Original subtitles

For the past nine years we've watched them live..

Wow, it's coming to an end. Nine years.

Grow..

It's turned into something more than

I could've ever imagined it being.

We're just so fortunate to have had

an experience like this.

And triumph..

This show is one of the biggest underdog

success stories in television history.

How many shows can look back

and say, "Nine years on the air?"

It's been incredible to go on the journey.

I think I'm having my baby.

Everyone's incredibly grateful and appreciative.

Nathan!

We made it nine seasons.

And everybody always told us that we couldn't do it.

Hoes over bros.

We really have had so much fun.

I will always protect you.

TV is about characters. You've to care about the people.

- This is good, isn't it? - It's perfect.

We've gone through not only our ups and downs as individuals

but our ups and downs with each other.

Let's do something great today.

Tonight, creator Mark Schwahn..

What I'll miss the most about

making the show are the relationships.

And the cast of "One Tree Hill.."

It resonates with people on a very personal level.

Look back on an incredible journey

of the friends we've come to know and love.

I feel like I've a history and I have a family.

Marry me, Quinn James.

That's gonna be the hardest to walk away from.

Yes, of course, I will.

It's like having a friend or a loved one

that you know you're not gonna see anymore.

I'm with you every day.

And it is personally satisfying to say, like

"What an accomplishment."

It's one of the most..

Amazing experiences I've ever had.

- You did it! - We did it.

It's immense and it's beautiful and..

I don't think any of us will ever have

an experience like this again.

Tonight marks the final chapter of "One Tree Hill"

the landmark drama that spanned nine seasons

across two television networks.

We're not gonna get sad. Nothing's gonna change now.

'We'll all be friends forever.'

But before we say goodbye

we celebrate the people

the stories and the music

that made the small town of Tree Hill, North Carolina

a destination for millions of adoring fans.

This was somewhat of a coming-of-age show.

We met our characters as juniors in high school.

To spend nine years with those characters

you can feel so much growth.

Nathan, remember, 20 shots, no less.

Got it, dad.

When I first wrote it

it was meant to be a feature film.

I pitched it as Cain and Abel on a basketball court.

You ready for this?

Because Nathan and Lucas

were half brothers

and they were adversarial

and they were from different worlds.

Creator Mark Schwahn eventually decided

to bring the story to television.

In a movie, you're gonna spend two hours in that world.

Why don't you spend 22 hours a year in that world?

But when the series premier was moved to an earlier date

the show was faced with a challenging launch.

Nine years ago, if you weren't in the advanced magazines

nobody knew your show was on

so when the show debuted, the ratings were very low.

"One Tree Hill" premiered on September 23, 2003

featuring a young but enthusiastic cast.

There's no way I could ever imagine

that I'd be sitting here doing an interview

for season nine back when I was 18 years old

when I first started the show.

I was like, "Oh, this-this is pretty good."

'Nathan for the win.'

Holy crap! Did you see that?

So I called Mark and I was like, "Hey, Mark"

I think this show can make it, man."

Don't worry, dad.

Your dreams are still safe.

The good news was that our ratings

kept going up every week

and that doesn't really happen.

Whoever saw the show

was still watching the show

and each week, a few more people would find the show.

When you're ready, I'll be too.

♪ L-o-v-e is gonna catch you ♪♪

By mid-season, season one, we were a hit.

Before the first year drew to a close

a fiercely loyal fan base began to form.

One of my favorite memories was getting the phone call

from Tony DiSanto at MTV and said "Are you watching this?"

I said "No, I'm on the West Coast." He goes..

"People are outside they're out of control.

It is as big as when Eminem's was here last week."

I said, "For what?" He goes, "For your 'One Tree Hill' kids."

And that was a really good memory, 'cause we knew

we had caught some traction and the show started taking off.

And I think with each year that passed

we did get a little bit more confidence

moving forward that maybe we would come back.

Every season, we'd be on the bubble

and we would seemingly win every online poll.

And the fans would bombard the network with basketballs

or things that were significant to a story line that season.

We've all had this really special experience

with our fans, because we were all kind of

riding the same anxiety every year.

Is the show gonna keep going?

Are we gonna get to keep telling these stories?

And it-it created this bond.

