A funny thing happened on the way to determining your favorite shows. The One Tree Hill fans went berserk.
That’s pretty much what went down with our first annual TV Throwdown Poll, in which we asked you to vote for the one series you loved best in all of the year 2007. One Tree Hill came in with a whopping 28 percent of the vote out of about 100 series.
Clearly, these OTH fans are a wee bit motivated (along with Supernatural, which got even more of the pie with 29 percent). So I hereby bequeath you all the award for Best and Cleverest Display of Fan Love.
Clearly, many of you are dying for info and scoop and spoilers on OTH and Supernatural, and we shall do our best to deliver, starting with the peek below at the fifth season of One Tree Hill, which finally kicks off tonight with a two-hour premiere on the CW. (Party on my couch? Yours? Chad Michael Murray’s?)
And this just in: It was just announced that Supernatural will return Jan. 31 with four new episodes, so fear not, we'll get to Jared and Jensen, too.
As for you fans of other shows, please take a moment to vote again below in our TV Throwdown Poll. We have removed OTH and Supernatural from the running because (1) we got the message, and (2) it just wasn’t a fair fight with you superfans in the mix.
As mentioned before, this poll will help us determine which series will be covered in this column in the coming year, which is why we need to see how the other series rank. So, speak now or forever send me hate mail...
TV Throwdown, Take Two
Now, on to a little poop on tonight’s One Tree Hill...
Five Reasons to Watch the New One Tree Hill
- Our Little Babes Are All Growed Up: In case you hadn’t heard, the fifth season of One Tree Hill skips forward four years, so the Grease-like suspension of age disbelief is gone, and the actors, who are all now ages 22-26 in real life, are playing much closer to their actual ages. This new angle gives OTH a nice boost of realism, as well as the ability to give us more life-altering twists (engagements, weddings, career drama, etc.) to propel the plot forward. Translation: This ain’t your ’07 OTH.
- The Characters Are the Same...But Different: Yes, these are still the same people we knew and loved at Tree Hill High, but they’ve come a long way. Brooke is now a fashion designer, Peyton is in the music industry (Hosting TRL? Kidding), Lucas is a novelist/basketball coach (all set to grow up and pen One Tree Hill) and Nathan and Haley are still happily(?) married and the proud parents of their now four-year-old son, played by Jackson Brundage.
- You’ll Get to See a Smidge of College: Yes, executive producer Mark Schwan smartly decided to skip over the college years (after learning from our good old friends at the Peach Pit that no one watches the college years), but will serve up flashbacks in episodes to show you how the gang got to where they are now. (So Lost-alicious, no?)
- Romance Is Still in the Air: Sure, they have careers and cribs and couture clothing, but there’s still much time spent on the romantic entanglements fans have grown to love. While Brooke flies single for most of the season, Lucas and Peyton have more than a few surprises in store, including what certainly sounds like wedding bells. (Get ready for the Blucas revolt!)
- There's No End in Sight: Like nearly every other show out there, Tree Hill’s production was shut down in the midst of its planned season—episode number 12, to be exact, which happens to be the show’s 100th and leaves plenty of storylines hanging. Just another reason to hope the writers and studios come back to the bargaining table pronto.
In the meantime, check out Tree Hill tonight at 8 p.m. on the CW. Then come back here and comment below on what you think of the new fast-forwarded version. Love it? Like it? Loathe it? Do tell!