Sophia Bush had plenty of experience with starring roles in hit TV shows before she landed Good Sam on CBS, and now the actress is bringing some of her past to her present in the form of her One Tree Hill BFFs. Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz are both guest-starring in an upcoming episode of television’s newest medical drama, and based on the first look, it’s safe to say that the three friends are excited to be working together in TV again.
The three actresses formed strong bonds over their years of The CW’s One Tree Hill, and went on to co-host a podcast together that is still going strong. Good Sam will bring Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, and Bethany Joy Lenz back together in front of the camera instead of simply behind microphones, and it looks like OTH fans have a lot to look forward to. Before getting into what Burton and Lenz's characters will bring to the new medical drama, check out all three together in costume!
Sophia Bush’s Sam may not have had tons of reasons to smile on the job on Good Sam ever since her dad (played by Jason Isaacs) started causing trouble for her, and Bethany Joy Lenz’s character is wearing a hospital gown, but the three actresses certainly look thrilled to be back together again! The One Tree Hill veterans are reuniting with Bush for guest-starring roles, so they won’t be around full time, but their episode (which just began shooting in Toronto) should be fun for fans.
For their episode, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz will play sisters by the names of Gretchen Taylor and Amy Taylor. Amy will be admitted as a patient at Detroit’s Lakeshore Sentinel Hospital, where Bush’s Sam works – or tries to work, anyway – as chief of surgeon. It’s the same position that her egotistical dad held before being shot and left in a coma for months. Hopefully the Taylor sisters will give Sam as many reasons to smile in the episode as the arrivals of Bush’s BFFs clearly did in real life!
Sophia Bush starred in all nine seasons of One Tree Hill as Brooke Davis, as did Bethany Joy Lenz as Haley James. Hilarie Burton was on board The CW drama from the first season through the sixth as Peyton Sawyer. Although Bush wasted no time in moving on to star in NBC’s Chicago P.D. after wrapping her time as Brooke, she has been vocal about her time on OTH over the years since, for better or worse.
Stars spoke out with allegations of abuse against One Tree Hill creator and executive producer Mark Schwahn, which hit the mainstream in late 2017 and gained steam in 2018. Hilarie Burton has since spoken out about how her experiences with Schwahn continue to affect her life. Still, the three actresses still think highly enough of their time on One Tree Hill to host the Drama Queens podcast that revisits every episode of the beloved show for fans. It should be interesting to see if Good Sam includes any nods or Easter eggs about their history together.
For now, you can find new episodes of Good Sam (which are up against some stiff competition) airing on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, and all nine seasons of One Tree Hill currently streaming on Hulu.
