'One Tree Hill' creator Mark Schwahn: Will Season 8 be its last?

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Last week, "One Tree Hill" was picked up by The CW for an 8th year, just two days before the network's official fall schedule was presented to advertisers in New York.

The 11th hour renewal was a big victory for the show's cast, crew and its creator, Mark Schwahn, who tells Korbi TV that this next year is really a gift to the loyal fans who have stuck with "OTH" for seven years and deserve to see its storylines tied up properly.

So, will this 8th go-round be the series' last?

Schwahn weighs in ...

Do you see Season 8 as "One Tree Hill"'s swan song?

MS: It's such a great question because nobody's talking like that! I never say never with this show. You know, our back's been against the wall every year. And going into this [upcoming] season, at the Upfronts, [the network] announced [that it would be] the final season of "Smallville." They didn't do that with us.

So you're absolutely game to keep going indefinitely?

MS: Our order is [for] 13 [episodes], but what the fans don't know is, I think every year but one, our order has been 13 and "we'll see"... and every year, we get a full season. And I expect to get a full season again. Nobody's guaranteeing it, but if you look at the schedule, I think we'll have a good night with "Life Unexpected" and, you know, I expect to be successful again, as we have been in the past. And I hope around episode 9 or 10 or 11, they'll be calling to say, keep going.

If we don't, like I said, we'll still be so fortunate to have been able to resolve the journey in some creative way that is satisfying to our fanbase. But the actors are under contract for one more [full] year. The other thing is, at the end of the season, if we go 23 episodes, we'll be at 175. So, that 200 number starts to loom and looks really nice and, you know, who knows, stranger things have happened.

But if they tell me it's the last season, that'll be wonderful and we'll tell you and we'll act accordingly. But no one's said that so far, so I'm just going to set my star for the middle of the season -- at 13 -- and then, you know, they'll tell me at some point whether we're going further and I'll obviously have a plan for that.

If they wanted "OTH" to run forever, would you be into it? Or do you see yourself, at some point, saying this is it.

MS: Well, you know, I get tired like anyone else and sometimes it's hard to generate the same adrenaline that you had. I mean, it's a long season. But I'm sort of reinvigorated with the show. Obviously, creatively, I want to do something else at some point, but right now, it's a good way of life, it's what I wished for and I'm paid really well to do it and I like the people that I work with. And, I will say, that with the refacing of the show [this past season], there was an additional energy that came from that and everything felt new again. For like the third time. So that makes me feel like, you know, I'm happy to do it this year and next year, if they want to do it again.

But I don't want to overstay my welcome. Nobody does, and there's nothing worse than, like, seeing an athlete who was great and should've hung 'em up but just can't let go. We're getting into the twilight of this show for sure, but we keep refacing it and I like to say that when we [time] jumped ahead in Season 5, that really was Season 1 again, so we're actually only going into Season 4 of this 20-something version of the show...

What do you guys think?

Agreed?

Could you see "OTH" going on until Haley's a grandma?

Weigh in below and come back later this week to hear more from Mr. Schwahn on what's to come next season.




Source : 'One Tree Hill' creator Mark Schwahn: Will Season 8 be its last?