One Tree Hill (TV series)

One Tree Hill
File:One Tree Hill title.png The One Tree Hill intertitle.
Created by	Mark Schwahn
Starring	Chad Michael Murray (2003-2009) James Lafferty Hilarie Burton(2003-2009) Bethany Joy Galeotti Sophia Bush Paul Johansson Barry Corbin Craig Sheffer Moira Kelly Barbara Alyn Woods Lee Norris Antwon Tanner Danneel Harris Jackson Brundage Lisa Goldstein Austin Nichols Robert Buckley Shantel VanSanten
Narrated by	Chad Michael Murray (Other members of cast)
Opening theme	"I Don't Want to Be" by Gavin DeGraw (Seasons 1-4)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	130 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Mark Schwahn Michael Tollin Brian Robbins Joe Davola
Camera setup	Single-camera setup
Running time	42 minutes
Original release
Network	The WB (2003-2006) The CW (2006-present)
Release	September 23, 2003

One Tree Hill is a teen/young adult television drama which takes place in a small fictional North Carolina town. Created by Mark Schwahn, it premiered on September 23, 2003 on The WB Television Network. The show continued to air on The WB until May 3, 2006, as it was announced that the network would merge with UPN to form The CW Television Network. The fourth season began airing on The CW on September 27, 2006 and the show continues to air on Mondays at 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central. On September 1, 2008, The CW started airing the sixth season of One Tree Hill. The show's interiors are filmed at the EUE/Screen Gems studios in Wilmington, North Carolina and exteriors are filmed in and around Wilmington. On February 25, 2009 The CW renewed One Tree Hill for a seventh season.

Production

Conception

Mark Schwahn originally planned for One Tree Hill to be a feature length film. 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 (which is, in turn, named after a landmark in New Zealand). Schwahn 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 originally to be called Ravens. 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 1.22 that "There is only one Tree Hill - and it's your home." 1, Tree Hill is also the address of Tree Hill High School.

Episode format and series timeline

Episodes follow a regular structure. An episode usually begins with a recap of events relevant to the upcoming narrative; however this is sometimes dropped due to time constraints. During the first four seasons, the theme tune is played either immediately after the recap, or after the first few scenes. Whenever an episode features sensitive or violent subjects, or when an episode's running length is close to the total allotted time, there are no opening credits but only One Tree Hill written on a dark blue background. Since the beginning of Season Five, the theme tune was abandoned, and only the single title shot is used.

One Tree Hill is known for its numerous voiceovers featuring either literary quotes, or characters reflecting on events of the episode. Most of them have been made by Chad Michael Murray's character Lucas Scott. However, there have been several occurrences where other characters have done so. James Lafferty, Hilarie Burton, Sophia Bush, Bethany Joy Galeotti and Paul Johansson have narrated various episodes in their starring roles as Nathan Scott, Peyton Sawyer, Brooke Davis, Haley James Scott and Dan Scott, respectively. Guest stars Bryan Greenberg, Sheryl Lee, Torrey DeVitto and Ashley Rickards have given their voice to an episode each, playing the roles of Jake Jagielski, Ellie Harp, Carrie and Sam Walker. There have also been episodes that feature multiple narrators. Cast members Lee Norris, Antwon Tanner, Danneel Harris, Barry Corbin and Jackson Brundage voiced their characters Mouth, Skills, Rachel, Coach Brian "Whitey" Durham and Jamie respectively. Characters who interact with the main cast such as Bevin, Chase, Shelly and Glenda helped to narrate the joint episodes being portrayed by Bevin Prince, Stephen Colletti, Elisabeth Harnois and Amber Wallace.

One Tree Hill's timeline was set as complex by Schwahn in 2003. In the first season of the series, the main teenage characters are age sixteen. The first and second seasons equate to one year, and the third and fourth seasons equate to another year. Due to this, the main teenage characters are age eighteen at the end of the fourth season and the show's timeline contrasts the real world. In real time, it is 2007 at the end of the fourth season, while it is presumably 2005 within the show itself. Despite this, the timeline was further complicated in the fifth season of the series, where the show was "dramatically retooled and set four years into the future - after the characters [had] already graduated from college". The fifth season began shooting on July 30, 2007 and premiered January 8, 2008. With this, and the timeline presumably at 2009 within the series, the characters were stated to be age twenty two. However, small inconsistencies within the timeline, such as character birth years being shown as 1988 or 1989 and new music not yet existing within its current time frame but featured within the series, has caused the timeline to appear out of sync.

