Earlier this month Hilarie Burton released an official video which essentially confirmed the rumors that she was leaving One Tree Hill at the end of this season. Now the other shoe has dropped as another video has surfaced where Chad Michael Murray states in no uncertain terms that he too is leaving, though the video isn’t quite so official.
Murray was caught on a camcorder confirming for a group of fans that he will not return to One Tree Hill for season 7. While it had been rumored and suspected that Murray was leaving, his verbal confirmation will still no doubt be a tough pill to swallow for many fans of One Tree Hill. The way the news was released – in an amateur YouTube video – feels a bit like breaking up with someone in a Post It note. But what really may come as a shock are the circumstances under which he’s
leaving and what he had to say about it.
The very unofficial and crude YouTube video shows Murray talking to a
group of fans about the future as he repeatedly tells them that he’s
not joking about leaving.
“They don’t want me back,” he told a group of fan photographers. “I’m
not joking. See, all the fans should go online, start blogging and
being pissed off that they don’t want me back. That’s what they should
do.” Writing off Lucas, and with him the Leyton relationship, may seem
like a strange creative decision but according to Murray it’s not
creative, it‘s financial. Is Chad Michael Murray a very high profile
victim of the economic recession layoffs?
“They’re not bringing me back because they want to save money. No,
actually. I’m not kidding. I won‘t be back next year. They‘re not
having me back. I‘m actually not joking.”
Newspapers report every day about factory layoffs, not to mention
former Wall Street stock brokers who now deliver pizzas. But could
similar forces determine the direction of One Tree Hill? Or is the
move simply a compromise to keep a series on the air that has never
been a ratings frontrunner? Or is there a lot more to the story than
Murray is going into?
Whatever the reason, Murray’s departure as well as Lucas’ seems to be
a done deal. As the viral video ends he tells the fans that they’re at
his farewell.
“This is the last scene we’re shooting. Right now. Shhh.”
-Henry Jenkins, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of The CW)
Guest Columnist, BuddyTV