Thanks to the great story that

Schwahn and all the writers put out, this has been

a marathon o-of a TV show in a great way.

It's very rare, actually, that you see

nine seasons of a television show.

It's just Hall of Fame status.

This place will always be with you.

Considering where we came from and considering

the huge odds against us

there's not many more

greater underdog success stories than ours.

There is only one Tree Hill..

And it's your home.

Anyway, man, what you reading these days, man?

Ah, Steinbeck.

"The Winter of Our Discontent."

Let me hear some.

- Nah. - Come on, dog.

You know I be reading vicariously through you.

From the beginning, "One Tree Hill"

had many influences.

- Man, I used to love Journey. - Wow.

The end of the first episode has a quote from Shakespeare

and that quote is very indicative of the show itself.

"There is a tide in the affairs of men

which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune."

I was attracted to classic literature

because I felt like the stories we were telling

were about these kids in this time

and yet, these quotes from hundreds of years ago

applied perfectly to their situation.

"And we must take the current when it serves

or lose the ventures before us."

The quote is basically about opportunity.

That's what the show was to me and to the people involved.

Opportunity is calling. What are you gonna do?

If music and literature

provided the heart of the series

its soul came from a different place.

I'm a fan of sports in general

how inspiring sports can be and about

how athletes can remind us

that we all have greatness inside of us.

It's a great terrain to set stories.

'Lucas Scott with the ball, alley-oops to Nathan.'

'The birds have taken flight.'

North Carolina is a basketball hotbed

and a natural location for the series.

I set "One Tree Hill" in Illinois

because that's where I was from

but because of production concerns

the studio asked me to look at some warmer weather states.

One of the states they wanted me

to look at was North Carolina.

Once I got there, it was beautiful.

And they took me to look at Michael Jordan's

high school gym.

And I said, "We're good. This will be perfect."

And that was Laney High School and that's where

the Ravens played their basketball.

The town of Wilmington provided the perfect backdrop.

I know a place open all night. Let's roll.

I was so captivated

by the view of the town from Battleship Park.

Our gaffers and our riggers lit that town so magically.

Any time you see us at the River Court at night

all of those lights on the other side

of the river are ours.

When I was 17 years old

I was shooting for 14 hours a day

on that River Court, and it's turned into something

more than I could've ever imagined it being

and that River Court has been a fixture

throughout this whole journey.

Filming basketball sequences

was made easier by the series' star player.

As a sports fan, you want things to be authentic.

When I got James Lafferty to play Nathan

he was living in He met, California

playing high school basketball.

"It was such a luxury to turn to the 6'2" 17-year-old kid

and say, "Well, it says you have to dunk, so you've to dunk."

He's so competitive. He just threw the dunk down.

And I thought, "This is gonna be really special."

We win!

And while games in Tree Hill

created incredible moments..

So who do you want standing next to you?

It was the stories that rose to the top.

It's okay. Go.

I just felt like I understood young voices

and I always knew what the moments were going to be.

When all my dreams come true, the one I want

next to me is you.

You know that they were gonna be more powerful

and relevant than the actual sport.

If today is the best it ever gets for me..

- Will that be enough? - Of course.

There is something that this show does

to our core audience.

It resonates with people on a very personal level.

Haley, listen, this is not a mistake.

How can you be sure?

Because there's nobody

that thinks this can work.

I do.

Figuring out how to persevere through

the hard times in life..

I will always protect you, always.

Difficult marriage or difficult friendships

deaths or kidnappings..

You should always be able to..

To be exploring and finding new things

with a character that you play this long.

We don't want to be vulnerable

and we don't wanna show that we struggle.

We don't always make the best choices

that mirrors life, you know,

you stumble, you fall, but you're always redeemed.

Meet me halfway here?

- Why should I? - Because I'm sorry.

Everybody has obstacles and difficulties

but sometimes, quietly, it's nice to hear

that it's gonna be okay.

And because you're looking really hot

standing out here in the rain and I'm thinking

I have to kiss you.

Well, if you have to.

♪ I'm gonna love you more ♪

♪ Than anyone ♪♪

Do you've the new Haley James album?

♪ This is just a stage ♪♪

On vinyl?

Nice. Yeah, I got a promo copy.

