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 James Lafferty Hilarie Burton Bethany Joy Galeotti Sophia Bush Paul Johansson Lee Norris Antwon Tanner Jackson Brundage Barbara Alyn Woods Lisa Goldstein
Narrated by	Chad Michael Murray and other main characters
Opening theme	"I Don't Want to Be" by Gavin DeGraw
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	119 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Mark Schwahn Michael Tollin Brian Robbins Joe Davola
Production locations	Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S.
Camera setup	Single-camera setup
Running time	42 minutes
Original release
Network	The WB (2003-2006) The CW (2006-present)
Release	September 23, 2003 – present

One Tree Hill is a teen television dramafilmed in North Carolinaand created by Mark Schwahn that 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 continues to air on Mondays at 9/8C. On September 1, 2008, The CW started airing the sixth season of One Tree Hill. On October 6, 2008, Schwahn signed a contract that was tantamount to guaranteeing a 7th season of the show, although most of the cast members' contracts expire at the end of the current one. The current season of one tree hill is on a break till january 5th 2009 and won't continue until that date. Mark Schwan, creator and producer of the show, has guarenteed a 7th season for the 2009-2010 season.

Production

Conception

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 (Which is, in turn, named after a landmark in New Zealand). 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 An Unkindness of 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, a show with a largely female audience, it would be better to change the name to broaden the show's appeal. 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 1.22 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

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 would be 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 black background. Since the beginning of Season Five, the theme tune was abandoned, and it continues with the intertitle on a black background.

One Tree Hill is known for its numerous voiceovers featuring either literary quotes or characters reflecting on events of the episode. Most of them are made by Chad Michael Murray's character Lucas Scott, however there have been several occurrences where other characters have done so. James Lafferty, Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Galeotti and Paul Johansson have narrated various episodes in their starring roles as Nathan Scott, Brooke Davis, Peyton Sawyer, Haley James Scott and Dan Scott. 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 and Jackson Brundage voiced their characters Mouth, Skills, Rachel and Jamie. 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.

Music

Music plays a huge 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.

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, 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: Stereophonics, Angels & Airwaves, Mclusky, Snow Patrol, 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. 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.

One Tree Hill also made history by having Led Zeppelin's song "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" in it's 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 cable 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.

• Gavin DeGraw Episode: 1.10 "You Gotta Go There To Come Back"
• Sheryl Crow Episode: 1.15 "The First Cut Is The Deepest"
• The Wreckers Episode: 2.12 "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"
• With in Reason Episode: 4.16 "You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love"
• The Honorary Title Episode: 5.07 "In da Club"
• Grace Potter Episode 6.07 "Messin' With the Kid"
• Enation Episode 6.10 "Even Fairy Tale Characters Would be Jealous"
• Angels & Airwaves Episode 6.10 "Even Fairy Tale Characters Would Be Jealous"

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. The show airs at 1:00 p.m. and again at 2:00 p.m. EST followed by two hours of The O.C. and Beverly Hills, 90210

Cast

Main article: Characters of One Tree Hill

Original cast

Chad Michael Murray portrays Lucas Scott, the son that Dan never claimed. This led to Keith being the 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, 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, causing Lindsey to leave him at the altar. In the season finale, he asks one of Brooke, Peyton or Lindsey to marry him. He chooses Peyton.

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 they renew their vows in Season Three, and later 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 because he admits to shaving points in two games. Basketball has always been his greatest passion and he sees it as his "way out", but 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 started playing "slam ball" but after being attacked by a rival, Jamie told him to stop being scared that Nathan would end up hurt again.

Sophia Bush portrays Brooke Davis, captain of the cheerleading squad. She is Peyton's best friend throughout most of the series. Feisty and flirtatious, she dated Lucas twice but neither time their relationship works out. In Season Three, she creates a clothing line, "Clothes Over Bros". In Season Five, Brooke has made Clothes Over Bros a household name, but despite her 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. In season 6, Brooke is attacked and robbed at her store. She then buys a gun and asks Deb to teach her how to use it. Later on, 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.

