One Tree Hill Fans React To Good Sam Reuniting Sophia Bush With Former Co-Stars

Spoilers ahead for the March 23 episode of Good Sam, called "Keep Talking."

Sophia Bush returned to primetime in the 2021-2022 TV season to play an expert surgeon on CBS' Good Sam, and the freshman series just delivered a blast from the leading lady's past thanks to some appearances from Bush's One Tree Hill co-stars. Bethany Joy Lenz and Hilarie Burton were guest stars in "Keep Talking," playing sisters brought to the hospital due to a mysterious ailment. Although the three actresses weren't exactly playing Brooke, Haley, and Peyton again, One Tree Hill fans were loving the medical drama reunion.

Good Sam itself had some fun with the reunion by dropping Easter eggs about One Tree Hill, and it felt fitting that Bethany Joy Lenz and Hilarie Burton were playing sisters. The very first image of their reunion with Sophia Bush for the series looked like family coming back together, and they actually have worked together on the Drama Queens podcast, but this was the trio back together on TV. Fans had a lot to say about it on social media! 

On top of the show bringing the three actresses back together, there was another nod to their original show with the date of the episode. Although CBS almost certainly didn't specifically plan for the One Tree Hill reunion to air on the March 23 episode of Good Sam, OTH fans definitely caught on to the numbers and were flashing back to the basketball jersey numbers of the Scott brothers (played by Chad Michael Murray and James Lafferty). The ladies didn't need the Scott brothers for their Good Sam story, though!

In "Keep Talking," Bethany Joy Lenz played Amy Taylor, a recovering alcoholic who was admitted for heart disease, but was revealed to have an underlying condition, to the surprise of her sister Gretchen. Hilarie Burton played Gretchen as the sister who definitely wasn't dealing with the same issues as her sister, so OTH fans got to see Burton playing the "good girl" and Lenz playing the "bad girl" this time around. And the prevailing opinion was excitement:

Good Sam got very direct at alluding to the bond between the actresses at one point, when Bethany Joy Lenz's Amy – intoxicated due to the underlying condition that resulted in her body brewing its own alcohol – started talking about seeing Sophia Bush's Sam before "a long time ago." (Like 2009, perhaps?) Sam obviously had no idea what Amy was talking about, but fans caught on to the reference:

As part of the same scene, Amy started talking about a time when she was passed out on Sam's lawn, and Sam sprayed her with a hose. That of course didn't happen on Good Sam, but was a callback to a memorable One Tree Hill car wash scene when Brooke sprayed Rachel (played by Danneel Harris, who is currently producing a new project at The CW with husband Jensen Ackles) with a hose. CBS even called attention to the mention, and it didn't go unnoticed!

The Good Sam episode didn't end in a way that indicated Bethany Joy Lenz and Hilarie Burton's characters will return to the medical drama, so fans shouldn't count on seeing them again. Still, it was a fun episode with a reunion, and left at least one fan ready for a OTH revival:

In light of the reports of misconduct behind the scenes during the original run of One Tree Hill (and of course Sophia Bush being busy starring on Good Sam), an official revival may not be especially likely to happen. Still, the three former OTH stars host the Dramas Queens podcast that revisits every episode of the series, and can be found on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast services. You can also rewatch the full run of the series streaming with an HBO Max subscription. 

As for Good Sam, you can find the series with new episodes on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, and/or check the show out streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. For more viewing options now and in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule!