Teen Drama Links for August 8, 2023

It happened: I finally signed up for Netflix.

Continuing my trend of being #tardytotheparty, I’m now a Netflix subscriber 16 years after the company launched its streaming service.

Why did I finally cave? I had to finish the final season of “Manifest”!

I watched part one on my parents’ Netflix (really my aunt’s, if I’m being honest... though I do not condone password sharing!) when I was visiting them back in February. I hoped to do the same with part two during my June visit, but I didn’t have the time.

And so, last month, I signed up for my own account to binge the final 10 episodes.

Worth it? Absolutely.

Will I keep Netflix long term? I don’t know.

There’s plenty I’d like to watch — like “Never Have I Ever,” “Emily in Paris” and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, just to name a few — but who has the time? Right now I’m committed to “The Bachelorette,” “Masterchef,” “Food Stars,” “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” and “And Just Like That.”

Squeezing in the new season of “The Bear” was a hustle, as was finally watching “Daisy Jones & the Six,” and I still have the second season of “Cruel Summer” to watch. Plus, “The Challenge: USA” returns later this week.

It’s my never-ending problem: Too many shows, too little time.

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Continue celebrating the 20th anniversary of “The O.C.” with Vallie Lynn Watson and CordCutting.com’s “The O.C.” season 4 rewatch content — all edited by me!

• “‘‘The O.C.’ 20th Anniversary: Rewatching Season 4” (CordCutting.com)

• “‘The O.C.’ Season 4: The New Characters We Love (and Love to Hate)” (CordCutting.com)

• “‘The O.C.’ Holiday Celebrations in Season 4, Ranked” (CordCutting.com)

• “Seth’s Top Quips in ‘The O.C.’ Season 4” (CordCutting.com)

• “‘The O.C.’ 20th Anniversary: The Best Music in Seasons 1 to 4” (CordCutting.com)

Want to see the full collection? I compiled it all in this handy-dandy Twitter thread.

Looking for even more “O.C.” anniversary content? Check out more than THREE DOZEN goodies in “Listicle Links” below!

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SAG-AFTRA Strike Update

There were some notable developments over the last week as the actors strike continues.

• After weeks of speculation, some teen drama conventions are no longer moving forward as originally planned.

  • Friends with Benefit has postponed its “One Tree Hill” 20th anniversary weekend that was scheduled for September.

    • It is currently rescheduled for November — for the weekend after the organization’s “Friendsgiving” event — with all the same cast members slated to participate, but that date could change too if the strike isn’t resolved in a timely manner.

      • Despite the uncertainty of it all, additional cast members have signed on for “Friendsgiving,” which has been retitled “A Holiday in Wilmington: Giving Back Celebration.” See “Best of the Rest” below.

  • Similarly, September’s Fab Five event that was set to involve “One Tree Hill” cast members has also been postponed.

  • Obviously, these decisions don’t surprise me at all. It is the right thing to do, and the SAG-AFTRA rules regarding personal appearances made it impractical and nearly impossible to justify these events still taking place. The organizers just should’ve realized this sooner.

    • And yet, “90s Con” with the “Beverly Hills, 90210” cast (and the casts of other shows) is still moving forward.

• On last week’s “Drama Queens,” the hosts again urged fans to watch only via streaming, even though their own union has not advocated for that.

  • I appreciated this comment from a fan on the podcast’s Instagram account: “Are the DQs able to explain why people should opt for DVDs over streaming? Seen some posts on social media that this isn’t genuinely being asked as part of the strike (and that boycotting streaming is potentially a bad thing) so would love this to be explained!”

  • I haven’t listened to this week’s edition yet, but the description indicates they talk about the strike some more: “The fact that this is the 100th episode of One Tree Hill certainly couldn’t have come at a more significant time. Sophia, Hilarie and Joy explain how it all plays into today’s climate and current events.” I’ll share my notes and reactions on Twitter later today.

• Meanwhile, the “9021OMG” hosts have yet to acknowledge the strike is even happening. That just blows my mind.