Season seven will be set one year into the future after the sixth season.

Cast

Main article: Characters of One Tree Hill

Original cast

Chad Michael Murray portrayed Lucas Scott. At the beginning, Lucas 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 Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis. Lucas has a serious heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (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. In Season Five, he is a successful writer and head coach of the Ravens basketball team. He was in a relationship with his editor, Lindsey Strauss but conflicted by his feelings for former love Peyton. This ultimately leads to Lindsey leaving him at the altar. In the season finale, he asks either Brooke, Peyton or Lindsey to marry him. At the beginning of Season Six, it is revealed to be Peyton. The two fly to Las Vegas to get married, but feel that it isn't romantic enough. They decide to fly home to Tree Hill, and have the wedding there. Lucas then receives an offer to turn his book An Unkindness of Ravens into a movie. He and Julian, an ex-boyfriend of Peyton, become partners as far as movie-making decisions go. The film is later canceled, and Julian moves back to Los Angeles. Peyton discovers that she is pregnant with Lucas's baby, and they begin expecting their first child together. It is revealed that Peyton has a condition called placenta previa, which means that her and the baby could both die in delivery. Lucas and Peyton later marry and have their reception at Tric. In the season Finale Peyton gives birth to their baby daughter Sawyer Brooke Scott. Lucas then takes a road trip with his new wife Peyton and daughter Sawyer off into the sunset to start a life with Peyton and Sawyer. Season 6 was Chad Michael Murray's last season as Lucas Scott.

James Lafferty portrays Nathan Scott, 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 One, and renews his vows with her in Season Three, and becomes a father to James Lucas "Jamie" Scott in Season Four. In Season One, he and Lucas start out as enemies, but bond as friends and brothers as the show progresses. Nathan is the star player of the Ravens and is named "Most Valuable Player" in Season Four. Also, in Season Four, he is investigated for shaving points. He loses his basketball scholarship to Duke University due to his admission of point-shaving in two games. Basketball has always been his greatest passion and he sees it as his "way out." In Season Five, a fight leaves Nathan near-paralyzed and his dreams shattered, though he later regains the use of his legs and slowly starts to make a comeback in basketball. Nathan starts playing "slam ball" but after being attacked by a rival, Jamie asks him to stop, fearing that Nathan would end up hurt again. He gets approval from Haley and Jamie to join a semi-pro team known as the Charleston Chiefs. He briefly competes with the team's lead point guard, a cocky player who thinks Nathan's playing is "outdated". After this player leaves, Nathan continues on the team without much incident. Later, he and Haley contemplate moving. He was eventually recruited to play for the Charlotte Bobcats.

Hilarie Burton portrayed Peyton Sawyer, whose two greatest passions in life are music and art; she uses her art to express the issues that play out in her life. Brooke Davis is her best friend, and she is also close friends with Haley. In Season One, Peyton is a cheerleader and dates Nathan Scott, the biggest basketball star in Tree Hill High. In Season Three, she discovers that she is adopted. In Season Four, she meets who she thinks is her half-brother Derek. His suspicious behavior tips off both Peyton and Lucas to seek the truth, but not before "Derek's" obsession with Peyton leads him to break into her house and attempt to hurt her. She is saved by Lucas and the real Derek. After getting to know her birth mother, Ellie, Peyton loses her to breast cancer. In Season Five, a lonely Peyton is working for a record company in LA. While in LA, Lucas asked Peyton to marry him, but she isn't ready for marriage. She and Brooke decide to return to Tree Hill, where she starts her own record label, Red Bedroom Records, and battles her feelings for Lucas, who is engaged to Lindsey. Lindsey later leaves him at the alter because she believes that Lucas is still in love with Peyton. In the Season Five finale Lucas asks her to Las Vegas to get married, but once there they feel that it isn't romantic enough. They decide to fly home to Tree Hill, and have the wedding there. Peyton has a health scare after collapsing in her office. She discovers she is pregnant with Lucas' baby, and they are now expecting their first child. As Peyton is preparing for their wedding, she feels Lucas should be more involved. Since Lucas is so caught up with making his movie, Peyton feels alone. She begins to prepare their house for the baby but without Lucas's help she feels hopeless. She and Lucas later get married. Peyton gives birth to her and Lucas' daughter, Sawyer Brooke Scott. Peyton then takes a road trip with her new husband Lucas and daughter Sawyer off into the sunset to start a life with Lucas and Sawyer. Season 6 was Hilarie Burton's last season as Peyton Sawyer.

