In another one of Hollywood’s worst kept secrets, Ausiello confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton are leaving One Tree Hill. The CW is expected to give a formal announcement during their upfront presentation on Thursday May 21.

It looks like Chad and Hilarie will make their last appearance on the season finale that airs tomorrow night. Alright Leyton fans, enjoy the moment while it lasts!

Ever since rumours surfaced regarding Murray and Burton’s departure earlier in the spring, the CW and the actors have been engaged in rather high-profile contract negotiations for the past several months. Ultimately, a deal couldn’t be worked out and both actors will make their final appearances in next Monday’s season finale. While Hilarie Burton claims that it was not due to money issues, Chad Michael Murray’s silence on the topic is indicating otherwise.

Like the two actors, I will be stepping away from this series as well. It’s not because I’m a Leyton fan (I’m still a Brucas fan at heart). I’m not bitter that they’re leaving. I’m bitter about the fact that the show is heading in a downward spiral. One Tree Hill was a guilty pleasure to begin with. It’s not quality TV, it’s just something I watched because it’s filled with over-the-top drama.

While season five of One Tree Hill had a slight creative uptick, season 6 quickly shifted back to what made the show so ridiculous in the first place. Watching the current season of the show felt like watching paint dry. The show moves so slowly, it will eventually reach a point where it’ll become one of those “a day in the life of” shows. We’ll end up watching Haley spend 15 minutes making coffee and cooking up breakfast for little Jamie before switching over to another boring scene. In comparison, Grey’s Anatomy still managed to retain that “entertaining factor” while at its creative low this season (with the exception of the ghost sex thing… that had disaster written all over it). I’ve been tuning in to this show since it debuted on the WB as it replaced the defunct TV pilot Fearless (which was based on a popular youth novel series). Normally, I like to stick with shows until its natural conclusion because I like to see a complete story, but sometimes it drags a little too long and it’s not worth sticking around for the finale anymore.

Creatively I believe One Tree Hill is reaching an end, but due to the desperation of the CW, it was extended for an unnecessary seventh season. After tuning in to all 23 episodes so far this season (which already feels like 10 episodes too long), I keep getting a feeling like the stories are reaching a natural conclusion. Nathan and Haley are married and have a super smart son Jamie. Brooke found new love in Julian. Lucas and Peyton are getting married. Lucas and Nathan now have a healthy sibling relationship instead of competing against each other. Seriously, do you really want to throw in more things just to keep the show going? I think I’d rather stop now instead of watching the writers throw in more interim love interests for the current characters, drag out storylines, throw in bland subplots or rip off another horror flick before it reaches the end of the series.

To fill the void next season, three new characters will be introduced, including an older sister for Haley, a sports agent who represents Nathan, and a model that Brooke hires to be the new face of her clothing line. Also, Austin Nichols (Julian) is being promoted to a series regular. This will not be good enough to suck me into another season. It’s a desperate move to keep viewers because two of their cast members are gone. This trick worked for the flash forward between season 4 and 5 (which was a ballsy move on Mark Schwann’s part) and it probably will work again, but it won’t be as effective. The only reason why a ninth season of Scrubs could work is because they planted the seeds with the new batch of interns during the current eighth season. One Tree Hill did not build anything to lead up to the next season.

Many would argue that One Tree Hill has evolved into an ensemble drama and it can afford to push certain characters towards the door while introducing new ones into the show. I don’t disagree. I’m positive the show can live on for many seasons. The show no longer focuses on Lucas and has grown to give every cast member equal weight. However, with Lucas gone, there is a bit of the show that goes with him. A main element of the show also focused on Lucas’ relationship with his half-brother Nathan. We watched the two men grow and take different paths in their lives. Is it wrong that I want to see both brothers continue their journey together instead of having one of them do everything off-screen until the series finale? What happens if the CW extends the show for a few more seasons and James Lafferty wants out? Will they carry on without the Scott brothers?

The CW’s current struggle can be attributed to its lack of intriguing programming and extending shows beyond it’s natural life (see Smallville). It pretty much lost its Sunday night programming and its Friday nights have become a dead zone. The average viewership is down from 2.6 million viewers last season to 2 million viewers this season. Their focus on the women 18-34 group isn’t paying off either. Among women 18 to 34, it snags just 400,000 viewers, down from 601,000 two years ago. The CW needs to broaden its programming. Instead of extending One Tree Hill for another season, it would be a good idea to give new shows a chance. Give OTH viewers that happy conclusion and introduce something fresh for everyone to see.

Anyway, I’ll be reading episode summaries online from now on. Maybe I’ll tune in for the series finale just to see how the show will end… whenever that will be.