Sophia Bush Says A Feminist 'One Tree Hill' Reboot Is Possible

Sophia Bush thinks a return to Tree Hill is in the offing, but with a new twist.

“What I'm saying is that for a long time our answer to that was a resounding no, we were really ready to put it to bed,” Bush, 41, said. E! News of a potential One Tree Hill reunion on Wednesday, January 24 at the premiere of her new film Node. “And when the girls and I decided that that was our show and we deserve to reclaim it, now we're thinking, 'What would a feminist reclamation of our show look like?'”

Bush played on One Tree Hill for nine seasons as Brooke Davis, from 2003 to 2012. Nearly a decade later, the actress appeared, along with costars Hilarie Burton Morgan And Bethany Joy Lenzannounced their rewatch podcast 'Drama Queens' in June 2021. An introspective look back at their time on the show is something that Bush says changed her perspective on a possible future reboot of the series.

“The podcast has brought us some joy and I think it has changed our collective answer from 'never' to 'never say never,'” she teased. “I don't have any answers from you, but things change over time.”

As for where Bush thinks her character would be today, the actress pointed to a specific storyline from Season 2 that she thinks could be the launching point for Brooke's current career.

“I always joke that, you know, Brooke Davis running for class president really changed the trajectory of her entire life,” she said. “I would like to see her in an elected position. I would love to see her deliver an impassioned rant about what people deserve. I think that would really be something for her.”

One Tree Hill, which initially aired on the WB and later on the CW, was set in the fictional town of Tree Hill, North Carolina, and followed two estranged half-brothers Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan (James Lafferty) as they navigated sharing a city – and a basketball team – while dealing with their evil father, Dan Scott (Paul Johansson).

Although the series is beloved by fans, the show has often been a tumultuous experience for the cast. The women from the series made their allegations of harassment against the creator public Mark Schwahn in 2017. Although Schwahn never addressed the allegations, Bush previously shared that she, along with Morgan Burton, 41, and Lenz, 42, who played Peyton Sawyer and Haley James Scott, respectively, started their podcast to share their experiences on the way to show.

“The show itself is something we've had mixed feelings about for so long,” Bush said Variety in 2021. “This is an opportunity for us to take advantage of everything that was good and we're going to take back everything that should have been better. It feels really good to be in that position of empathetic power. Because there was no one in power who showed us so much empathy, and we want to do things differently.”

During an April 2023 episode of “Drama Queens,” the trio explained why they feel a responsibility to continue talking about the harassment allegations.

“Until some change happens in our industry, I don't know how we can stop [speaking out]” said Burton Morgan. “The only reason we made it is because we had each other.”

Related: 'One Tree Hill' Cast: Where Are They Now?

It's hard to look back at teen dramas without remembering One Tree Hill, and decades later fans are still talking about the explosive cast. Created by Mark Schwahn, the series aired for nine seasons from 2003 to 2012. The series premiered on The WB and then moved to The CW in 2006, when The WB aired. […]

While talking to E! On Wednesday – where she became a member OTH costars James Lafferty, Barbara Alyn Woods And Brian Greenberg on the red carpet – Bush noted that what she misses most about teen drama is her friends, noting that there is “undeniable” how special One Tree Hill is for fans and the cast alike.

“That's why we're all here tonight,” she said. “It really gave us a family that feels like one in a million.”