Bethany Joy Galeotti portrays Haley James Scott, Lucas' best friend, Nathan's wife and Jamie's mother. She marries Nathan in Season One, renews her vows with him in Season Three, and in Season Four gives birth to their son, Jamie. In Season Two she has a great career opportunity, making music with the help of Chris Keller, a selfish, arrogant musician who kisses her, which angers Nathan. She goes on tour, leaving Nathan behind. In early Season Three, Nathan and Haley have relationship issues, but eventually overcome these difficulties. In Season Three, at Brooke's request, she becomes a cheerleader. In Season Four she gets hit by a car that Dante is driving. She is pregnant with Nathan's baby at the time, but luckily, Haley and her unborn baby both survive. In Season Five, as well as balancing the roles of wife and mother, she is an English teacher at Tree Hill High, and is also planning a musical comeback. In Season Five she tries very hard to help a difficult student, Quentin, who bonds with Nathan and Jamie, and is later killed in season 6. She then supports Nathan's passion for basketball, and soothes Jamie's grief over the death of Quentin, playing a large part in his recovery. Later, she and Nathan contemplate moving.

Sophia Bush portrays Brooke Davis. In high school, Brooke is captain of the cheerleading squad, and a seemingly beautiful and a perfect girl next door. She is Peyton's best friend, but is also very close with Haley. She is girlfriend to Lucas twice but their relationship doesn't work out either time. In Season One, Brooke was the popular girl that everyone loved, and captain of the cheerleader squad. Though her life seemed perfect, she would be in pain dealing with her distant parents, her friend's inability to take her seriously, and the betrayal of her boyfriend and her best friend. In Season Two, Brooke started becoming more independent and the girl next door. She ran and won high school president, and stopped her partying ways. She left Tree Hill in the season finale to go to California. In Season Three, Brooke came back to finish her senior year. She creates a clothing line, "Clothes Over Bros". In Season 4, Brooke isolates herself from Lucas and Peyton after their betrayal and tries to realize what kind of person she is on her own, as well as what she wants to do with her life after high school. Brooke reconnects with Peyton mid-season, as well as with Lucas near the end of high school. In Season Five,Clothes Over Bros is a household name, but despite Brooke's success, she is unhappy in her personal life, so she and Peyton return to Tree Hill where Brooke turns a now-closed Karen's Café into a Clothes Over Bros store. She then reveals her desire to have a baby and looks after Baby Angie, who is in the US for heart surgery. Brooke is devastated when the time comes for Angie to return to her home country. Brooke also deals with her mother's prominent force over her company and their terrible relationship. In Season Six, Brooke is attacked and robbed at her store. She isolates herself again from her friends and claims she "fell down the stairs" to excuse her visible wounds. She then buys a gun and asks Deb to teach her how to use it. Eventually, she gives up her company to her mother, Victoria, and tells her she's no longer her daughter. Brooke then fosters a rebellious teenage girl named Sam. She and Sam start off at odds but gradually develop a more mother-daughter type of relationship. It is furthered when Sam is kidnapped by Brooke's attacker. Brooke saves Sam and sends her attacker to jail. She helps with Lucas's movie as a costume designer, though the film is later canceled. She soon starts a relationship with Julian Baker, the film's movie producer who also happens to be Peyton's ex. She and Julian break up when Brooke declines his invitation to join him in Los Angeles. She later learns that Sam is being sought out by her birth mother. Sam later moves in with her birth mother. After reconciling with her mother, Brooke flies to Los Angeles and tells Julian that she loves him.

Paul Johansson portrays Dan Scott, a once great basketball player, who 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. After discovering that Deb was actually behind the fire, Dan tried to make amends by supporting Karen through her pregnancy and started to turn over a new leaf. However, after Lucas discovers he is Keith's murderer, he is placed in jail. Four years later, he is granted parole and tries to redeem himself to his family, because he is dying of HCM. In the season finale, he is knocked down by a car moments before his beeper goes off to inform him that he is ready for his heart transplant. It is revealed that in the new season Carrie (the crazy lady who was once Jamie's nanny) was the one who hit Dan in the car accident. She intends to use him to get Jamie. After she gets him she intends to kill Dan. Haley ends up saving Dan. Dan has made rare appearances since his abduction. He is currently waiting via beeper on when he can receive a heart transplant.

Barry Corbin portrays Coach Brian "Whitey" Durham, the Ravens coach for over 35 years, retiring in Season Four. He and Dan never saw eye-to-eye and often bickered 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 the much-coveted NC State Championship title 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. Whitey made an appearance in the 6th season finale.

Craig Sheffer portrayed Keith Scott, 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 drinking 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 Roe-Scott. Keith has been haunting Dan as a teen and as an adult ghost, but later forgives him for what he has done. He has guided his nephews (Lucas and Nathan) as a sort of Guardian angel throughout Season Four.

Moira Kelly portrayed Karen Roe, 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 and father of her second child) Keith, Karen raised Lucas alone. 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. She gives birth to Keith's daughter, whom she names Lily Roe Scott. In Season Five, Karen is traveling the world with Lily and when she returns for Lucas' wedding, she is accompanied by Andy Hargrove. She also makes an appearance at the end of the 6th season.

Additional cast

Barbara Alyn Woods portrays Deb Scott, 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. In Season Five, she returns after an unexplained absence to be Jamie's nanny and begins a surprising and secretive sexual relationship with Skills. Their relationship is later revealed, and in season 6, Deb breaks up with Skills, telling him that he needs to get married and have kids, which she does not want to do again.

Lee Norris portrays Marvin "Mouth" McFadden, one of Lucas' oldest friends, originating from the River Court. His father is named Joey, and his grandad is named Mel. Mel has alzheimers and so can't remember portions of his life, such as the 50 years he was married. Mouth goes to read to Mel every week and reveals to Peyton that his grandfather doesn't remember that he has a grandson and thinks that Mouth is actually Joey, his son. One night, Peyton and Mouth go to the nursing home Mel is livivng in and they take him to a go-karting track. At the end of the night, Peyton asks Mouth why he keeps visiting Mel if he doesn't remember Mouth, and Mouth replies,'Because I will.' 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. In Season Five, he has a fling with his boss, Alice, before finally settling down with Millicent. Mouth becomes a sports commentator in Season Five, having commentated at the Ravens' games throughout High School but quits his job in the season finale. In season 6, he moves out of town with Millicent but she comes back to help Brooke and he follows her. He gets his job back and his intern ends up being Gigi, who seems to like him. Millicent later finds Gigi sleeping in Mouth's apartment, and Mouth defends himself by saying he was just doing her a favor. Millicent gets drunk and sleeps with Owen, and Mouth later finds out. After a while, the others noticed that he seemed sad, and urged him to get Millie back. He returns to New York and after a heartfelt apology, they're back together.

Antwon Tanner portrays Antwon "Skills" Taylor, one of Lucas' oldest friends, originating from the River Court. He takes on a more prominent role in Season Four when he fills Lucas' vacancy on the Ravens. In Season Five, he becomes the assistant Head Coach of The Ravens basketball team and lives with Mouth, Junk and Fergie. He and his high school girlfriend Bevin Mirskey are no longer together in Season Five and Skills begins a sexual relationship with Deb after meeting each other online. They break up later on in the sixth season and Skills begins dating Jamie's teacher Lauren.

Danneel Harris portrays Rachel Gatina, who 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 Molina 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, to protect her new friend, is expelled from Tree Hill High. In Season Five, Rachel is a former employee of Brooke's and a heroin addict who takes an overdose after being fired by her friend. Brooke brings Rachel back to Tree Hill to help get her life back on track but Rachel leaves again, taking a load of Brooke's cash with her, after an encounter with Victoria. She is expected to return for the 7th season.

Jackson Brundage portrays Jamie Scott, Nathan and Haley's son. Jamie sees his dad, Nathan, as a role-model. He is first introduced in season 4, and continues throughout season 5 and 6, where he's at age 5. In seasons 5 and 6, Nanny Carrie, his former nanny, has a special interest in Jamie and wants him to be her son. As revealed in season 6, Nanny Carrie lost her son, who was around Jamie's age. He now is close friends with Quentin's younger brother Andre.