Hilarie Burton portrays Peyton Sawyer, whose 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. Brooke Davis is her best friend while also having Haley to talk to. In season Two, she discovers that she is actually adopted. She meets her biological father and discovers he is also a musician but he ends up not meeting her expectations, she also meets her half-brother, Derek. After getting to know her birth mother, Ellie, she 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 wasn'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, ultimately becoming engaged to him.

Bethany Joy Galeotti portrays Haley James Scott, Lucas' best friend, Nathan's wife and Jamie's mother. She is an extremely intelligent woman with high morals. She marries Nathan in Season One and they renew their vows in Season Three, while Season Four sees her give birth to her son, Jamie. In Season Five, as well as balancing roles as a wife and mother, she is an English teacher at Tree Hill High and is also seen to be planning a musical comeback. She is good friends with Peyton, Brooke, Skills, Mouth and Lindsey. In season five she tries very hard to help with a difficult student, Quentin, who was later killed in season 6.

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.

Barry Corbin portrays Coach Brian "Whitey" Durham, the Ravens coach for thirty-five 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 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.

Craig Sheffer portrays 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. 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 as a sort of Guardian angel throughout Season Four.

Moira Kelly portrays 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 and has given 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.

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.

Lee Norris portrays Marvin "Mouth" McFadden, 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. 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.

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.

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.

Jackson Brundage portrays James "Jamie" Scott, the son of Nathan and Haley's, born at the end of Season Four. In the fifth season, he is four years old and the center of attention with his parents, godparents Lucas and Brooke, and the rest of his parents' friends. He is abducted by his former nanny Carrie in the show's one hundredth episode and after being rescued by Dan, Jamie becomes determined to get to know his grandfather, despite his parents' reservations.

Lisa Goldstein portrays Millicent 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.

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 have been ordered for Season 6.

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.

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 is currently running a competition to win a walk-on role on the show. The winner will 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.

Season 1

Main article: One Tree Hill (season 1)

See also: List of One Tree Hill episodes § Season 1

One Tree Hill commenced on September 23, 2003. The first season finale aired on May 11, 2004.

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 Scott (Craig Sheffer), the father figure in his life.

Nathan plays for the Ravens, just as Dan did in his High School days but Lucas is forced to confine 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 leaves for culinary school in 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 saying that he has nothing left in Tree Hill anymore.

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. It is clear that Nathan and Haley have planned to do something after the Playoffs but it's unclear what exactly, though it is implied she is ready to lose her virginity to him. 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. Karen gives her consent for Lucas to leave with Keith, but reminds him; "There is only one Tree Hill - and it's your home". Lucas comes to Nathan's apartment to say goodbye to Haley and it seems obvious to him that they slept together, which surprises him as she had said that she would not sleep with anyone until she was married. 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 2

Main article: One Tree Hill (season 2)

See also: List of One Tree Hill episodes § Season 2

The second season consisted of 23 episodes and ran from September 21, 2004 to May 24, 2005.

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. After Dan learns that Lucas has inherited his hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (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 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 leaves Keith at the altar and he leaves Tree Hill with a broken heart.

Nathan and Haley receive a visit from Haley's wild older sister, Taylor James (guest star, Lindsey McKeon) who is revealed to have been the first girl Nathan ever slept with, long before he met Haley. To make things worse, the marriage is tested even further 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. Season 2 boasted the highest One Tree Hill viewer ratings in the shows history so far.

Lucas dates Felix's sister Anna (guest star, Daniella Alonso) but ends things with her after realizing that he loves 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 mother when she becomes very ill. Karen decides to go after him and 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). 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 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 3

Main article: One Tree Hill (season 3)

See also: List of One Tree Hill episodes § Season 3

The third season consisted of 22 episodes and aired between October 5, 2005 and May 3, 2006.

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. Nathan and Chris part on good terms as Chris leaves Tree Hill for good. Peyton struggles to deal with the revelation that she is adopted and that Ellie is her birth mother. She then learns Ellie has breast cancer and is terminally ill. They make a benefit album together called "Friends With Benefit" in aid of breast cancer research but Ellie dies shortly after the album is finished. Peyton feels guilty for treating Ellie badly.

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 dealership fire and eventually realizes that Lucas rescued him. Dan decides to run for Mayor but gets a nasty shock when Karen announces that she is running against him. Dan bribes Deb to stay with him until he is named Mayor, however after Dan wins the election Deb flees Tree Hill when Lucas tells her that he knows she started the fire to try to kill Dan. Keith returns and Karen realizes how much she cares for him, thus resulting in the two dating, and eventually 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 Lee (guest star, Michael Trucco) who is oblivious to Rachel's true age, 17. Rachel 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 causes; after Lucas and Mouth's former friend, Jimmy Edwards (guest star, Colin Fickes), is bullied and tormented for voicing his contempt towards other students on the Time Capsule, he takes the school hostage with a gun. Jimmy shoots through glass, and in an attempt to escape the school, Peyton falls on the glass. Peyton injures her leg and kisses Lucas when he looks after her in the library, the kiss taking on a greater significance than either of them will admit. Dan allows Keith into the school, Keith being convinced he can get through to Edwards, however Edwards ends up taking his own life and when Dan finds Keith kneeling over Edwards' body, Dan picks up the gun and fatally shoots his brother, making everyone assume that Jimmy Edwards murdered Keith.

After Jimmy Edwards takes the school hostage and Keith dies, the gang decides to go to Rachel's cabin in the woods in order to get away from all the mayhem. In which they all re-evaluate their lives: Nathan proposes to Haley again and they move back in together. Brooke moves in with Peyton who has a brief relationship with Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy before going to find Jake and Jenny in Savannah. Lucas tells Karen and Whitey about his HCM results, then quits the Ravens. And Dan is haunted by visions of Keith as a child. Peyton asks Jake to marry her, but Jake realizes that Peyton is in love with Lucas and sends her back to Tree Hill to deal with her feelings for him. Peyton confesses to a shocked Brooke that she still loves Lucas.

In the season finale, Nathan and Haley renew their vows in a beautiful ceremony in front of their family and friends. Deb has 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 that he killed his brother for no reason and breaks down at Keith's grave. Later, Karen tells Dan that she is having Keith's baby and Dan promises Karen 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 17. 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 4

Main article: One Tree Hill (season 4)

See also: List of One Tree Hill episodes § Season 4

The fourth season consisted of 21 episodes and ran from September 27, 2006 to June 13, 2007.

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, later leaving Tree Hill with Mouth, who returns alone after Rachel 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 run over Nathan with his car but instead hits Haley 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. Meanwhile, 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, realizing 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 overdosing. 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 after him and Peyton had broken up. Chase breaks up with Brooke because of this, revealing the reason that he broke up with his ex-girlfriend was because she cheated on him with his best friend. Brooke's hopes of rekindling her friendship with Peyton are diminished as a result but when she 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 terrorized 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 realizes 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 kissed 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 labor 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 the 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 takes Lily to Keith's grave and says they are going to visit him every day while Dan's attempt to hang himself in prison fails. 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. The entire gang spray-paint their signatures on the river court around the words "We Were Here." Season Four ends much the same as Season One began, with Nathan and Lucas playing a one-on-one game.

Season 5

Main article: One Tree Hill (season 5)

See also: List of One Tree Hill episodes § Season 5

The fifth season began airing on January 8, 2008 and concluded on May 19, 2008.

Four and a half years have passed since High School graduation. Lucas is now coaching the Ravens with the assistance of Skills and is in a relationship with his book editor, Lindsey Strauss (guest star, Michaela Mc Manus), who urges him to write a second novel that will match the success of his first. Nathan and Haley are raising their son Jamie (Jackson Brundage) in Tree Hill, where an accident four months previously left Nathan near-paralyzed and his basketball dreams diminished. Haley is a teacher at Tree Hill High while Mouth is an unemployed sportscaster looking for work. Brooke is undoubtedly the most successful of the group, having turned Clothes Over Bros into a multi-million dollar company, which she is running from New York. Peyton is in Los Angeles working as "the assistant's assistant" at a record company. Feeling undervalued and disrespected, she quits and after talking on the phone, she and Brooke realize that they will never be as happy as they were in Tree Hill so they return home together.

In Tree Hill, Brooke opens a Clothes Over Bros store in place of Karen's Café (Karen and Lily having left Tree Hill to travel the world) and buys a new house for herself and Peyton. Her company CEO is later revealed to be her over-controlling, cold-hearted mother Victoria, (guest-star Daphne Zuniga) who comes to Tree Hill and tries to get things back under her control, undermining Brooke and her friends. Brooke begins dating TRIC bartender Owen (guest star Joe Manganiello), and takes him to New York where they stumble upon Rachel who has taken an overdose in Brooke's apartment. After Victoria forced Brooke to fire her from her job as a Clothes Over Bros model, Rachel's drug woes spiralled out of control. After Owen revives her and Brooke takes her back to Tree Hill, Rachel begins to get her life back on track, but Victoria lashes out at her and Rachel leaves for parts unknown with Brooke's money. When she learns that Victoria was responsible for Rachel's departure, Brooke fires her - both as her CEO and her mother.

Peyton starts her own record label, funded by Brooke, and finds her first artist Mia Catallano (guest star, Kate Voegele) in a group with a cocky lead singer named Jason (guest star, Kevin Federline) whom she fires over his attitude problem. Peyton soon turns Mia into a star and is then approached by Haley, who has decided to make a comeback in music. Meanwhile, Peyton also struggles with her feelings for Lucas, creating some animosity between her and Lindsey, who is revealed to have become Lucas' editor the day after he and Peyton broke up when she turned down his proposal three years earlier. After Lucas and Peyton inevitably kiss, he and Lindsey get engaged and Peyton tells Lucas that she will sacrifice her love for him to be a good friend, just as Keith did for Karen all those years ago. Peyton and Lindsey also bury the hatchet but Peyton finds it difficult to watch as Lucas and Lindsey prepare to marry.

Mouth finally finds himself a job in the archiving department at a local TV station. He begins an unexpected affair with his boss, Alice (guest star, Kelly Collins Lintz) which kick-starts his career but he begins to feel bad about it and starts dating Brooke's assistant Millicent Huxtable (guest star Lisa Goldstein), so Alice fires him. However, he manages to keep his job when at the last minute another office affair involving Alice is exposed, as she was sleeping with several other employees. He is given an on air position but loses it after refusing to air Lucas' blow-up. His relationship with Millicent goes from strength to strength when she moves in with him, Skills, Junk and Fergie. Tim and Bevin are revealed to have married and had a son, Nathan, together.

Nathan gets his life back on track, realising that he is at risk of losing Haley and Jamie if he continues drinking himself into oblivion. He becomes a mentor to Quentin Fields (guest star, Robbie Jones) a Raven and troublesome student of Haley's while Haley hires a nanny named Carrie (guest star, Torrey De Vitto) for Jamie, though Carrie is soon revealed to be psychotic - she tries to seduce Nathan and claim him and Jamie for herself. When Carrie climbs into the shower with Nathan, he does nothing to stop her, believing her to be Haley. When Haley catches them together, she throws them both out and after Jamie almost drowns while Nathan and Haley are arguing, Haley tells Nathan that she wants a divorce. After serving five years in prison for Keith's murder, Dan is released on parole.

In the show's one hundredth episode, Lucas and Lindsey's wedding day dawns. Karen and Lily return for the occasion with Andy, who has begun seeing Karen again. Haley confronts Lucas about the copy of his second novel, which he gave her to read - she believes it to be a story about his love for Peyton, though Lucas denies this. Dan shows up at the church but is turned away by Haley, who continues to give Nathan the cold shoulder as he dreams of a reconciliation. At the altar, Lucas makes his vows and Peyton is devastated as she watches on from the congregation, but as Lindsey is making her vows, she makes the same realisation as Haley - that Lucas' story is about his love for Peyton. Because of this, Lindsey leaves Lucas at the altar and Brooke later reveals to Peyton her desire to start a family. Before they can discuss this any further, Mouth and Millicent arrive with the news that Jamie has been abducted. After his earlier appearance, everyone believes Dan to have taken Jamie, though his captor is revealed to be Carrie, who is followed by Dan. He threatens to kill her if she ever comes near his family again and later returns Jamie to a relieved Nathan and Haley. Everyone is horrified when Dan shows up at the house, this being the first time many have seen him since he was convicted for Keith's murder five years previously.

