ONE TREE HILL, Mondays, 8 p.m. ET, The CW

Returns: Sept. 14

Where we left off: Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Peyton (Hilarie Burton) drove into the sunset with their new baby girl, Sawyer. The Scotts are sitting pretty since Nathan (James Lafferty) has everything he dreamed of – his wife Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti) and his son by his side, and a career in the NBA. Brooke (Sophia Bush) flew to Los Angeles to finally admit her love for Julian (Austin Nichols).

Backstage buzz: You can follow RealOneTreeHill on Twitter to see pictures and shout-outs from the cast on set!

Upcoming guest stars: Tree Hill will see plenty of new and old faces this season. Sad OTH fans are aware that Murray and Burton won’t return, but we can only hope for some guest returns from these two, especially if this ends up being the show’s last season. Rachel Gatina (Daneel Harris) and Mia Catalano (Kate Voegele) are back in town. (We can assume that means we’ll see Stephen Colletti, too). Even though we asked him to “stay out of it,” Nick Lachey is returning, and of course, we can’t seem to get rid of Dan Scott (Paul Johansson). Shantel VanSanten has signed on to play Haley’s sister, Quinn, and Lipstick Jungle’s Robert Buckley will play Nathan’s sports agent, Clayton. Look for Jana Kramer (90210) and Kate French (Gossip Girl) to stir up some trouble. The season première has a guest stint by NFL great Jerry Rice.

Predictions: For a small town, Tree Hill has way too much drama. We can look forward to some sex, lies and shirtless Scott boys. One can only assume we’ll see another love triangle, maybe another baby and some super-random hookups (Flashback to Deb and Skills, anyone?). At the very least, we predict another car accident (there’s at least one every season). Without Murray and Burton, fans (including us) fear this could mean the last season for the beloved series, which means it will go out with a bang and most likely a tear.

Our bubble buzz:

Amber: Please let this series just end already. There is enough new programming to signify new blood in CW’s lineup; it doesn’t need to hold on to excess baggage.
Shot at cancellation:
Denette: Without original cast members Murray and Burton, the drama might be heading downhill.
Shot at cancellation:
Diana: The loss of Murray and Burton may also ignite the loss of some fans.
Shot at cancellation:
Greg: The loss of the two leads means the tree may be cut down.
Shot at cancellation:
Melissa: Is Hill over the hill? So many cast changes so late in the show’s run put this show in jeopardy.
Shot at cancellation:

 

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