One Tree Hill: 10 Couples That Made A Lot Of Sense (But Never Got Together)

For its nine season run, the beloved The WB and The CW series One Tree Hill followed the complex dating habits and personal relationships of a tight knit group of friends in Tree Hill, North Carolina. More than most other teen dramas, the series truly milked the concept of love triangles, pairing almost all of its main characters up in almost every possible iteration.

But somehow, there are still some relationships that never crossed the line from friendly to more, from platonic to romantic. And even after all these years, it’s not hard to wonder what the series would have looked like had any of the following romantic relationships been allowed to flourish – for better, or for worse.

10 Skills and Peyton

Peyton may have been caught up in her fair share of romantic drama with one of the Rivercourt’s resident basketball stars, but maybe she should have been looking at one of Tree Hill’s other top ballers.

Skills is always in Peyton’s corner, rooting for her to succeed any time she is struggling. He’s also one of the only people to be on her side during the difficult fifth season, when both of them are at crossroads in their lives. Their pairing certainly would have made more sense than Skills’ coupling with Nathan’s mother, Deb.

9 Peyton and Anna

Peyton quickly befriended new girl in town Anna Taggaro when she arrived in Tree Hill during the series’ second season. And as it turned out, the initially closeted bisexual teen Anna soon developed pretty strong feelings for the broody blonde.

Though the two shared a kiss, the potential of their relationship was quickly squashed by the return of Jake Jagielski to town, and by Peyton’s nervous reaction. The series never explored the outcome of their brief moment together, and that’s a real shame.

8 Chris and Haley

Though it would be hard to find any fans of the series who disagree with the notion that Nathan and Haley were meant to be together forever, there was a real chance that the young lovers’ marriage could have come to an early end thanks to Haley’s connection with musician Chris Keller.

Chris played a vital role in Haley’s musical development, and the duo shared a clandestine kiss before going on the road together. While Chris would become more of a caricature in later seasons, these two once shared quite the spark.

7 Brooke and Mouth

Brooke may have dated around Tree Hill more than most of the other main characters in the series, but possibly one of the best romantic options for her is one that she stubbornly never recognized.

From the beginning of the series, the nerdy Marvin “Mouth” McFadden was blindly crushing on the popular mean girl. While the two would become good friends later on, it feels like a missed opportunity that the series never explored the familiar popular girl dates nerdy boy trope.

6 Jake and Haley

One Tree Hill often comments on the fact that Lucas and Peyton are like-minded broody artists, or that Nathan and Haley are polar opposites in every way. But a potential like-minded couple that presented a total missed opportunity would have been between musical sweethearts Haley and Jake.

Arguably two of the kindest people in all of Tree Hill, Haley and Jake are incredibly talented musicians, and both young parents, too. There was plenty of ground for these two to connect on. But sadly, it never happened.

5 Skills and Haley

Haley grew up close to the boys of the Rivercourt crew, and Lucas was her best friend for most of the series’ run. But one of the other Rivercourt boys also became one of her dearest friends as the series went on, with Skills eventually even becoming her young son Jamie’s favorite adult friend.

In particular, the fourth season episode “Pictures of You” finds Haley and Skills spending a lot of time together, and it shows the real untapped chemistry between the characters that the series never explored.

4 Chris and Bevin

Opposites and likes both attract in the world of One Tree Hill, so it’s kind of incredible to realize that two of the series’ most clueless characters never even interacted when they would have been perfect for one another.

Chris Keller and Bevin Mirskey are Tree Hill’s resident airheads, lovable and trouble-making in equal measure. It’s a real shame that the series never allowed these two to find their inevitable spark together. But then again, for society’s sake, maybe it was for the best.

3 Karen and Larry

In One Tree Hill‘s first season, the dating life of the parents receives more attention than it does in any later season. For a very brief time, it seems like Karen Roe, Lucas’s mother, and Larry Sawyer, Peyton’s father, are exploring the start of something.

And then it’s dropped, due in part to the absence of Larry’s original actor. But even when the second (and superior) Larry arrives in season three, Karen has moved on, and this potential romance is never given the chance it deserved.

2 Peyton and Haley

Arguably the only organic and genuine friendship between two female characters in the series, Peyton and Haley’s relationship is something that One Tree Hill could easily have developed into more. Through their kind hearts and shared love of music, Peyton and Haley have more in common than any other female characters do.

It’s also easy to look at their tension in seasons three and five through the lens of jealous girlfriends, with Peyton being hurt that Haley left for tour in season two, and Haley being hurt about Peyton’s feelings for Lucas in season five. At least that’s what fan fiction is for.

1 Lucas and Haley

Best friends to lovers is an all too common trope in the world of television, so it wouldn’t have taken much mental gymnastics to believe that Lucas and Haley could fall for one another. The series teases it on multiple occasions, before ultimately deciding to leave these two in the brother-sister zone.

Maybe it was for the best, as it would have provided yet another awkward Scott sibling love triangle for the series to deal with. But it’s hard not to wonder how these two literary loners would have fared together in the romance department.

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