Set in the affluent suburb of Tree Hill, NC, this teen-oriented WB dramedy was the story of two half-brothers united only by a common name. Sullen Lucas (
Chad Michael Murray) was a street-basketball legend in his own small blue-collar community, while his arrogant half-sibling Nathan (
James Lafferty) was even more celebrated as the star player of Tree Hill High's varsity basketball squad. Both boys were the sons of former pro basketballer Dan Scott (
Paul Johansson), who had long ago abandoned both Lucas and his mother, Karen (
Moira Kelly), to start life over with a new wife and family. These fractious elements came together when Tree Hill coach Whitey Durham (
Barry Corbin) pulled strings to have both Lucas and Nathan play on his hoops team. The inbred reality between the half-brothers (who, up until they joined the same team, were unaware that they shared the same parentage) was of course intensified when both set their sights on the same girl, Peyton Sawyer (
Hilarie Burton). Created by Mark Schwahn,
One Tree Hill premiered September 23, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide