Naley could be out of the One Tree Hill Revival, the actors weigh in!

One Tree Hill fans are excited about its announced comeback but the revival could be without one of its power couples!

Premiering on the WB in 2003, One Tree Hill became one of the network’s biggest hits. The focus was on half-brothers Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan (James Lafferty) living together in their North Carolina town. The show was a major success, jumping to the CW in 2006 with a five-year “time jump” to show the kids moving to adulthood. It ended after nine seasons and remains popular online.

Over the years, the stars have remained close, particularly Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley James), Sophia Bush (Brooke Davis) and Hilarie Burton (Peyton Sawyer), as the trio hosted a podcast talking about the show and their own lives. 

Thus, fans were excited to hear that Burton and Davis were working on a new sequel series for Netflix. It’ll pick up with Brooke and Peyton back in Tree Hill raising their daughters. It does sound like Murray won’t be taking part, which isn’t surprising as he and Bush may still have bad blood over an ill-fated marriage between them. 

A major question was on Nate and Haley. The two started off on the series on opposite sides only to end up together and have a son, Jamie. Their bond was one of the best parts of the show with the final scene of the series flashing years ahead to show the pair watching Jamie follow in his dad’s footsteps as a basketball star. 

Given Lenz's history with Burton and Bush, it would be logical to assume she’s automatically in for a revival. But both she and Lafferty have hinted that might not be the case.

Are Naley going to be part of the One Tree Hill revival?

Speaking to Variety, both actors seemed unsure of whether Nathan and Haley would be in the show with Lenz saying it’s mostly because she’s unsure of the project’s status. 

"I am absolutely open to being a part of a revisiting to Tree Hill. But as far as this particular one, I don’t know. It’s so early. I don’t know if it’s in pilot, I don’t know if it’s in series. I don’t know where it’s at."

Lafferty added he’s been busy with his series Everyone Is Doing Great and thus may not be able to work in a revival show. 

"Personally, I’m blown away by the fans that make a conversation like this even possible. Professionally, I’m completely focused on finding ‘Everyone is Doing Great’ Season 2 the right home. Until then, consider me grateful for this moment and cheering everyone on!"

Doing an OTH revival without these two does seem a bad idea as the pair stuck through the entire series and seeing them grow as parents in their numerous struggles provided some of the show’s best scenes. It’d also be tough to imagine Brooke and Peyton without Haley with Lenz agreeing the original group was what made the show work. 

"What I get out of people wanting to see Nathan and Haley is that the show meant so much to people. The characters meant so much to people. They feel so connected to their experience of us, it’s almost like we were friends they grew up with. They’re championing their friends and I just love that. It’s worth its weight in gold."

One can hope the producers do find a way to get Lenz and Lafferty in, even if only for cameos, as One Tree Hill isn’t the same without them. While fans are hopeful this revival can be a great ride, it’d be better if Naley gets involved.

One Tree Hill is streaming on Hulu.