Lisa Goldstein portrays Millicent "Millie" Huxtable, Brooke's assistant for Clothes over Bros. She is involved in a romantic relationship with Marvin "Mouth" McFadden. In the six season premiere, she moves to Omaha with him. She returns to Tree Hill during the fifth episode to work for Brooke in her new store. She reunites with Mouth only to enter a series of mishaps. Millicent discovers Gigi sleeping in Mouth's apartment. He assures her that nothing happened. She then discovers a half naked picture of Gigi in Mouth's phone, and she retaliates by getting drunk and sleeping with Owen. Mouth discovers this, but after a while and a few comments from others, Mouth returns to New York to win Millie back, with success.

Austin Nichols portrays Julian Baker, Peyton's ex-boyfriend from L.A.. He initially comes to Tree Hill to win Peyton back. He offers to produce a movie, based on Lucas's first book. At first, Peyton does not reveal to Lucas that Julian is her ex-boyfriend, but she is forced to do when the plans of the movie takes form. Lucas beats up Julian, and hates him, but when the episodes of season six progresses, he and Lucas bond while talking plans over the movie. Brooke rebuffs his advances until Peyton gives her blessing because she sees that Brooke has serious interest in Julian. He and Brooke are now together.

Robert Buckley is scheduled to portray Clayton, Nathan's agent in the upcoming season of the series.

Shantel VanSanten is scheduled to portray Quinn James, Haley's older sister moving back to Tree Hill after getting her heart broken, in the seventh season.

Plot

Main article: List of One Tree Hill episodes

There were 22 episodes in Season 1, 23 episodes in Season 2, 22 episodes in Season 3, 21 episodes in Season 4, 18 episodes in Season 5, and 24 episodes in Season 6.

Series overview

The first season deals with the first half of Lucas's, Peyton's, Nathan's, Haley's and Brooke's junior years (up to the first game of the State Championship). Major storylines include the rivalry between Nathan and Lucas, the blossoming of Haley and Nathan's relationship, the set-up of the Peyton-Lucas-Brooke love triangle, the parent's own love quadrangle and the basketball state championship.

The second season explores new romances between Lucas and Anna, Jake and Peyton, and Felix and Brooke. Also featured is the disintegration of Haley and Nathan's marriage and the repercussions of Dan's genetic disease Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - especially on Lucas. Karen goes back to school, beginning a relationship with her teacher, Andy Hargove, in addition to starting the Tric club. Also in this season, a troubled Deb struggles with an addiction, and recurring character Chris Keller is introduced.

Season three features the arrival of trouble-maker Rachel Gatina, who would stir drama in the Lucas-Brooke relationship. Peyton and Jake's relationship draws to a close while Haley and Nathan reconcile and plan a wedding. Dan has a major subplot trying to solve the attempt on his life made during the previous season's cliffhanger. A major episode involving most of the main cast in a hostage situation at Tree Hill High culminates in Peyton's shooting and Dan's murder of his brother, Keith.

The fourth season features the second Peyton-Lucas-Brooke love triangle. Haley's pregnancy is threatened by Nathan's risky forays into gambling and loan sharks. Lucas looks for the truth behind his uncle's death, leading him to suspect Dan at a time when Dan is rekindling his romance with Karen. It also sees the growing friendship between Rachel and Brooke. The season builds up to the group's graduation from High School and features each character's struggle to decide what will happen afterward.

The fifth season jumps forward in time 4-plus years. The gap is sometimes shown in flashback as the character's struggle with adulthood and return to the town of Tree Hill for various reasons. Lucas, a published author, is in a committed relationship with his editor, Lindsey, which becomes a triangle when Peyton returns from a failed music career in Los Angeles. The marriage of Haley and Nathan goes into crisis as Nathan faces major depression after being seriously injured. Brooke looks for life beyond success in her work life and helps Peyton launch a music label. Lucas, Skills and Nathan return to the Tree Hill Ravens as coaches.

Season six features the progression of the relationship between Peyton and Lucas as they plan a wedding and deal with Peyton's dangerous pregnancy. Brooke takes in a foster child, Sam, and fights her mother for control of her company. A major storyline follows Lucas as his book is optioned for a movie, and Julian Baker is introduced. Mouth and Millie work on their relationship as Nathan and Haley reach for their individual dreams.

