In a phone interview from Wilmington, Mark Schwahn said he told the network he would like to know if the show is returning before filming begins on the last four to five episodes. To do that, he would need to know by Jan. 1.

 

"They (the CW) doesn't owe me that, but I feel like they owe it to the fans," Schwahn said.

 

Mark Schwahn has signed three deals, including a one-year agreement with Warner Bros. TV to continue as executive producer for a possible seventh season. His other deals include a two-year deal with CBS Paramount Network TV to develop new projects and a deal with CBS Records to begin his own imprint.

 

The CBS television deal allows him to remain at the helm of "One Tree Hill" if a seventh season is negotiated with the actors, whose six-year contracts end after this season.

 

In interviews in August, the actors who play Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, Nathan and Hayley were divided on whether they were interested in a seventh season. Bethany Joy Galeotti (Haley), whose real-life husband lives in Washington state, seemed the least interested.

 

"I want to see my husband," she said. "I want to go home and make babies. I love this show and I love the people on this show, but yeah, I think it's time. It's time to go home."

 

But minds change, even over two months, and a regular paycheck can be a good thing in this economic climate.

 

"We all make a lot of money making this TV show," Schwahn said. "We feel very fortunate to have jobs."

 

On the other hand, it's a young cast and "when you're young, you're inclined to wonder what else is out there," he said. "They may want to go out and explore."

 

James Lafferty, who plays Nathan, said he would want to know if everyone was on board for a seventh season before deciding.

 

"There's a version of 'One Tree Hill' that people want to come back for, but I think the only version is a version where everybody's back and everybody's involved," Lafferty said. "I don't think we can have the version with just two or three of the main characters. I don't think we can have 'One Tree Hill partially come back. It's got to be all or nothing."