Finally, some good news!

After months of on-the-bubble torture, The CW is officially bringing both One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected back for more. Talk about a sweet reprieve! The network also picked up two new shows, and based on what we’re hearing, LUX and OTH might have a little more competition next season.

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No official word on what kind of episode orders OTH and LUX have received, but we’re hearing they’ll split the season down the middle with 13 each.

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ONE TREE HILL: “Season eight will explore the delicate balance that contemporary twenty-somethings face as they endeavor to build and define what their lives will be, while overcoming difficulties and embracing the good things that they sometimes take for granted, shrouded in the pursuit of someday. It will be a celebration of the most important things, among them the quest for love, laughter, health, friends, career and family: timeless pursuits that have always mattered, and matter now, in a place called Tree Hill.”

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One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected: According to insiders, it’s highly likely that only one of these series will survive. Given that Life just started, the CW suits are giving it a bit more time before making the call. OTH has been averaging 2.5 million viewers on Monday nights (the same as Smallville, but Smallville faces less pressure on Fridays). Life Unexpected has been holding on to OTH’s audience fairly well—thanks in part to ever-dropping rival Heroes, which just wrapped its season early. (Thanks, heroic pals. Save the foster child, save the world!)

Fans already have launched a petition to save One Tree Hill right here. We just caught up with OTH’s Shantel VanSanten (Quinn) at the Jill Stuart fashion show in NYC, and she said she’s not giving up hope anytime soon. “I know that a lot of us have been signed on for one more year,” Shantel told us. “And I feel like there’s a lot that’s due to our stories. I don’t feel like we’re ready to end. I feel like there’s so much unfinished business, and I’m really, really hoping that we’ll get another year.”

I’m going to take a minute to make a cheap plug for my brand new fansite, dedicated to one of Shantel’s One Tree Hill co-stars, Jana Kramer. Please take a moment to check it out, I’d really appreciate it!

We’ve got a little bit of scoop for the premiere episode of One Tree Hill thanks to Watch With Kristin! Highlight below to read.

Cordelia in Fairfax, Del.: Thanks for the One Tree Hill scoop last week! Any word on what will happen in the premiere?
The One Tree Hill gang gets together to celebrate little Jamie’s birthday after a one-year time jump. Little J’s party brings together the castmembers you already know and love and some of the fresh faces we’ve told you about. Newbie Shantel VanSanten (Quinn) attends the festivities, and she tells us: “The episode is an introduction to all of the new characters. I come to Jamie’s birthday party [because] I haven’t seen them in a while. It’s reconnecting with the family, and I get to smash Jamie’s face into a cake!” Robert Buckley’s Clay shows up, too, with a special guest in tow. “I surprise Jamie by actually bringing Jerry Rice to sign his Jerry Rice jersey,” says Robert.