One Tree Hill

It's a bit difficult to accurately rate this show.

At its best it's several steps above most, if not all similar shows. At its worst it's nearly unwatchable.

The high school years in particular are generally much better than the standard high school series. The fall off that happens in season 5 and beyond is quite severe.

All in all, definitely give the first 4 seasons a watch and see if you like what happens afterwards.

What I like about this series is the way common adolescent problems are addressed. Issues on drugs, sex, personality crisis, family relationships are common issues everywhere in the world. The actors do an excellent job in getting the emotions across and they continue to grow in their characters as season one goes into season two. The dramatic serious scenes are interspersed with comic lighthearted scenes once in a while but overall the show is a serious one. This is alright seeing that living a normal life is serious too. I find OC a bit irritating because they look at these issues too lightly.It would also be interesting to see how the producers would deal with other issues such as eating disturbances, depression and delinquency. I've purchased both seasons dvds and have no regrets. Looking forward to season 3.

This show started out really well, and got better with each season. It was one of my favorite shows. Until season 8. From season 8 and on, I've been embarrassed to admit that I still watch this show.

The characters Chase, Quinn, Clay and Alice are pointless. I have no interest in any of their stories. I miss the core OTH group and the relationships between them. That group of friends gave the show its heart and soul. There are so many new characters on this show that it lost its intimacy and charming nature. The show now seems shallow and dull.

Also, to the writers - please stop using the phrases "you know that" and "you goof," as in "I love you, you know that" and boyfriends/girlfriends referring to each other as "you goof". It's no longer cute, and it is bordering somewhere between extremely annoying and downright obnoxious. I cringe every single time I hear these phrases.

I gave this show a 7, which would have been a 10 if it had ended with season 7... and would have been a 2 if it had started with season 8.

UPDATE: Season 9 makes up for the crappiness of season 8. Stick it out. You wont regret it. I'm raising my rating to an 8.

Once you've seen dawsons creek, saved by the bell and the OC - it becomes pretty obvious what producers of these shows are thinking. Take a set of issues provided by someone high up in the network, add some attractive 20-something actors who pretend to be teenagers and come up with a thin way to link the two. Except, this show is the best written teen drama I've ever seen. It's a laugh a minute, it doesn't try to ride the charisma or the attractiveness of the actors/actresses, it has genuinely funny short-term plots and climaxes to long-term plots. Not having American TV, I have to watch this type of teen show specifically from buying the DVD and this one is really engaging show-to-show, not jus a weekly dose to shut up fans. The slightly over-played basketball references about 'the game' are a bit tedious and so's the obscene over-emphasis on Dan Scott being an ass but this type of scene is usually followed by a funny pick-me-up scene. Definitely worth a watch.

I didn't have the time to catch the tv spots when by any reason a finished watching the first episode just a few weeks after the beginning of The O.C., but there's a great difference between both, even when they have a great cast, good scripts, One tree hill feels like something fresh and at the same time more emotional. Some episodes have incredible and beautiful stories, that reminds movies like "stand by me" or the first episodes of dawson's creek, it's that kind of innocence and at the same time deep drama where the whole cast make a terrific(unforgettable) work. It's the kind of show who you wanna watch for more than two hours a day feeling every episode just like a minute of the day. A real pure jewel for TV.