Four weeks pass and after marriage counselling, Nathan and Haley reunite, hiring Deb to be Jamie's new nanny and bringing their family back together. Nathan decides he wants to make a comeback in basketball, while Peyton agrees to record an album with Haley and Deb and Skills sleep together after meeting online, unaware of who the other person was. Dan tries to become a part of Jamie's life, though Nathan, Haley and Deb forbid it, causing Dan to reveal that he is dying of HCM and wants to use the six months he has left to make amends with his family.

Brooke begins to work on having her own family, announcing that she wants to have a baby. Turned down for adoption, she is given temporary custody of Angie, a little girl from a foreign country who is in the US for special surgery, leading Owen to break up with her, using his good friend Chase, Brooke's Clean Teen ex, as the messenger. Through her struggles with being a mother and taking care of the baby, she gets closer to Lucas and is relieved that Angie's surgery is a success. Lucas convinces Lindsey to continue her work on editing his novel, hoping that this will bring them back together, though Lindsey insists to Lucas that she has moved on and is now seeing someone else. As a result, an enraged Lucas attacks a player at one of the games, getting himself suspended from coaching, before drowning his sorrows at TRIC and telling Peyton he hates her and she ruined his life.

In the season finale, Brooke is heartbroken when she must send Angie home and turns to Lucas for support. After a week of binge-drinking, Lucas decides he needs to make some important choices about his future while Peyton tries to deal with Lucas' revelation that he hates her. Lucas visits Peyton and tells her that this is not the case; its just difficult for him to see her again after all this time. Lindsey returns to give Lucas the finished copy of his novel and to say goodbye. She later leaves him a message, informing him that she is not seeing anyone and that she misses him everyday. With Millicent's support, Mouth quits his job and appears to be contemplating a transfer to Omaha. Skills and Deb continue their clandestine relationship while Nathan and Haley are pleased when Jamie overcomes his fear of going back in the pool after his near-drowning experience there. Dan contemplates killing Reverend Carter, the critically ill man who is ahead of him on the waiting list for a heart transplant, but later decides not to for Jamie's sake. Nature takes its course and the reverend passes away. Dan is overjoyed but is ironically knocked down by a car moments before his beeper goes off to tell him he is ready for his transplant. Nathan and Haley both celebrate comebacks in their respective fields of basketball and music when he scores against Quentin and she records her new song. At the airport, Lucas makes a phone call. Brooke (waiting for a call about Angie), Peyton (waiting for a call about her mother) and Lindsey (waiting for a business call) simultaneously answer their phones and Lucas tells the girl on the receiving end that he has two tickets to Las Vegas and invites her, to come with him tonight and get married.

Season 6

Main article: One Tree Hill (season 6)

See also: List of One Tree Hill episodes § Season 6

On March 3, 2008 The CW announced that One Tree Hill will be renewed for a sixth season. The new season started airing on September 1, 2008 on Mondays at 9/8c following Gossip Girl. Although season 5 is currently still airing, E4 (the UK broadcaster of One Tree Hill) has confirmed that Season 6 will be shown on their channel but not until early 2009.

In the season premiere on September 1, 2008 it is revealed that Lucas called and asked Peyton to come to the airport and go to Las Vegas with him to get married. Finding the Las Vegas wedding idea to be too tacky, Lucas and Peyton leave and Peyton brings him back to the hotel room where Lucas had originally proposed years before and they move in together into Lucas' house. Mouth accepts the job in Omaha and leaves together with Millicent. Nathan becomes more peeved with his mother, Deb, over her online relationship, who we know is in fact with Skills, but once he finds out he learns to accept it. Dan, who was badly wounded after Carrie ran him down with her car has locked him inside a room in her house, torturing him through lack of morphine, etc, as revenge for keeping her from kidnapping Jamie.