From the beginning, "One Tree Hill"

had not only a defining look and tone

but a defining sound as well.

DJ Bobo?

Where're the X-Ecutioners

or-or The Chemical Brothers or anything?

I think it's really good you're fighting with Nathan again.

- You do? - Yeah.

Every time you guys fight, I get to hear new music.

Kids have a soundtrack to their lives.

Most everyone is a music fan.

This one's for you, Haley.

So very early on, we wanted music

to be a focal point of the show.

Hey, guys, this is Kate Voegele from "One Tree Hill."

We opened Tric in season two

so that we could feature more bands and more artists.

Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp are playing at Tric tomorrow!

- No way! That's awesome! - Yes!

It's almost like we made a mix tape every week

and I gotta give my mix tape to millions of people

"and say," Here's what I'm listening to

and here's what I love."

♪ As high as the moon so high ♪

I'm proud that I got to shine a light on some greatness.

I remember saying to Kate Voegele once

"You were always great.

"We just had the vehicle

that could shine a light on that."

♪ Coming from you it was enough ♪♪

It could still happen for you, Haley.

- It will, someday. - Well, someday is here.

I talked to Michelle. She wants you on the tour.

We had plans to send Haley, the character

on tour and I said to Joe Davola

"Why don't we send Joy on tour as well?"

They took, uh, musicians from the show

myself, uh, The Wreckers

who was Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp

Bethany Joy and Gavin DeGraw was on a lot of the dates.

And it sold out, every city.

You could just totally feel the energy.

The fans, they were like, "What? This is, like..

It's like a-a live extension of the show."

How do you like Tyler Hilton?

It was a frenzy.

It was something that, uh, I'll never forget.

How's everybody doing tonight? Alright.

The series toured again in season six

this time for U.S. Troops.

Two hours ago in Iraq, okay?

That's real. That's why we're here.

We love you guys.

"One Tree Hill" fans

had an enormous appetite

for music.

And the series became a destination

for new and emerging artists.

- You're Gavin DeGraw. - Uh, yeah, that's me.

♪ I don't want to be anything other than ♪

I had a new album out and was struggling

and we struck up a friendship and a relationship.

That alliance would give "One Tree Hill"

its signature sound.

People know those notes when they start.

They know that it's this place

that it's this group, that it's this family.

♪ I don't want to be anything other than me ♪

That song, "I Don't Want To Be," went platinum.

It went number one and that was a year after that record

came out and it was because of the "One Tree Hill" fans.

"One Tree Hill!"

This show has the most dedicated fans of anybody I've ever seen.

When you meet them in person

they convey that passion and that energy.

They've immersed themselves in this little town

of Tree Hill and, you know, love the characters that inhabit it.

It's amazing to have all these people showering you with love.

They was like, "Oh, we're coming from France."

"We're coming from Australia." "We're coming from London."

I was like, "You saved up all your money to come over here?"

That's dedication.

We've called on them

throughout the years to bother the network

to get us picked up

to show up at the mall tours

to show up at the concerts.

People have invested nine years of their lives

you go from junior high to out of college

and to think that this show was an ally to them

at that time is very humbling.

With such a dedicated following

the show looked for more ways to reach out and connect.

We would always think about if this were your favorite show

what would be cool?

Come on. We're all graduating soon.

It could be like a last hurrah.

'I bought red vines.'

You can't have a road trip without red vines.

What if the characters came to your town

and you were you, but the characters were the characters?

A contest was created

and fans across the country submitted videos

to bring "One Tree Hill" to their hometown..

How about you come to us?

And a small Texas town became the principal location.

- Action! - 'This is it.'

Honey Grove, the sweetest town in Texas.

The first night we got there

uh, James Lafferty and Antwon Tanner and I

wanted to go play basketball.

The people showing us mad love, so happy to be here.

We just scrimmaged with the team for, like, a couple hours

and by the end of the scrimmage

the bleachers were fairly full.

- You guys crashing? - No.

'We know everybody in our school.'

You won't tell anyone, will you?

No, it's cool.

When we shot the scenes outside, it was like a parade.

It's like this huge experience for them

as much it is for the cast.

We made the front page of "The Weekly Gazette."

