Why “Gossip Girl” and “The O.C.” Increased the Amount of “One Tree Hill”'s Shirtless Scenes: 'Had to Fill a Quota'

'OTH' ran on The WB from 2003 to 2006 before moving to The CW until it ended in 2012

There’s a corporate explanation for all the abs on One Tree Hill.

On the July 29 episode of their rewatch podcast Drama Queens, OTH stars Sophia Bush, Robert Buckley and Bethany Joy Lenz addressed the actors’ frequent shirtlessness and the show’s liberal amounts of sex. Lenz, 43, explained that following the merger between The WB and UPN to create The CW, One Tree Hill began “competing” with other hit teen dramas like The O.C. and Gossip Girl. Because the two series had “so much gratuitous sex,” the OTH showrunners “wanted to make sure that somebody is naked in every episode,” according to Lenz.

The podcast episode saw the trio review the seventh season’s third episode “Hold My Hand as I Am Lowered,” which opened with a scene of Austin Nichols’ Julian Baker shaving in his underwear. Buckley, 43, jokingly reasoned that the responsibility for nudity fell on Julian because his character, Clay Evans, stayed clothed in the last episode.

“He could have been literally doing anything, and they’re like, ‘Nah,’ ” Buckley quipped. “They had to fill a quota.”

Related: 'One Tree Hill' Stars Reflect on the 20th Anniversary of the Show's Premiere

Bush, 42, also felt like The CW show always managed to work in a spicier scene every episode but expressed gratitude for Nichols being the “sacrificial lamb” so she didn’t have to do topless scenes.

“But also, good for you, sir,” added the actress, who portrayed fashion designer Brooke Davis. “Austin was surfing every weekend. He looks so good. And I was like, someday you're actually gonna love that you have this.”

Recently, Buckley worked with a director who had worked on One Tree Hill around when Nichols’ character first appeared. He recalled the director referring to Nichols as “the new sex pylon,” a term he had never heard.

“I have to say when I was watching that opening vignette, and he's just standing there looking amazing, I thought, ‘You know, it's a bit objectifying, but sex pylon — that shoe fits,’ ” the iZombie actor said.

Related: James Lafferty Goes Shirtless for New Campaign — and His Former One Tree Hill Castmates Hilariously React

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Bush and Lenz originally began Drama Queens in 2021 with costar Hilarie Burton, who starred as musician Peyton Sawyer until season 6. After the podcast reached the end of her run on One Tree Hill, Burton, 42, decided to step back as a regular host due to her behind-the-scenes experience ending. On Instagram, the podcast announced that Buckley would take over Burton’s spot.

In her final episode as one of the three “queens,” Burton called the rewatch “healing and empowering.” Similarly, Bush revealed that the podcast made her “fall back in love, like maybe really truly in love for the first time” with One Tree Hill. The Incredibles 2 star admitted that she would have never agreed to reprise her role before launching Drama Queens.

“I just feel so proud. I feel so much ownership of it. I really feel we made something really special," she explained.

One Tree Hill is streaming in full on Max.

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