One Tree Hill is a classic teen drama, and to this day it’s beloved for its soapy drama, romances and focus on friendship, family and basketball. The story follows the iconic OTH cast – which features Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty, Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz – as they make their way through high school in a small town. This early 2000s series was a staple of its time, and if you are looking to find this kind of drama and nostalgia again I have some show recommendations for you.
The O.C.
When the wealthy Cohen family adopts Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), he and Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) go about their dramatic lives in Orange County.
Why The O.C. Is Like One Tree Hill: This soapy teen drama from the early 2000s focuses on two brothers, albeit their relationship is a lot healthier than Nathan and Lucas’, and their journey through high school. With romantic pairings like Seth (Brody) and Summer (Rachel Bilson), and big dramatic moments played out by the ensemble cast of The O.C. too, it’s actually super similar to One Tree Hill.
Outer Banks
A crew of teens from the Outer Banks, led by Chase Stokes’ John B. are on the hunt for an ancient treasure.
Why Outer Banks Is Like One Tree Hill: Need a show that also takes place in one of the two Carolina states and features beloved romances, intense adventures and unexpected action? Outer Banks is for you. While its main character John B. almost dies way more often than any character on One Tree Hill, it’s still full of the same soapy drama that I’m sure you’ll like if you dug the early 2000s show.
Stream Outer Banks on Netflix.
Dawson's Creek
To this day, you’ll find people re-watching Dawson’s Creek much like they do One Tree Hill. The story follows Dawson (James Van Der Beek) and Joey (Katie Holmes) through high school and the drama that ensues between them and their romantic interests – especially when Pacey (Joshua Jackson) and Jen (Michelle Williams) get involved.
Why Dawson’s Creek Is Like One Tree Hill: This show is arguably the most similar to One Tree Hill on this list. Both series ran for many seasons during the early 2000s and centered around high schoolers dealing with love, life, family and soapy drama. Along with their plot similarities, both the Dawson’s Creek cast and OTH ensemble took off because of their shows. Also, Chad Michael Murray played a role in both seminal teen dramas.
Stream Dawson’s Creek on Hulu.
Stream Dawson's Creek on Amazon Prime.
Stream Dawson's Creek on The CW.
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl centers around a group of rich Upper Eastside teens (and Dan from Brooklyn) who are targeted by the titular anonymous gossip blog.
Why Gossip Girl Is Like One Tree Hill: While the New York City setting is what greatly differentiates these two shows, at their core, they are both centered around a dramatic high school and the interpersonal relationships between the core characters. And let’s face it, both One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl live up to their hype because of their iconic relationships (like Chuck and Blair and Nathan and Haley).
Stream Gossip Girl on The Roku Channel.
Gilmore Girls
Mother/daughter duo Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) live in Stars Hallow, and they go about life in their small town with their friends and family.
Why Gossip Girl Is Like One Tree Hill: Both Tree Hill and Stars Hallow are small towns, and both shows span over many years as we watch the ensemble cast grow up. Also, like Gilmore Girls, OTH focuses a lot on family, both biological and found. Not to mention, one of the Gilmore Girls cast members whose career took off after he starred in the show was our beloved Chad Michael Murray – however, a big difference is Lucas from Tree Hill is significantly nicer than Stars Hollow’s Tristin.
Stream Gilmore Girls on Netflix.
Riverdale
Based on Archie Comics, Riverdale follows Archie (K.J. Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart), Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and Veronica (Camila Mendes) through high school. Throughout the show, there are murder mysteries, supernatural entanglements and even musicals.
Why Riverdale Is Like One Tree Hill: If you are looking for over-the-top high school drama, relationships that you’re excited to ship and a fun ensemble, both these shows have you covered. While Riverdale has crazy plot twists that involve more magic and mystery than OTH, they both will fill your need for a good ol' high school drama. Oh, also, Chad Michael Murray guest stars in a few episodes of this too.
Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights follows one of high school’s best football teams, the Dillon Panthers, and their coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler).
Why Friday Night Lights Is Like One Tree Hill: The biggest reason these two shows are like one another is how sports play into the story. The majority of the Friday Night Lights cast are on or involved with the town’s football team. Just switch the sport to basketball, and you have a similar situation with One Tree Hill, especially in the earlier seasons.
Stream Friday Night Lights on Netflix.
Stream Friday Night Lights on Hulu.
Stream Friday Night Lights on Amazon Prime.
All American
All American follows a young football player, Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) after he moves as he attempts to adjust to his new school, life and team.
Why All American Is Like One Tree Hill: While there are many shows like All American, One Tree Hill stands out as an apt comparison because it's centered around sports -- football and basketball, respectively -- and the story of one guy adjusting to a new team. While Spencer is new at his school, Lucas has been in Tree Hill forever. However, when he joins the basketball team, it almost feels like he’s the new kid.
Stream All American on Netflix.
Stream All American on The CW.
On My Block
On My Block follows Monse (Sierra Capri), Ruby (Jason Genao), Jamal (Brett Gray) and Cesar (Diego Tinoco) through high school in this coming-of-age drama.
Why All American Is Like One Tree Hill: When it comes to the legacies of On My Block and One Tree Hill, they both stand as beloved dramas about growing up, coming-of-age and friendship. If you are looking for a YA drama from more recent years, this is the show for you.
Stream On My Block on Netflix.
Parenthood
Parenthood follows the Braverman family by focusing on Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) and Camille (Bonnie Bedelia), their kids and grandkids.
Why Parenthood Is Like One Tree Hill: Along with One Tree Hill and Parenthood featuring famous folks you forgot were in it, its central focus on family and the trauma and love that comes with them is the major reason why these two shows are alike.
Degrassi
This long-running Canadian teen drama follows an ensemble of kids as they deal with love, life and high school as well as the transition from childhood into adulthood.
Why Degrassi Is Like One Tree Hill: Like One Tree Hill, Degrassi was long-running, ending on Season 14, and it told its stories in a soapy way. Whether it be tales of love, coursework, sports or the occasional crime, both shows are big and dramatic, which is why we love them.
Stream Degrassi on Amazon Prime.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
The Summer I Turned Pretty focuses on Belly (Lola Tung) and her relationship with Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) and Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) as she navigates her romantic feelings for the brothers.
Why The Summer I Turned Pretty Is Like One Tree Hill: Both TSITP and One Tree Hill have romance at the center of them, and feature some seriously iconic love triangles. From Lucas, Peyton and Brooke on OTH to the aforementioned Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad, the romantic relationships in these shows are messy, dramatic and oh-so-compelling.
Stream The Summer I Turned Pretty on Amazon Prime.
One Tree Hill is truly one of the most iconic teen dramas, and luckily many came both before and after it that are worth checking out. So, after you see how Brooke, Lucas, Nathan, Haley and Peyton’s stories come to a close, make sure to check a few of the aforementioned shows out. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them!