We've really created bonds

with the people who watch our show

that no other show, I think, has really done.

I think I'm gonna miss Honey Grove.

Yeah, me too.

One of the reasons you get to a 187 episodes

is you make the decisions

with the show's best interest in mind

and with the fans in mind.

♪ Yeah yeah ♪♪

No!

Over the course of nine seasons

"One Tree Hill" meant different things

to different audiences.

For some people, it was a guilty pleasure.

We did psychos, and we did car crashes.

We never set out to make it that way

and I think, for our fans, it was not that.

It was very heartfelt and very real.

Dance with me.

Sometimes, we wanted the small moments

to be the big moments

and other times, we wanted it to be loud and scary..

- I need a doctor! - And mysterious.

What's going on?

We wanted to leave people

on the edge of their seat.

The cast and crew of "One Tree Hill"

brought their "A" game to every episode.

- How're you doing, champ? - I just wanna get out of here.

At no time was it needed more than in season eight.

No, stop!

"Darkness On The Edge Of Town" was a great episode

because it was so big.

It was a hurricane and it was rain towers.

I'm kind of down on this rain thing right now.

It was a car off a bridge and then the dam broke.

Save him and then save me, please. He's just a boy.

It was amazing to watch the crew and cast.

I remember Jackson Brundage, who plays Jamie.

That kid is so good in that episode.

You're gonna be my best man in our wedding.

- Right? - Yeah.

We were all concerned about

putting him in the car

whether he'd be freaked out about it.

Come on. I got you.

The fake rain

and the car in the lake

all the bridge and the rain and stuff, I think that was fun.

There was never a moment where he didn't think

it was a wonderful playground.

'Nathan Scott passes to Lucas for three and the win!'

The state championship game, that was a huge undertaking.

'It's good!'

When the Ravens finally won the state championship

and then Haley is hit by a car..

- Look out! - Haley!

That was not only a really big episode

in terms of its ambition and scope..

It's bad, Peyton. It's really bad.

But emotionally, for the actors making the episode

for the fans, that was a big one.

But a daring story line in season three

brought "One Tree Hill" its defining episode.

Somebody was talking about Columbine and I remember

every time they said the word, they would whisper it.

"And I remember thinking, you know, "What a tragedy.

Somebody should say something loudly about it."

It was a testament to the studio and network

that the executives trusted us to make that episode

because it could go very wrong and the last thing anybody wants

is that somehow we glamorize a kid in school with a handgun.

You don't have a record, Jim.

You're a good student, and you're a minor.

Yeah, maybe this isn't as bad as you think.

This ain't "Breakfast Club." Let's face it!

This is the most any of us have talked in four years!

Just a 100 percent every day, just so emotional.

That voice in your head that's-that's saying

there's no way out, it's wrong, Jimmy!

Please, just believe me. It gets better.

- I'm sorry. - No!

It was very challenging to our audience

but I felt like we'd always gotten a good story

out of those challenges.

We killed a beloved character in Keith Scott.

I had a quiet instinct that it was a story worth telling.

That episode was the cornerstone of-of us

getting to season nine.

Creative risk paid off again..

Excuse me. Can you tell me what's happening?

When Keith returned in a landmark holiday episode.

Hi, Luke.

There are a lot of people who have lost someone.

And in our episode, this kid gets to see his uncle again.

I didn't come here to make you believe in me.

I came here to make you believe in you.

I think the show was at its best when it was

a quiet ally to our audience

when somebody that I'll never meet

was struggling with something

and they learned something from the show

that made it a little bit better.

Most people are stronger than they know.

They just.. They forget to believe in it sometimes.

From the conversations I've had with fans

the show has helped them through tough periods in their life.

I think that's a testament to where the heart of our show is.

I'm gonna miss you so much.

Why?

I'm with you every day.

If that one sentence finds someone

at a time where they're missing someone

that's a worthy hour of television.

Those moments touched the hearts and minds

of cast members as well as fans.

Mark told me something really early on when I

started the show and he said, "Be in it"

just meaning in like, every moment

whether it be good or bad or challenging

or being vulnerable or being emotional

or just whatever that it is for that moment

because if you're not in that moment, you're probably

not gonna take away what it is that you're supposed to.

