music plays a central role in both the plot and the movement of the scenes throughout an episode. Several scenes are tied together seemlessly at the end of each show and the song, which is usually played in its entirety, helps create a singular mood from seemingly unconnected events.

The show has a long list of artists that have participated in the show; Gavin DeGraw, Sheryl Crow, The Wreckers, Jimmy Eat World, La Rocca, Fall Out Boy, Nada Surf, Jack's Mannequin, Michelle Featherstone, Lupe Fiasco and Within Reason. Both Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley James Scott) and Tyler Hilton (Chris Keller) have also performed on the show. Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz appeared in an episode after the band's performance as himself, in a storyline where he became a love-interest for Peyton. Other well-known bands whose songs have featured on the show include; Mclusky, Snow Patrol, Keane, Led Zeppelin and The Cure.

The show has released three soundtrack albums: One Tree Hill Volume 1, One Tree Hill Volume 2: Friends with Benefit and The Road Mix: Music from the Television Series One Tree Hill, Vol. 3. Proceeds of the second soundtrack go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, to tie in with one of the show's storylines involving breast cancer. The Road Mix was released on April 3, 2007 again as a part of the story. It used to be the first soundtrack ever to be made only by songs heard in one episode. However, most of the tracks have already been used. But, in Episode 4.17 ("It Gets the Worst at Night"), Peyton puts them all on a mix tape for the journey to Honey Grove. Her choice gathers together The Constantines, Dashboard Confessional, The Kooks and Mother Love Bone as Mark Schwahn's personal desired band for The Road Mix.

Mark Schwahn has revealed that he names each episode after a particular song that has something in common with the theme of the episode. For example, Episode 1.01 ("The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most") is named after a Dashboard Confessional song of the same name. In this episode, Lucas realizes that basketball, which had once been his safe place, is now the place that he has come to fear the most after joining the Ravens.

For the meanings behind each episode's title, visit the page on the One Tree Hill episode titles.

AT&T (formerly Cingular) and Sunkist's part in the plot

Being a sponsor of the show (as shown by the fact that most of the characters have Cingular phones), AT&T has given fans the chance to make several choices about the show which included:

• Whether or not Nathan and Taylor would sleep together when they met at the 'Swinging Donkey' bar in Season Two; the fans chose for them not to. [1]
• What Nathan and Haley's second wedding song would be in the finale of Season Three; the fans chose "More Than Anyone" by Gavin DeGraw.
• Which band would perform at the senior prom in Season Four; the fans chose Within Reason, a Birmingham rock band. [2]

Sunkist is another sponsor which can be spotted at concerts in episodes such as "When it Isn't Like it Should Be" and "Just Watch the Fireworks" and in the characters' fridges. It held a contest to choose which town the characters would visit in "It Gets the Worst at Night", and Honey Grove, Texas won.

Ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of One Tree Hill on The WB and The CW.

Season	Timeslot	Season premiere	Season finale	TV season	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
1	Tuesday 9/8c	September 23, 2003	May 11, 2004	2003-2004	#173	3.5
2	Tuesday 9/8c	September 21, 2004	May 24, 2005	2004-2005	#109	4.3
3	Wednesday 8/7c	October 5, 2005	May 3, 2006	2005-2006	#137	2.8
4	Wednesday 9/8c	September 27, 2006	June 13, 2007	2006-2007	#136	2.9
5	Wednesday 9/8c	January 2, 2008	May/June 2008	2007-2008	TBA	TBA

In its third season, The WB moved the show from Tuesday to Wednesday, much to the anger of the audience. After it was moved, the show suffered a ratings decline which many thought was due to the timeslot change. Others speculated that the real-life separation of series co-stars Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush in September of 2005 contributed to the ratings slump.

A landmark episode in the third season, "With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept", which featured two tragic deaths, aired on March 1, 2006, racking in a 2.5/4 rating, which was the highest rating for Season 3. The May 3, 2006 season finale pulled in a 2.3/4 rating with a 1.4 rating for adults 18-49, the show's biggest audience in that season with the exception of the episode on March 1.

With the announcement that The WB and UPN would be merging to create one network, The CW, rumors of cancellation soon surfaced. This was brought on by The CW executives stating that only the best shows from both networks would be back in the fall. The WB issued statements that they were 100% behind the show and that no cancellation was in the works.