  • Clearly, at least some people besides me are wondering about it, given this comment on the podcast’s Instagram: “The Friday Night Lights show was scripted and no longer in production, but available for streaming. They are not rewatching episodes and following union strike rules. Were your episodes pre recorded then?”

• Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills, 90210) revealed a new look that he said is “for work” and I’m wondering what “work” that is given that most acting projects cannot move forward right now due to the writers and actors strikes. (Instagram)

• Greg Berlanti (executive producer, Dawson’s Creek) donated a substantial sum to the Entertainment Community Fund, which supports industry workers financially impacted by the writers and actors strikes. (Variety)

• Blake Lively (Serena, Gossip Girl) and husband Ryan Reynolds donated $1 million to SAG-AFTRA’s Emergency Assistance Program, which serves a similar purpose as the community fund. (The Wrap)

• Gina Torres (Gabriela, Gossip Girl) spoke about the ongoing strike while picketing. (HELLO!)

Teen Drama Links for August 8, 2023

Listicle Links

Reminder: All lists and articles relate to the teen dramas or teen drama stars in some way.

• “12 Shows That Are Just Like ‘Heartstopper’ That You Can Watch While Waiting For Season 2” (BuzzFeed)

• “Here Are 5 Of The Best Friendships And 4 Of The Worst Friendships In TV History” (BuzzFeed)

  • There is a major mistake here.

• “I Bet You Can’t Guess The Television Show From Just A Random Screenshot” (BuzzFeed)

• “‘The O.C.’ 20th Anniversary: Season 1, Episodes 6-7” (The Ringer)

• “The Perfect ‘O.C.’ Soundtrack Made Indie Music Mainstream” (The Ringer)

• “The Top 10 Moments of the ‘O.C.’ Soundtrack” (The Ringer)

• “Rewinding The O.C.’s Most Iconic Moments: From Seth and Summer’s ‘Spider-Man’ Kiss to Marissa’s Death” (Us Weekly)

• “The OC’s top 10 iconic moments — affairs, adorable romance and tragic death” (Mirror)

• “‘The O.C.’: 10 Most Memorable Moments From the Teen Drama” (TV Insider)

• “‘The O.C.’ Turns 20: 15 Celebs Who Guest Starred on the Teen Drama” (TV Insider)

• “All 92 Episodes of The O.C., Ranked” (Vulture)

• “Revisiting ‘The O.C.’ Tijuana episode: ‘Welcome to TJ’” (Los Angeles Times)

  • This is a really important read, and it reminded me of how I feel about the show’s depiction of Judaism.

• “The O.C.’s Influence Remains Strong 20 Years Later” (PRIMETIMER)

• “California, Here I Come: A Love Letter to The O.C., 20 Years Later” (Paste)

• “The O.C. May Have Been a Teen Soap, But Its Best Moments Were Pure Comedy” (Paste)

• “Yeah, we’re still talking about The O.C. 20 years later” (The A.V. Club)

• “The O.C. premiered 20 years ago. Was it the beginning of an era of TV or the end of one?” (Washington Examiner)

• “As ‘The O.C.’ turns 20, did the show get Orange County right?” (The Orange County Register)

• “It’s Been 20 Years Since The OC First Aired, Here’s Everything The Show Got Right” (Grazia)

• “Do You Remember The Best Going Out Tops From The OC? They’re 20 Years Old — And More Stylish Than Ever” (Grazia)

• “Is The O.C. one of the most influential TV shows of the 21st century?” (Digital Trends)

• “Everything I Need to Know In Life I Learned From Watching ‘The O.C.’” (Betches)

• “On ‘The O.C.’s’ 20th anniversary, revisit Death Cab for Cutie’s ‘direct hit’ of 2000s indie nostalgia” (105.7/ABC)

• “6 Musical Guests You Frothed On Hard After They Appeared On The OC” (Pedestrian)

• “A Loving Ode To Seth Cohen, The Greatest Television Boyfriend Of All Time” (Pedestrian)