Victoria, Brooke's mother, is trying to take Brooke's company from her. Brooke becomes infuriated and decides to take on her Victoria in the court system. Brooke has locked all the sketches for her new designs in her drawer, but upon trying to leave the store, she is attacked by a masked figure and is badly beaten, something she hides from everyone but Deb. Around the same time, Quentin, who has been key in Nathan's basketball comeback and has begun to bond more with all the major characters as a player and student with potential, is shot and killed. In the aftermath, Haley convinces Brooke to enter therapy, Nathan and Haley are at loss to explain Quentin's death to Jamie, Dan reveals his heart condition to Carrie. Brooke signs the company to Victoria and she and Millicent plan to open a small clothing line. Carrie lures Haley and Jamie and attempts to kidnap Jamie, but Deb and Dan intercede and Dan kills Carrie.

Peyton meets a man she thinks is her father. An active alcoholic, the man is unable to engage in an ongoing relationship with Peyton but does give her some insight and history into the circumstances of her birth.

Lucas starts his book tour and tensions build between himself and Lindsey when he reveals he cannot make an important date because he is getting married to Peyton. Lucas goes to Omaha to start his book tour. Instead of Lindsey, the publishing house sends a representative who cheerily confesses that he hasn't read Lucas' book and is unclear on its genre. This kicks off a series of mishaps, which culminate in no turnout (except for Mouth) at his first engagement. Afterward, Lucas discovers that Lindsay's replacement is, in fact, a hatchet man sent to cancel the tour and inform Lucas of the failure of his book. Lucas heads back to Tree Hill joined by Mouth, who quit his job in Omaha to return to Millicent and his friends back home. Mouth is received back with open arms, and given an on-air position at his previous job. It comes complete with an intern, who turns out to be Gigi - his ex-girlfriend from High School.

Haley finds Samantha sleeping in someones car and finds out that she is a foster child. Haley wonders whether Brooke would like to foster Samantha, and Brooke eventually agrees. She quickly discovers that parenting a disaffected teenager is much more challenging than an infant, but sinks her teeth into the role.

Nathan gets asked to play Slamball and agrees, thinking it will highlight his skills and health to NBA scouts. With Haley, he comes to an uneasy truce with both his parents; Dan is allowed to spend unsupervised time with Jamie while Deb's relationship with Skills is tolerated. A continuing theme of the show, that of what defines good and bad parenting, is displayed not only through Brooke's deepening bond with Samantha, but in Nathan's role with Jamie. The advice of Nathan to his son is dramatically different than that of Dan's to Jamie; and the maturity and strength of Nathan as a father is showcased.

Back from his failed book tour, Lucas locks himself and Peyton in the house until they finish unpacking her things. With the echoes of his recent cohabitation with Lindsey in mind as well as advice from the 'B. Davis' magazine, Peyton demands that the couple move into Karen's old bedroom. Lucas is too uncomfortable to perform, romantically, in his mother's bed and the couple reaches an impasse about their living arrangements. This sparks a standoff, with the house cut down the middle by painter's tape. Ultimately, Lucas makes an overture to compromise and Peyton quickly agrees, and the couple finish integrating their belongings.

Nathan continues to play Slamball with Owen. He later helps Owen try and get back into Brooke's good graces. Meanwhile, Sam sneaks out with Jamie to throw a party in the now vacant Clothes Over Bros store. The party is broken up, but not before Peyton's wedding dress is ruined. Lucas is approached by a movie producer, Julian, who wants to make his first book, An Unkindness of Ravens, into a movie. In the end, he agrees to sign a contract. However, when Peyton goes to meet the new producer, she discovers it is her ex-boyfriend.

Lucas writes a script for the movie of An Unkindness of Ravens, until Julian comments that the script is missing one important scene: Keith's death. Lucas does not want to write it, because he doesn't want make Dan seem pitiable in the eyes of the audience. Dan comes to visit him at the River Court to say that every story needs a villain, and he knows he is that villain. Lucas finally writes the scene and brings the final draft to Julian's house and discovers a picture of Julian and Peyton together.

Owen is still trying to win Brooke over, bringing her presents every day, for three weeks. At first, Brooke leads him on but later changes her mind and tells Owen the truth that she wants to be with him too but needs to focus on Sam first.

