It's been years since One Tree Hill went off the air and all nine seasons are currently streaming on Hulu, allowing for fans to rewatch their favorite episodes and new viewers to get a glimpse into the drama series from the early 2000s. Additionally, main cast members Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton Morgan and Joy Lenz have created a new podcast called Drama Queens in which they rewatch the entire series and share behind-the-scenes info.
One Tree Hill still being relevant has allowed fans to give their hot takes about the show online, and on Reddit specifically. While most people agree that Nathan and Haley were meant to be together and Brooke had the best character development out of everyone, others disagree and have unpopular opinions about their favorite Tree Hillers.
Chris Keller Is Amazing
Chris Keller (played by real-life musician Tyler Hilton) was introduced in season 2 as Haley's ticket to success. She joined him on tour, leaving behind Tree Hill and her new husband, Nathan, temporarily. While Chris is widely regarded as an annoying villain who got in the way of Nathan and Haley's newlywed bliss, not everyone thinks he's so bad.
A fan on Reddit wrote, "Chris Keller is the BEST! He’s sure a little more arrogant in S2 and a little harder to like but he still doesn’t get the grief he deserves." Other fans echoed this user's statement, saying that he was great comic relief and didn't deserve all the hate he got from the other characters and viewers.
Clay & Quinn Were One Of The Best Couples
A lot of fans were upset when Peyton and Lucas left the show at the end of season 6, making for the introduction of two new characters in season 7. Haley's older sister, Quinn, and Nathan's agent, Clay, were the replacements for Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton's characters, but some felt like they didn't add as much to the show as Lucas and Peyton did.
Their love story became a central theme of the last three seasons, and one that some fans seemed to enjoy. A Reddit user praised their relationship, writing, "The Clay/Quinn relationship was really lovely to me and I liked the way they were together. Quinn isn't an interesting character, that's true, but they were good together."
Lucas Is A Bad Main Character
One Tree Hill initially revolved around the rivalry between brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott. Lucas is the main character of the show for the first season, with a heavy emphasis on his journey of joining the basketball team and attempting to form a connection with his estranged father. While viewers are typically divided on who the better Scott brother is, some are not a fan of Lucas at all.
A fan contributed to an unpopular opinions thread by saying, "Lucas is the worst main character. Obviously cheating with Peyton was bad, but there are some other things people never talk about. Like how he refuses to take the heart test? And doesn’t understand why people are angry about it?...The more I watch the more I really can’t stand Lucas."
People Are Too Forgiving Of Brooke
Brooke Davis went from the popular, somewhat mean girl in high school to everyone's favorite aunt, business owner, and friend. She grew tremendously in the time between season 1 and season 9, however, some fans can't look past mistakes she made early on and how she treated others when she didn't get her way.
A user wrote of how quickly fans are to forgive Brooke, "I absolutely love Brooke and she's one of my favorite characters, but I've seen so many people on social media treat her as a saint who can do no wrong...Season four Brooke was one of my least favorite Brooke's. She totally crossed the line with the dead mom jokes."
Rachel Deserved Better
Rachel Gatina was introduced as a new character in season 3 and was a rival of Peyton, Brooke, and Haley. She caused chaos whenever she could, whether it be between relationships or friends, she was ready to wreak havoc at any given moment. Eventually, she showed a softer, more vulnerable side and became close with Brooke.
Although she and Brooke formed a deep bond, in the later seasons (post time-jump) Rachel seemed to undo all character growth married Dan Scott - which made no sense since she knew how much he hurt her friends. By the time of her last appearance, she didn't get the happily ever after fans hoped she would. A Reddit user said, "Rachel deserved truly better, maybe she was fundamentally bad but she had potential for a redemption arc."
Nathan Is Boring
Nathan Scott went from being a jerk with no morals to a great husband, father, and basketball player who had big aspirations and loved his family more than anything. His relationship with Haley was regarded as one of the best on the show, and a lot of fans rank him above his brother Lucas in terms of being the best Scott brother.
While talking about their unpopular opinions of each main character, a fan wrote that they never got the Nathan hype, "Nathan is boring. Sounds harsh, but on my first watch I didn't like Nathan (or Naley) at all...His development was that he stopped being a massive jerk... okay, but that happened like midway through season 1."
Dan Is The Best Character
Dan Scott was introduced as the big, evil villain of One Tree Hill. He neglected his son Lucas, he was verbally abusive to his son Nathan, and he even ended up shooting and killing his older brother Keith. He is pretty highly regarded as one of the show's most evil characters, and one that people loathe.
However, it turns out that he has quite a fanbase on Reddit. A fan simply wrote, "Dan is the best character on the show." While a lot of other comments on the thread disagreed with them, some added that he was an interesting character, despite how much they hated him and everything he did to his children and the other characters on the show.
Seasons 7-9 Were Good
Even though the show went on for nine seasons, the last three are usually referred to as the weaker ones that viewers dislike rewatching the most. The reason being is partially due to the absence of Lucas and Peyton, and the introduction of new characters. However, some fans wrote that they didn't mind the later seasons.
A fan praised Season 8 in particular writing, "S8 is nowhere near as terrible as it's made out to be. I do think the first half of the season is stronger than the last [...] I love the overall arcs."
Peyton Is Over-Hated
Peyton's character arc is a complicated one, with her making a lot of decisions that upset viewers, like her betrayal of Brooke. When it comes to the three main girls, Peyton is usually ranked as the least likable, even though fans love her relationship with Lucas.
However, one Redditor rushed to defend Peyton, saying how much they adored her: "Peyton is my favorite character. I feel like this fandom doesn't like her much, but I absolutely love her since 1x01 and although I absolutely don't think she's perfect, I'm her big fan. Easily one of my favorite tv characters."
Haley & Nathan Should've Gotten An Annulment
Haley and Nathan got married at the end of season 1 with the support of her parents, despite them being teenagers. In that first year of marriage, they experienced a lot of ups and downs and even separated due to their different dreams for the future and poor communication between them.
A fan started a thread on the OTH subreddit that suggested the two should've annulled their marriage by saying that even though Haley went on tour, Nathan's behavior when she returned was divorce-worthy. They said, "She left and that was messed up and at that point I was Team Nathan, but when she returned he turned into such an ass. He shut her out completely and refused to work on their marriage."