On 'One Tree Hill,' a look back in time

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TV This Week
On 'One Tree Hill,' a look back in time
By Diego Vasquez
Jan 8, 2008 - 1:00:25 AM

Give the CW credit for creativity. When the network renewed the long-running teen drama “One Tree Hill” last May, it did so with a twist. The fifth-year show returns tonight with a special two-hour episode at 8 p.m., in which the main characters will have aged four years since the season-four finale aired.

In that episode, the kids graduated from high school. Tonight they have just finished their final year of college, and viewers will get caught up on what happened in between through flashbacks, extended conversations and even a few full episodes set in the past.

It’s a novel way to tell the long-running story about two half brothers in a small town but also perhaps a necessary one. Some of the actors, who were well past their teenage years when the series began, are now in their mid to late 20s, and it gave the show’s writers a chance to really be creative in deciding what the main characters have been up to during their four years offscreen.

But most of all, “Hill” could provide a boost to the CW’s lagging Tuesday lineup. Though the combination of “Beauty and the Geek” and “Reaper,” the night’s two occupants last fall, seemed promising, “Beauty” experienced an unexpected ratings tumble and “Reaper” is still struggling to catch on with an incompatible lead-in, despite rave reviews.

Though “Hill” was never one of the old WB’s strongest shows, it did decently on Tuesday nights, where it aired after “Gilmore Girls” until moving to Wednesday behind “America’s Next Top Model” on the CW last year.

Among teens especially, the show has a strong following. And this unique idea of aging the characters could pull in even some former viewers who have long since stopped watching the show.

It will face relatively light competition for younger viewers this week, opposite ABC’s “Just for Laughs” and CBS’s older-skewing “NCIS” in the 8 p.m. slot. But things will get tougher in the following weeks, when "Hill" moves to 9 p.m. and Fox’s smash “House,” which has a huge teen audience, returns in the same slot.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
MONDAY, JANUARY 7
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	ABC	“Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann” (R)	Series premiere. The “Dancing with the Stars” judges see who can put together the best song and dance group.
8 p.m.	NBC	“American Gladiators” (G)	Bringing back an old game show isn’t ultra-original, but hey, it beats repeats.
8:15 p.m.	Fox	“College Football” (S)	Ohio State takes on LSU in the BCS National Championship game in New Orleans.
9 p.m.	A&E	“Intervention” (R)	Dealing with painkiller addiction.
9 p.m.	VH1	“Critics’ Choice Awards” (A)	D.L. Hughley hosts the 13th annual event.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Medium” (D)	Season premiere. Allison envisions a boy kidnapped from a toy store.
10 p.m.	ABC	“October Road” (D)	Hannah and Janet try to get their boyfriends to take them on a double date.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 8
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	Tennis legend Martina Navratilova guests.
7 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	If you haven’t seen Indiana freshman Eric Gordon play yet, check him out tonight against Michigan.
8 p.m.	CBS	“NCIS” (D)	A murder investigation transforms into a search for a missing boy.
8 p.m.	NBC	“The Biggest Loser” (R)	The nine remaining teams are tempted at a barbecue.
9 p.m.	CBS	“People’s Choice Awards” (A)	The 34th edition of the awards, hosted this time around by Queen Latifah.
10 p.m.	A&E	“Parking Wars” (R)	Series premiere. Following employees of the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
10 p.m.	Bravo	“Real Housewives of Orange County” (R)	Lauri continues to annoy as she plans her wedding.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	“Today” (N)	Media Life favorite Martha Stewart guests.
8 p.m.	NBC	“Deal or No Deal” (G)	The Banker asks a Hawaiian contestant to shave his goatee.
9 p.m.	CW	“Gossip Girl” (D)	The web site reports Serena bought a pregnancy test before checking all the facts.
9 p.m.	ESPN	“NBA Basketball” (S)	Great midseason matchup between Detroit and Dallas.
10 p.m.	ABC	“Cashmere Mafia” (D)	Mia has to fire her mentor after she becomes publisher.
10 p.m.	CBS	“CSI: NY” (D)	A hotel owner is found dead near an ice sculpture.
10 p.m.	Bravo	“Project Runway” (R)	The remaining designers make prom dresses.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 10
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	CBS	“The Early Show” (N)	Chef and Food Network personality Bobby Flay guests.
8 p.m.	NBC	“My Name is Earl” (C)	Karma isn’t holding up its end of the bargain, so Earl goes back to his old self in this rerun.
8 p.m.	ABC	“Ugly Betty” (D)	Betty wants Daniel to change the image of the models with Justin and classmates set to visit.
8:30 p.m.	NBC	“30 Rock” (C)	Kenneth becomes addicted to caffeinated coffee. Join the club.
9 p.m.	CBS	“CSI” (D)	The crew looks into two murders at the same rodeo.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Grey’s Anatomy” (D)	Derek kissed Rose, and now he has to deal with the fallout.
10 p.m.	VH1	“Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” (R)	Series premiere. Could be interesting, but would have been better with Britney and/or Lindsay.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 11
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	Emeril cooks it up and the cast from Broadway’s “The Little Mermaid” performs.
8 p.m.	CBS	“Ghost Whisperer” (D)	Melinda looks into possible hauntings at Ned’s new school.
9 p.m.	NBC	“Friday Night Lights” (D)	The team prepares for its biggest game of the season while Smash has trouble picking a college.
9 p.m.	USA	“Monk” (D)	Monk accidentally becomes influenced by the leader of a cult.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Numb3rs” (D)	Charlie looks for an investigative journalist who goes missing.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Las Vegas” (D)	A mobster ends up at the casino, with federal agents and bounty hunters right behind.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 12
Time	Network	Program	Description
4:30 p.m.	Fox	“NFL Football” (S)	NFC Divisional playoff game.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Cops” (R)	Cops in California arrest a man who’s concealing a sawed-off shotgun.
8 p.m.	CBS	“NFL Football” (S)	AFC Divisional playoff game.
8 p.m.	ABC	“Pearl Harbor” (M)	The hit 2001 movie, more than a month after Pearl Harbor Day.
10 p.m.	MSNBC	“The Mind of Manson” (N)	An FBI analysis of a 1987 “Today” interview with Charles Manson.
10 p.m.	TV Guide Channel	“Golden Globe Preview” (N)	Joey Fatone breaks down this year’s awards ceremony.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 13
Time	Network	Program	Description
1 p.m.	CBS	“NFL Football” (S)	AFC Divisional playoff game.
4:30 p.m.	Fox	“NFL Football” (S)	NFC Divisional playoff game.
4:30 p.m.	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	Indiana hosts Illinois in a Big Ten contest.
8 p.m.	NBC	“Golden Globe Awards” (A)	The 65th annual event, live from Beverly Hills, so long as the writers’ guild doesn’t get it nixed.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (D)	Series premiere. Just like the movies, a woman and her son are on the run from futuristic cyborgs. But no Arnold.
9 p.m.	CBS	“Comanche Moon” (D)	First two hours of a six-hour miniseries that’s a prequel to “Lonesome Dove,” starring Val Kilmer, Rachel Griffiths and others.
10:30 p.m.	HBO	“The Wire” (D)	The police force cuts its budget, and Snoop and Chris take advantage.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.