Jamie learns from Sam about 'economics'. By buying junkfood and selling it for more money you can make a profit. He does it at school and Haley learns about it and reprimands him. She comments to Sam how great she could be for Jamie and she can make a difference in his life.

Nathan wins the game for his Slamball team, but nearly gets hurt again when a jealous player of the opposing team pushes him through the glass. He decides to stop with Slamball, when Jamie asks him to stop. he says it's not worth losing his family.

Mouth continues to be pursued by Gigi, saying she does not want to be his girlfriend, but something else, for just one night.

Sam is suddenly nice to Brooke, even making her breakfast. Brooke is suspicious of this, until she discovers that Sam got a call from the adoption agency, saying they have a baby for Brooke. Brooke reassures Sam that her home will be always Sam's home, no matter what. Brooke makes the call, and tells them that she's also fostering a teenager. Unexpectedly, this will make problems in the adoption progress.

Millicent comes home, and discovers Gigi sleeping in her bed. Mouth is sleeping on the couch and Millicent makes the exit before they wake up. One minute later, she calls Mouth and tells him that she is coming home in a few minutes. Mouth tries to cover it up but is caught by Millicent. They finally sort it out, but not before Millicent threatens Gigi, telling her that she must back off.

Peyton organizes an USO concert for Derek and the Marines. Haley must sing at the concert, but she is haunted by nightmares where she cannot sing. She is convinced by others that she will do great and when she finally sings, it is a resounding success. Other performers at the concert are Mia and Angels & Airwaves. Sam has a debt to pay and that is why she is made Mia's assistant. Mia does not want to be a diva and they just hang out. Mia gives Sam her number so she can call her if Brooke and the others get boring.

Nathan is haunted by an imaginary Quentin. They talk about why Nathan gave up on Slamball. Nathan says he wants to be with Haley and Jamie and it is not worth going through that.

Lucas says he is okay with what happened between Peyton and Julian, but Peyton cannot accept it. She suspects there must be some anger in there and pursues Lucas. Finally, Lucas gets mad and punches Julian in the face and wants nothing to do with the movie anymore. Julian says he has the rights to the movie, and it will be made with or without him. He talks with Peyton and Peyton thinks that it's not worth to let go of the movie go for this. She talks with Lucas and they come to terms with Peyton's history. Lucas says he will do it.

When Lucas falls asleep after talking to Peyton, everyone goes back to the 1940's. Lucas owns Karen's Cafe, a jazz bar, where Nathan is a bartender and Haley is a singer. Brooke owes money to Dan, another bar owner in Tree Hill City, that she borrowed in order to start her own 'garment' line. Mouth is a gossip columnist, who stumbles upon Dan's illegal activities, which include killing Keith, and giving handouts to local cops. Skills plays piano at Lucas's club. Peyton is under the watchful eye of Dan and his assistant, Julian, as Dan promised Peyton's mother that he would take care of her.

Nathan is in love with Haley, but has never talked to her before. When they finally do, Nathan receives a letter that says his unit has been called up for duty in the war. On a whim, Nathan and Haley decide to get married, knowing that they love each other.

While Haley is singing one night, Dan, Julian, and Peyton come into Karen's Cafe. Lucas tries to throw them out without making a scene, but Julian immediately tries to attack him. Owen, a police officer, comes in to stop the trouble and makes Dan and his friends leave. Peyton is struck by Lucas and comes back later, claiming to have trouble with her car. Lucas can't fix it, so he instead decides to walk her home. While walking, Lucas finds out about why Peyton stays with Dan, even though he's a bad man. He also tells her about the sign in his bar. It says "People always leave... but I say stay awhile, have a nightcap." It illustrates one of Peyton's drawing's.

Meanwhile, Dan sends Julian to find Owen and Skills. Julian breaks Skill's hand in a car door, when he says that he won't play for Dan. Dan starts to beat Owen, mad that he won't except his handouts and upholds the law. Mouth witness's this, but Julian finds Mouth hiding. Mouth is set in blocks of cement, and thrown over the side of a bridge. Peyton witness's Dan's cruelty and goes back to Lucas. Lucas finds out about Skills and Mouth at the same time and goes to find Dan. Before they go very far, Dan and Julian block them in. Almost immediately, Lucas kills Julian, when he pulls a gun on him. Dan pulls a gun on Lucas, but makes Brooke pull the trigger, as this is the final way to pay off her debt. Instead, she turns the gun on Dan, but finds out its empty. Dan then pulls another gun on Lucas and Peyton. Skills comes out to tackle Dan, but in the process, Dan shoots Peyton, ironically killing her.