We've been through the good, the bad, the ugly

and the beautiful here.

And I think we're just so fortunate

to have had this experience like this.

It's-it's one in a million.

Can you tell me more about the stunning

some might say brilliant character of Brooke Davis?

I think that TV is about characters.

You can do hooks and high-concept in movies

but if you want everyone to come back every week

you've to care about the people.

And audiences have cared

about this group of characters they've come to love.

It's been enormous evolution for Brooke Davis.

- Brooke, let me in. - She always had a great heart.

No, it's not ready. Go away.

It's my apartment and it's my..

Wedding dress, for that matter.

No, it will be, but for now

it is my wedding dress and it is not ready.

And she's always been a really fierce

and passionate person and friend.

You're speechless! Oh, I knew you would be.

Hold on. There's one more thing.

Do you get it? Halo?

Haley was this really snarky, sarcastic

fast-talking, awkward girl.

Oh, the magazine pages are sticky again, little pervs.

Oh, hey, Luke. You've been reading this?

We both grew up together, she and I.

- Come with me. - Lunchtime quickie. Nice.

I wouldn't trade my character for any of them.

I think this is the coolest one.

I don't think we've met. Chris Keller.

This is the best character on the show, I think.

Chris Keller can do it all, baby.

A lot of our fans said that the show was so real.

What's real about it are the emotions behind it

and the people and what they care about.

We are gathered here today to witness the renewal

of a commitment between Nathan and Haley.

It's pretty gratifying and fulfilling

to play a character that makes that type of journey

and crosses the finish line

with grace and humility.

It's about falling in love.

It's about making someone proud of you.

It's about being proud of yourself.

Life is short and opportunities are rare.

It's about that quiet voice that tells you

that you can do better.

I'm sorry. I have more.

I just think I'm having my baby.

"One Tree Hill" reached a crossroads

after high school graduation.

They're all talking about dreams.

It's their senior year in high school.

College is simply the place you go

to acquire the information to do those things.

We're gonna jump the show ahead four years.

The actors are gonna be playing their ages.

They're gonna be excited about that.

Alright, I'm gonna do the red carpet.

I'm gonna skip the movie.

Let's call one of the Nicks and find out

if they'd like to go.

Okay, um, which Nick do you prefer?

Nick Lachey, Nick Zano, Nick Reed, whoever.

We'll be able to reinvent the show

and-and do a 20-something show.

- Uncle Lucas. - Hey..

- You in high school already? - No, I'm only four.

Our show started out about fathers and sons

and it ended up about fathers and sons.

And so the kids of Tree Hill had become parents themselves

a new journey that would carry the series

all the way to its ninth season.

♪ Justice comes to the back of my door ♪♪

I think season nine's a very risky season of television.

It's an incredible rare thing that nine years into a show

there would be any suspense left

and we have a lot of that this season.

The final chapter also marked the return

of Tree Hill's most notorious character.

If you can, leave the killing to me.

The first scene is me in a car with Dan Scott.

Chris Keller doesn't like this.

Let's go.

All I had to hear about was this scene and I was like

"I'm in, but I don't know what you guys are up to."

Hello, son.

Having Paul Johansson back is..

It's awesome. It's extraordinary.

He brings so much life to the set.

- Where is my husband? - Haley, will you calm down?

Please, let me explain. Please.

Poor Paul Johansson, it's usually

his character that's in peril.

We poisoned him. We burned him in a fire.

When he was in prison, we had him hang himself

but the noose broke.

Dan never did anything kind.

Oh, I got it.

He helps this old people to the curb.

You could get yourself killed out here.

We hit him with a car.

Here we are in season nine

and Dan Scott is as relevant as ever.

I should love you but I spent so much of my life hating you.

I was a terrible father. I know that.

His return was inspired by a search for redemption..

No!

And when he died, a Tree Hill hero

was there to meet him.

I'm so sorry for that day and every day before it.

I know you are, Danny, and I forgive you.

It was my favorite season of the show for many reasons.

I knew it was our last

and I enjoyed it a little more.

Thank you for everything you've done for me.

Knowing we were gonna leave at the end of it

I think, reminded all of us

that this is one of the greatest gifts.