Season seven will be set one year into the future after the sixth season, without former co-stars Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton. It will introduce three new characters: Haley's sister Quinn; Nathan's agent Clayton; and Alex, the new face of Clothes Over Bros (was originally to be named Alexis but it was changed to Alex). Also, Danneel Harris who played Rachel is scheduled to reappear in a arc this season. Barry Corbin, who portrays Whitey, has stated that he may return as a series regular or a recurring character. Austin Nichols, who portrays Julian Baker, has been promoted to full series regular after being a recurring star in the sixth season. The seventh season will premiere September 14, 2009 on the CW network. On June 17, 2009 it was announced by The CW that One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl would switch time slots. One Tree Hill will now be on at 8 P.M. Eastern time.

Sponsored plot elements

AT&T is prominently inserted into the show as a sponsor. Most of the characters on the show have AT&T Mobility (and earlier, Cingular) cell phones. The company has given One Tree Hill fans the chance to make several choices about the shows plot. The first was whether or not Nathan and Taylor would kiss when they met at the 'Swinging Donkey' bar in Season Two; the fans chose for them not to. The second was 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. The company also allowed the fans to choose which band would perform at the senior prom in Season Four; the fans chose Within Reason, a band from Birmingham, Alabama.

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", in the characters' fridges, and on the school's vending machines. It held a contest to choose which town the characters would visit in "It Gets the Worst at Night", and Honey Grove, Texas won. Nike makes multiple appearances in the show. The Tree Hill high school basketball team wore Nike jerseys and shoes. Almost all athletic shoes worn by Nathan during his basketball run were Nike shoes. The characters also make references to Nike athletes including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony. Nike also provided the film crew with their own sweater vests for season 5.

In Episode 4.04: "Can't Stop This Thing We Started", Rachel took part in a Maxim photoshoot which mirrored a real life photoshoot for Danneel Harris, Hilarie Burton and Sophia Bush, in stores on October 14, 2006, where Danneel wore the same outfit as her character. In Episode 4.07: "All These Things That I've Done", America's Next Top Model winner of a challenge, CariDee English got to play a small role as a model named Tia in a fashion show. Macy's had a competition to win a walk-on role on the show. The winner would get to spend time with the cast, see the show in production, attend a charity event and appear in one episode. In Episode 5.17: "Hate is Safer Than Love", Mia, played by Kate Voegele agrees to take part in both Rock the Vote and a Starburst funded concert.

Music

Music plays a significant part in both the plot and the movement of the scenes throughout an episode. Several scenes are tied together seamlessly 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. Many of the episodes in One Tree Hill are named after songs.

The show has a long list of artists that have participated in the show; Gavin DeGraw, Sheryl Crow, Michelle Branch, The Wreckers, Tyler Hilton, Jimmy Eat World, The Honorary Title, Fall Out Boy, Angels & Airwaves, Nada Surf, Jack's Mannequin, Michelle Featherstone, Lupe Fiasco and Within Reason. Season Five featured Kate Voegele in an important character role as Mia Catallano, The Honorary Title and Kevin Federline in another character role as Jason. Bethany Joy Galeotti who plays Haley James Scott, Bryan Greenberg who played Jake Jagielski and Tyler Hilton who played 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: Oasis, Radiohead, Stereophonics, Mclusky, Snow Patrol, Frightened Rabbit, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, Bon Iver, Keane, Starsailor, Travis, Feeder, Dashboard Confessional, Pink, The Cure, Switchfoot and Foo Fighters.

The show has released three soundtrack albums: One Tree Hill - Music From The WB Television Series, Vol. 1, Friends with Benefit: Music from the Television Series One Tree Hill, Volume 2 and The Road Mix: Music from the Television Series One Tree Hill, Volume 3. Proceeds of the second soundtrack go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation to tie in with a storyline on the show involving breast cancer. On November 13 2008, iTunes published a soundtrack called "Music From One Tree Hill" that contained songs from the sixth season.

Mark Schwahn has revealed that each episode title is named after a particular song that has something in common with the theme of the episode. For example, episode 1.02 ("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.

