If you say 2009, you’d be wrong.
Now we know I’m not very good at math, but hear me out.
The show began in 2003.
The gang graduated high school in 2007.
The show then jumped forward four years, making it 2011.
Now it’s one year later.
So what we’re really seeing, folks, is One Tree Hill in the year 2012.
Crazy, right?
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UPDATE
Your comments got me thinking. I totally overlooked that junior and senior year of high school were two seasons and two years for us but technically only one year each in Tree Hill.
So a revised Tree Hill timeline would look like this:
2003: Junior Year (Seasons 1 and 2)
2004: Senior Year (Seasons 3 and 4)
2008: College Graduation (not seen)
Now did the show pick up again for season 5 after graduation and therefore still in 2008? And now it’s a year later, so it’s season 6 and 2009. That would mean Tree Hill is right in the same time we are.
OR, is season 5 supposed to be a year after college, 2009, and now another year later means we’re in 2010?
You guys seem to think it’s 2010. But maybe Mark Schwahn really thought it all out and it’s supposed to be the 2009 timeline so everything would still coincide.
Thoughts?
TeenDramaWhore 
I disagree…I think its 2010..because the show started when the were juniors.
omg ! this is insane me and my friend were just talking about this today !
& yeahh i think it is supposed to be 2010
That’s a good point, Gloriana.
Each school year–junior and senior year– lasted two seasons. That’s two years our time. But just one year their time.
This is so confusing!
It’s Definatly 2010 because they were juniors for two seasons and seniors for two seasons
I gave up a long time ago trying to figure it out. Mark has said numerous times if you’re concentrating on the time, they are doing something wrong 🙂 I don’t think they try to figure it out themselves to be honest.
But I do understand the curiosity 🙂
I don’t think the timeline really matters, all I know is that one year of their highschool was two seasons… but since the four year jump it has all gone to crap… it is not surprising seeing how the shortened season last year screwed it up.