When everybody knows that we have an ending

there's somehow this great closure

that we've never had before.

Thank you for coming home to me.

Always. Forever.

It absolutely will be satisfying to fans

and it is personally satisfying to look back

and say, like, "What an accomplishment."

I feel like those characters

sort of exist on their own now.

Even though I'm not sitting down and writing

"Fade in" every week

it feels like they're still there.

I think it's always gonna feel that way.

'A person who has so much magic inside of him'

we've appreciated him every day

and that's a series wrap on Austin Nichols.

I love all of you. Thank you so much.

You all make me look so much better than I am.

'I'll never forget any of you. Thank you.'

After nine seasons

the time has come to say goodbye

to "One Tree Hill."

Nine years of doing anything

with the same group of people..

It sounds cliche but it became a family.

The directors would always say to me

"That crew is something else," and they are.

They worked in a small studio in Wilmington, North Carolina.

They weren't in Hollywood.

But they were gonna do it better

and they were gonna work just as well.

They'll always be close to my heart.

I feel so fortunate to have had it.

This dedicated family has come together

one last time for the final episode.

You know, when I sat down with the-with the script

for episode 13

I-I really, I couldn't believe it that it had already come.

The script for the final episode is so cool

and I think that everybody that read it

got teary when they read it.

I think there might be a couple tears

but I think everybody's gonna be happy the way we ended.

This finale just wraps everything up in a bow.

- It's a time capsule almost. - And action.

I was directing the final episode and what I

underestimated was saying goodbye to locations.

You know, the last day that we shot

in Karen's Cafe became emotional.

When we shut the lights out at Tric, it became emotional.

It's the last time that we're gonna be in Tric.

It's the last time we'll be on the River Court.

When all the lights finally turned off

over the River Court, that was a huge moment for me.

For the first time, I really felt like

I was leaving something behind

that was part of who I was.

Nine years on the air, I mean, that's just

an incredible accomplishment, and I'm so proud of it.

It's happy and it's sadness

because you made it nine seasons

but you will definitely miss those bonds

that you created with a lot of your cast mates.

The cast and crew is really taking it all in

and appreciating our last moments together.

Every day we were wrapping

an actor who had become a friend.

We were saying goodbye to their character.

So this is a series wrap on Stephen and Tyler.

Looking at the faces around on set

on the last days of shooting

there's some pretty good people

that have done a lot of great work.

♪ Tell me a story ♪

I got a lifetime's worth of memories

from the nine years on the show.

It's been really was emotional to shoot the last episode

and think, "This is my last scene."

♪ I'll break us out ♪♪

Those emotions are there

and I feel like everybody in the audience

will get to feel them with all of us.

I'll owe everything that I accomplished

from this point on to the show.

There's no question.

For this to have been our job, to grow up here

and evolve as people and as characters..

It's-it's huge.

Easily one of the coolest things that's ever happened to me.

Here we are, the last scene

in the last episode of "One Tree Hill" ever.

'That's technically our last shot with talent.'

So Sophia Bush, series wrap.

I'm so proud and..

And so overwhelmed

being here with all of you

as an actor and I just..

I love you guys and I've never known

a group of people like you and..

I appreciate it.

♪ I'll take your place ♪

♪ When the world ends ♪

♪ And you take mine ♪

I had never written a television show before

and I felt like they had taken a leap of faith in me.

And that stayed with me for all nine seasons.

The fans deserved my best.

The writers deserved my best, the cast, the crew.

♪ I want you to be free ♪

I feel like everybody could sort of tell

and that they felt an equal responsibility

because they knew that I cared so much about it.

So they decided to love it with me.

♪ Free like you make me ♪

I like to believe that we paid back that leap of faith

and that we always put the show first.

♪ Free like you make me ♪

We told good stories

we tried to do it the right way.

♪ Free like you make me ♪

And I'll always be proud of that.

Alright, that's a series wrap on "One Tree Hill."

Well done, everybody.

♪ Free like you make me ♪♪

When I wrote the opening voice over of the finale

it was very emotional for me

because it's like having a friend or a loved one

that you know you're not gonna see anymore.

What choices do you make?

What would you say? What would you do?

We sort of had that opportunity going into season nine

and we were protective of the final days

and final episodes together.