One Tree Hill also made history by having Led Zeppelin's song "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" in its Season 3 finale. Led Zeppelin has never licensed their songs on network TV (the only other time was on HBO's cable series The Sopranos). One Tree Hill is the first non-cable network television series to ever have a licensed Led Zeppelin song on their show.

Guest artists

In addition to featuring popular indie music on the show, many artists have also guest-starred. The show has used the musical aspirations of two characters (Peyton and Haley) to integrate the guest storylines. The in-universe bar and dance-club 'TRIC' and 'Karen's Café' have been the settings of most of the musical performances. The season with most performances is Season 3, which also saw the release of a second soundtrack for the show.

• Bethany Joy Galeotti : Haley James Scott , a main character of the show .
• Bryan Greenberg : Jake Jagielski, recurring during seasons 1 to 3.
• Tyler Hilton : Chris Keller, recurring during seasons 2 to 4.
• Gavin DeGraw Episode: 1.10 "You Gotta Go There To Come Back" and Episode 5.18 "What Comes After the Blues"
• Sheryl Crow Episode: 1.16 "The First Cut Is The Deepest"
• The Wreckers Episode: 2.13 "The Hero Dies In This One"
• Jimmy Eat World Episode: 2.22 "The Tide That Left And Never Came Back"
• Fall Out Boy Episode: 3.04 "An Attempt To Tip The Scales" and Episode: 3.15 "Just Watch The Fireworks"
• Nada Surf Episode: 3.11 "Return Of The Future"
• Jack's Mannequin Episode: 3.15 "Just Watch The Fireworks"
• Michelle Featherstone Episode: 3.22 "The Show Must Go On"
• Lupe Fiasco Episode: 4.04 "Can't Stop This Thing We Started"
• Within Reason Episode: 4.16 "You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love"
• The Honorary Title Episode: 5.07 "In da Club"
• Kate Voegele : Mia Catallano, Recurring in Season 5, and Season 6.
• John Doe Episode 6.04 "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
• Grace Potter Episode 6.07 "Messin' With the Kid"
• Enation Episode 6.10 "Even Fairy Tale Characters Would Be Jealous" As backing band for Bethany Joy Galeotti for the song Feel This
• Angels & Airwaves Episode 6.10 "Even Fairy Tale Characters Would Be Jealous"
• Everly Episode 6.11 "We Three, My Echo, My Shadow And Me"
• Nick Lachey : Episodes 6.21 "A Kiss to Build a Dream on", 6.22 " Show me How to Live", 6.23 "Forever & Almost Always" and 6.24 "Remember me as a Time of Day"

Syndication

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, states that SOAPnet holds on to the option of picking up the fifth season for syndication which SOAPnet did, airing fifth season episodes beginning in January 2009.

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 seasons	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
1st	Tuesday 9/8c	September 23, 2003	May 11, 2004	2003-2004	#173	3.5
2nd		September 21, 2004	May 24, 2005	2004-2005	#117	4.3
3rd	Wednesday 8/7c	October 5, 2005	May 3, 2006	2005-2006	#139	2.8
4th	Wednesday 9/8c	September 27, 2006	June 13, 2007	2006-2007	#136	2.9
5th	Tuesday 9/8C (January 8 - March 18) Monday 9/8C (April 14 - May 19)	January 8, 2008	May 19, 2008	2008	#184	2.9
6th	Monday 9/8c	September 1, 2008	May 18, 2009	2008-2009	#170	2.8
7th	Monday 8/7c	September 14, 2009	TBA	2009-2010	TBA	TBA

In its third season, The WB moved the show from Tuesday to Wednesday. After it was moved, the show suffered a ratings decline which many thought was due to the timeslot change. 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, raking in a 2.5/4 rating, which was the highest rating for Season Three. 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.

DVD releases

Seasons One through Five 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. Information on DVD release is available in each individual season article.

Complete season	Release dates
	Region 1 (United States)	Region 2 (United Kingdom)	Region 4 (Australia)
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	December 18, 2007	April 7, 2008	June 4, 2008
5th	August 26, 2008	October 6, 2008	April 1, 2009
6th	August 25, 2009	October 5, 2009	TBC

External links

• Official Website
• One Tree Hill at IMDb
• One Tree Hill on SOAPnet.com
• Template:Tv.com show
• One Tree Hill Streaming episodes on theWB