Teen Drama Links for August 1, 2023

Aug 01, 2023

Almost exactly 20 years ago, Ryan Atwood arrived in Newport — and so did we.

This Saturday, August 5, marks the 20th anniversary of “The O.C.”

It’s hard to believe two decades have passed because so much about the show feels so recent. Yes, it’s a product of its time, and you can clearly see signs of the era when rewatching it. And not everything about the show has aged well. But through the “Welcome to the OC, Bitches” podcast over the last two years, it was such a joy to revisit the series and explore how and why it had an indelible impact on the teen drama genre.

I watched “The O.C.” almost from the very beginning and reflected on my first impression of the show back in 2020. More recently, I’ve had a blast immersing myself in the “O.C.” world once more by leading CordCutting.com’s rewatch project. Frankly, I hope “The O.C.” is always a part of my life, and I will always value the interviews I’ve done with some of the cast and crew as well as the opportunity I had to be be on “Welcome to the OC, Bitches” almost exactly a year ago.

It’s sad that the cast can’t publicly celebrate this milestone anniversary due to the ongoing actors strike, but at least we have

Alan Sepinwall

’s Welcome to the O.C. oral history book to look forward to later this year. In the meantime, I’ve collected “O.C.” anniversary content below, and next week I’ll be sharing the final installment of CordCutting.com’s “The O.C.” rewatch series and anything else that comes out for this special occasion.

SAG-AFTRA Strike Update

SAG-AFTRA updated its FAQs regarding “personal appearances & conventions” and podcasting, providing slightly more clarity on what is and isn’t permissible during the actors strike. Below is the latest information and some related news / notes.

In regard to personal appearances and conventions, the union says actors “may participate in a convention in ways that don’t promote your work on struck projects and that are not sponsored by or connected to struck companies” (emphasis theirs), and further says, “We are not asking members to breach pre-existing contracts.”
- The latter comment indicates that the stars who signed on for “90s Con,” the Fab Five event, and the “One Tree Hill” anniversary weekend in advance of the strike can participate so they don’t break their convention contracts, but the former comment makes clear that they cannot discuss their work on these shows.
  - To me, that makes it largely impractical and illogical for cast members to still attend, yet that is apparently the plan. No one has pulled out of the events so far — quite the opposite, as Jennie Garth (Kelly, Beverly Hills, 90210) and Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills, 90210) have even added extra days to their “90s Con” schedule and Friends with Benefit has announced additional guests for its upcoming “One Tree Hill” events (see below).
In regard to rewatch podcasts, the union says actors “should honor any pre-existing contracts but, if a contract is not involved, don’t promote struck work,” and that “if your contract or influence allows you the flexibility to adjust your show’s content for the duration of the strike so that it is no longer promotional of struck work, SAG-AFTRA and your listeners would see that as an incredible show of solidarity with the performers on the shows your podcast typically promotes.”
- It seems that “9021OMG” and “Drama Queens” are able to continue precisely because the actresses would be in breach of their podcast contracts otherwise. Yet neither podcast has pivoted its subject material, as their union advised.
  - On the contrary, last week “9021OMG” released a new interview with Jason Carter (Roy Randolph) about his role on “Beverly Hills, 90210” — exactly the type of content the union is saying not to do (“Appearing as a guest on any podcast to promote struck work is not allowed under any circumstances. This includes promotion of work you did in the past,” emphasis theirs). The podcast did not indicate whether the interview was recorded prior to the strike, even though many outlets are making such disclaimers.
  - In addition to continuing with the rewatch, the “Drama Queens” hosts have instructed fans to no longer stream “One Tree Hill” but to watch via DVD instead. However, they are going against their own union in advocating that, as SAG-AFTRA has not called for a consumer boycott of the streaming services.
- Notably, Dave Coulier is pausing his “Full Watch” rewatch podcast for the duration of the strike even though he has prerecorded installments ready to go. (Variety)
  - I greatly respect this decision and think it’s the right thing to do.
Melinda Clarke (Julie, The O.C.) invited me to speak about these issues on the fan Zoom chat she hosted this past Saturday for the highest-tier “Bye, Bitches” Patreon subscribers.
- Clarke spoke about how confusing the SAG-AGTRA rules are regarding podcasting during the strike and confirmed that the independently produced “Bye, Bitches” will be pivoting to covering reality TV instead of moving forward with all the actor interviews she had lined up for future installments tied to struck work.
- Clarke turned things over to Robin West (costume designer, The O.C.) and “Welcome to the OC, Bitches” producer Katie Cartwright for the fan Q&A and refrained from participating in questions related to “The O.C.” and other struck work.
- Clarke will continue hosting these monthly Zoom chats, as they are part of the Patreon subscription package, but continue conducting them in a way that is mindful of the SAG-AFTRA rules.
I’m confused by this interview Ian Ziering (Steve, Beverly Hills, 90210) did at Comic-Con.
- Many stars pulled out of the convention due to the union’s stance on such studio-sponsored events, so it was surprising and disappointing that he still attended.
- At first, in reading the article, it seemed like Ziering did the interview to talk about his plight as an actor and what’s involved with being a member of the union — subjects that SAG-AFTRA says are okay to discuss. However, Ziering went on to specifically reflect on Sharknado and the possibility of making another film in the franchise — subjects that actors are not allowed to discuss because they pertain to struck work. So I have no idea what Ziering was thinking here.
And while Ziering and some of his co-stars are engaging in questionable activity during the strike, former SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris (Andrea, Beverly Hills, 90210) has been hitting the picket lines, as she’s documented on her Instagram.
- I will be shocked if Carteris doesn’t pull out of “90s Con” — unless she plans on using the appearance solely as an opportunity to talk about the strike.
WGA West president Meredith Stiehm (writer, Beverly Hills, 90210) discussed the writers strike in her candidate statement as she runs for reelection. (Deadline)
- Also: “Women Leaders Of WGA, SAG-AFTRA & AFL-CIO Join Picket Line Outside Fox Studios In L.A.” (Deadline)