Lucas wakes up to have Peyton calling him. She tells him she's going to stay late and he tells her not to leave him. After hanging up, Peyton is overcome with a pain in her stomach, where she was shot in Lucas's dream. Peyton goes to see a doctor and reveals to him that her mother died of cancer, emitting a concerned look from the doctor. At the same time, Lucas goes to meet the producer Ravens, only to find out that the man has a prolific drug habit, and begins to realize that this man may not be the best choice. Sam and Julian strike up an unlikely friendship, leading to a confrontation between Brooke and Julian, and the subsequent admission that Sam's friend, Jack Daniels, is the one that attacked Brooke in the store. She makes a tearful confession and walks out of the house, leaving a flabbergasted Brooke to go look for her.

Nathan goes to league Tryouts, even though he's only 6'2", he proves to everyone that his height is not an issue. Using the technical knowledge that he's learned from his years of tutelage under Whitey, he easily bests everyone on the court, leaving the scouts dumbstruck. Meanwhile, Millie confides in Brooke that she is still a virgin, and is worried that Mouth may be seeking in Gigi what he cannot find in her. Brooke reassures her that it's not the end of the world and they go to Jamie's talent show, where a rather droll piano song turns into a sidesplitting comedy routine. Mouth hides a picture of Gigi wearing little more than the shirt she was wearing the night she crashed at his house, but Millie eventually finds it and decides that Mouth obviously isn't doing what he should be and leaves him.

Lucas continues to reconsider the book deal as he is consistently persuaded by the producer to make changes, such as killing of Peyton or having Lucas and Haley wind up together. Brooke continues the search for Sam, eventually going to Tric, confronting Owen, who callously remarks 'She's not even yours'. Brooke leaves as Millie strides in and comes up to the bar. They share a moment, Owen says that he hasn't had a drink in eight years, but he remarks that tonight it will all change. Millicent remarks that she hasn't had sex in over twenty two years, but tonight that will change. The share a drink and sidelong looks at each other. Brooke goes to the diner and discovers Julian there, who says he just came in for a cup of coffee. She asks the woman behind the counter if she's seen Sam, but she says that she hasn't, but Julian was just in there asking. Brooke smiles gently as she watches Julian toss his full cup of coffee into the trash can.

Peyton makes a frantic call [presumably to Lucas] and announces that she has something important to tell. Sam, crying and cold, gets into a car and we see Jack there. He introduces Sam to his brother, and in that moment we see that hsi brother is the same man that killed Quentin. The car drives off into the night, leaving Sam's fate unknown.

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	Tuesday 9/8c	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	3.0
5th	Tuesday 8/7C (January 8) 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	Spring 2009	2008-2009	TBA	3.14

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.

The CW's 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 Four premiere aired on Wednesday, September 27, 2006. The premiere earned a 2.5/4 rating, which equalled Season Three's highest rating. Season Four's ratings have benefited 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 4.21 million, which was the highest rating since the 2004-2005 season.

The CW announced in March 2008 that One Tree Hill will return for a sixth season. In a press release issued in May, The CW said that The show will continue to air Monday nights at 9:00pm following Gossip Girl, and will return on September 1, 2008. The 6th season premiered to 3.25 million viewers.

Season Six Ratings: 6x01: 3.24 million 6x02: 3.28 million 6x03: 3.37 million 6x04: 3.13 million 6x05: 3.42 million 6x06: 3.43 million 6x07: 3.65 million 6x08: 3.14 million 6x09: 3.02 million 6x10: 3.01 million 6x11: 2.73 million 6x12: 2.21 million

DVD releases

Seasons One through Four 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	June/July 2009

External links

• Official Website
• One Tree Hill at IMDb
• One Tree Hill at TV.com
• One Tree Hill Streaming episodes on theWB