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One Tree Hill

Teen television drama created by Mark Schwahn that premiered in 2003 on The WB Television Network

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An Open Letter To The CW

Mar 7, 2010

by AlmostRambo

Rating:

More than just your eyes will see this letter people at the CW. This is my appeal and arguments for why this show should continue. Why should everyone else care? Feel free to skip these first few sections since I assume you know all about this already.

I started watching One Tree Hill from Season 1 Episode 1. I watched EVERY season and every episode of Dawson's Creek numerous times. When I heard of a NEW drama being filmed in the same area and locations of Dawson's Creek with a familiar face(Chad Michael Murray) I gave it a chance. As a TV viewer it was one of the best choices I've ever made.

The Kane and Abel story that kicked this show off may be long over, but why do you think this show still goes on? The initial storyline of Lucas and Nathan Scott, in the big picture, hasn't even existed in HALF the show's full run. Like lots of people I've seen many TV shows to their end and many that have been cancelled far too soon. These characters, these stories, that exist in Tree Hill, cannot exist anywhere else.

The characters are extremely well developed. Dan Scott is one of the dirtiest villains I've ever seen on TV. He is STILL dealing with his actions from the show's 3rd season. Brooke Davis has changed immensely over the show's run. She maintains the traits that defined her in the beginning but in a new context of life and experience and Brooke can well stand the test of time of one of TV's most complex characters. Haley is nowhere where she used to be, but like Brooke, is always striving for more and is looking for what it is she really wants out of life. This is a show where returning recurring characters are a big deal. Rachel Gatina has changed, though we never saw the development completely, into quite an interesting character. There's lots of places she can go especially since we didn't see a lot of it. Flashbacks are, or were, a big part of One Tree Hill. Nathan Scott, the original bad boy of Tree Hill, has been tamed, Dan is gone, but his life is not without struggle. This is well noted in the show but never directly said. One Tree Hill leaves it for us to decide what the life of the characters dictates to us in our lives.

This show hinges on writing. It's writing is something that simply cannot be matched in other shows. When regulars left new characters were introduced and the writing did not let up a bit. I'll concede in it's new form one powerful method of storytelling has been lost. The Voice Over, opening and closing episodes, used so early it has been almost forgotten. Those little sections helped to define the show and separate it from everything else on TV. So much so other shows began to take it and use it seeing it's power, not only for character and story development, but to get the show's ideas and themes to the viewer. Each episode could stand on its own giving a commentary about life, gowing up, self discovery, and many of life's lessons we may not learn otherwise.

If you believe this is just another TV show then you were too young to remember the impact Dawson's Creek had 10 years earlier. One Tree Hill has inspired Fan Reunions to visit Wilmington. The passion is there. They want the show to live on.

I understand completely what hangs in the balance. Under the old guard, during the WB/UPN merger the show's fate was also questionable. One Tree Hill pulled out all the stops to create one of the best season finales I've ever seen. It was "The Show Must Go On" in season 3 and would lead to some of the show's landmarking episodes in the next season once it's life as a show was secured. "Some You Give Away" was 88 episodes in the making. Eighty-eight. Think about that. Since the show was created this arc had been pushed toward. The Tree Hill Ravens in the high school championship game with Whitey at the helm. Are you ready to try to rebuild that kind of storytelling in the next 4 years? In the next 7 or 8?

This all comes from the mind of Mark Schwahn as well. He might take his services elsewhere. It's not often you get a show run for 7 seasons without a good reason. Some of the show's greatest episodes were written by him personally. Maybe you think that was a long time ago. TV doesn't have a good long term memory. As a stand alone episode I urge you all to watch "Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly." from season 6. If you truly believe in creating good, watchable, and compelling TV, this episode will show you it DOES exist.

Now you need to understand, the fact this even exists shows a confusion in my head. This is because for the renewal to be a question the Powers That Be making this choice must not watch the show. As a viewer, and long time viewer of this show, this is unsettling. Don't you watch your own broadcasting? If this is true, then first, thanks for letting the show survive this long, and second, get some copies of your own Network's One Tree Hill DVDs and watch it thoroughly before decision time. What your questioning cancelling is 7 years of work. Seven years of character development. Seven years of time in this world that is very real to fans who gathered together to visit it recently.

You have the fan base. You have hardcore fans ready to jump through hoops to make sure you hear the message. If you are the one who pulls the trigger do you honestly believe you can create that fanatism again with a NEW show? One Tree Hill is a survivor. It's about dealing with life's questions, hardships, delimmas, and choices and deciding for yourself what you believe in and what you think is right. It's about hope, the search for something more, aspiring to be more than you are and pushing others to do the same. One Tree Hill is also about the dark side of life, dealing with the villain who won't leave you alone, death of loved ones, things unchangable and out of our hands and finding a way to cope. This show is about life. All of life.

If you watch the show, I think you would have already known this, of course.

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About the reviewer

AlmostRambo
Ranked #195

I'm a huge Alexz Johnson fan and of the girl group Lady Phoenix. I love One Tree Hill and the good old days of professional wrestling. My favorite movie of all time is probably Fight Club. You can find … more