One Tree Hill Reunion Photos Prompt Existential Crisis in Me, a Very Big Former One Tree Hill Fan

When I was in the ninth grade, two television shows debuted that would go on to define a significant portion of my teenaged experience. One, The O.C., achieved some kind of widespread cultural status and also ruined high school for me by making me think it would be fun. The other, One Tree Hill, had both Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton, the latter of which was one of the few television actors with curly hair.

My love for One Tree Hill burned bright, strong, and brief, since I only made it through a couple of seasons. I only vaguely recall the plot—Murray and James Lafferty play half-brothers who are both high school basketball stars and therefore rivals, which made up a lot of the early drama, but also a surprising number of teens get married and there was a murder in there somewhere. But it was the early aughts, Murray was in his prime, and Burton made curly hair acceptable in the era of the Conair flat iron, and so this show was my Bible.