The CW schedule was officially released on Thursday, May 18, 2006, confirming One Tree Hill's place in the program line-up, where it still airs on Wednesdays, but at a later time of 9/8C. Filming started on July 20, 2006, and the season 4 premiere aired on Wednesday, September 27, 2006. The premiere earned a 2.5/4 rating, which equaled season 3's highest rating. Season 4's ratings have benefitted from having the hit show America's Next Top Model as a lead-in, especially against strong competition on other networks. The ninth episode in the fourth season, "Some You Give Away", which featured two main characters in a life-threatening cliffhanger, had an audience of 4.15 million, which was the highest rating since the 2004-2005 season.

DVD releases

Main article: One Tree Hill DVD releases

Seasons one through three of One Tree Hill have been released on DVD in Regions 1, 2 and 4. DVD releases typically include commentary by cast and crew members on a select number of episodes, deleted scenes, gag reels and some featurettes.

Complete season	Release dates
	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
1st	January 25, 2005	September 5, 2005	February 1, 2006
2nd	September 13, 2005	April 10, 2006	September 6, 2006
3rd	September 26, 2006	October 23, 2006	July 4, 2007
4th	TBA	TBA	October 8, 2007

International airings of One Tree Hill

Country	Alternate title (translation)	TV network(s)	Weekly schedule
United States		The WB (2003-2006); The CW (2006-present)	The CW on Wednesdays at 9.00pm.
Australia		FOX8 (season one, season two begins on Tuesday September 11th at 7:30pm)	Channel Ten has the original rights to air One Tree Hill, but it is unknown when the show will air on the channel again.
Belgium	One Tree Hill	Kanaal 2 (Dutch); VT4 (old episodes)
	Les Frères Scott ("The Scott Brothers")	Plug TV (French)
Brazil	One Tree Hill	FOX	From Mondays to Fridays at 12pm.
	Lances da Vida ("Throws of Life")	SBT	Sundays at 11am.
Bulgaria	Самотно дърво на хълма ("Lonely Tree on the Hill")	Kanal 1
Canada	Les Frères Scott ("The Scott Brothers"), One Tree Hill	CH, NTV and Fox44
Croatia	Tree Hill	HRT2
Denmark		TV3
Finland	Tunteet Pelissä ("Feelings in the Game")	SubTV
France	Les Frères Scott ("The Scott Brothers")	TF1, TF6
Germany		Pro7 (2007)
Greece	Φίλοι για πάντα ("Friends Forever")	STAR	Saturday at 15:30.
Hong Kong		Star World on Now Broadband TV
Hungary	Tuti Gimi ("Cool High School")	RTL Klub
Iceland		Skjáreinn
India		Star World
Indonesia		Jak-TV
Ireland		TG4	Mondays at 9:05pm.
Israel	(Migrash Beyti) מגרש ביתי ("Home Court")	yes Weekend (seasons 1-2) yesSTARS (season 3); yes stars 1 (season 4) Channel 10 (old episodes)	Thursdays at 9:15pm.
Italy		Rai Due	From Mondays to Fridays, 5:15pm.
Kenya		Kenya Television Network
Latin America		FOX LIFE
Malaysia		8TV and Star World on ASTRO satellite TV	8TV - Saturdays at 10.30pm.
Maldives		Star World
Mexico	One Tree Hill ("Hermanos Rebeldes")	FOX LA
The Netherlands	One Tree Hill	Net 5
New Zealand		TV2	Sundays at 2:00pm.
Norway	One Tree Hill	TVNorge
Pakistan		Orbit Network on America Plus Channel
Panama	Hermanos Rebeldes	TVMax
Philippines	One Tree Hill	ETC, Star World and RPN
Poland	Pogoda na miłość ("Weather for Love")	TVN Siedem
Quebec	Les Frères Scott	VRAK.TV; Fox44's WB Time (new episodes)
Romania	Ruleta destinului ("The Destiny Roulette)	Pro Cinema
Russia	Холм Одного Дерева ("One Tree Hill")	NTV
Saudi Arabia		[Orbit] (Channel: America Plus)	.
Serbia		FOX Srbija
Singapore		Star World
South Africa		GO	Thursdays at 6:30pm.
Spain	One Tree Hill	TVE2 Cosmopolitan TV FOX
Sweden	One Tree Hill	Kanal 5
Switzerland	Les Frères Scott (French title, "The Scott Brothers")	TSR2 (French); TSI1 (Italian)
Taiwan		CTS
Thailand		True Series Star World	Fridays at 9pm.
Turkey		CNBC-e
United Arab Emirates		Dubai One (Previously One TV)	Saturdays at 12 noon and 9pm.
United Kingdom		E4 and Channel 4	Sundays at 5pm.

Cast members of One Tree Hill

• List of One Tree Hill cast members