• “‘The O.C.’s Sandy Cohen Is Still TV’s Best Dad” (Collider)

  • Related: The Teen Drama Dads (TDW)

• “’The O.C.’s Marissa Cooper Was Never the Problem — This Was” (Collider)

• “Remember when Marissa Cooper wore fake Chanel on ‘The O.C’?” (CNN)

• “How The O.C.’s Three Costume Designers Remember the Show — Camisoles, Low-Rise Jeans, and All” (Vogue)

• “20 Years Ago, The O.C. Gave Us Looks.” (The Cut)

• “It’s Been 20 Years Since This Teen Drama Aired — And It Still Influences Our Wardrobes Today” (The Zoe Report)

• “How I Spent 44 Hours In The O.C.’s Newport Beach” (Elite Daily)

• “Which The O.C. Character Are You? Your Zodiac Sign May Have The Answer” (Elite Daily)

• “Will Poulter Would Be The Eyebrows of ‘The OC’ In 2023” (Junkee)

• “How to Watch ‘The O.C.’ Without Cable in 2023” (CordCutting.com)

• “THEN AND NOW: The cast of ‘The O.C.’ 20 years later” (Insider)

• “‘The O.C’ Cast: Where Are They Now? (Photos)” (The Wrap)

• “‘The O.C.’ Cast: Where Are They Now?” (People)

  • A condensed version of this also appears in the magazine’s August 14 issue.

• “The O.C. Is Officially 20 Years Old — Where Are The Stars Of Newport Beach Of Now?” (HuffPost UK)

• “9 Stars From ‘The O.C.’ Are Parents, & So Many of Them Have Shared Family Photos!” (JustJared)

• “From The O.C. to the A-list: How Olivia Wilde, Amber Heard and Shailene Woodley’s blink and you’ll miss it roles in the teen drama were the launchpad for movie megastardom” (Daily Mail)

• “Chris Pratt, Olivia Wilde, Amber Heard & More Stars You May Have Forgot Were On ‘The O.C.’” (Access Hollywood)

• “Every Time Rachel Bilson Delightfully Divulged TMI” (E! Online)

• “How Much Money Do The Parents Make On Gossip Girl?” (Bustle)

• “How to channel Serena van der Woodsen It girl energy” (Girls Life)

• “How Hilary Duff’s ‘Metamorphosis’ Changed The Lives Of Millennial Women Everywhere” (HuffPost)

• “10 Great Shows That Went on a Season Too Long” (CBR)

• “20 Least Satisfying TV Finales Of All Time” (Screen Rant)

• “13 TV Characters That Went From Great To Terrible” (Screen Rant)

• “Who Needs Enemies? — The 10 Most Toxic Friendships In TV History” (Screen Rant)

  • This definitely has accuracy issues.

• “25 Best Max Original Shows” (Screen Rant)

• “The 15 Best TV Shows to Watch on The Roku Channel (August 2023)” (Paste)

• “The Witcher and 14 Other Popular Series That Are Based on Books” (Movieweb)

• “10 of the best TV soundtracks of all time” (GQ UK)

  • Related: The Teen Drama Soundtracks (TDW)

• “26 Weird and Wild Times Musicians Cameo’d on Television” (Cracked)

  • Related: Top 10 Musical Guests (TDW)

• “5 Songs You Didn’t Know Actor Jason Schwartzman Wrote” (American Songwriter)

  • Related: The Teen Drama Theme Songs (TDW)

• “TV Parents We Love on ‘Black-ish,’ ‘Stranger Things’ & More” (TV Insider)

  • Related: The Teen Drama Moms (TDW)

• “The Cast of ‘Freaky Friday’: Where Are They Now?” (People)

• “You Won’t Believe Which Celebrities Used to Be Roommates” (E! Online)

• “Future uncertain for historic Wilmington venue after ‘notice of condemnation’” (StarNews Online)

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Best of the Rest

• Very interesting interview on the future of The CW: “The CW Is Adding Jesus and Sports. But Its Top Programmer Says It’s Still the Same Network” (The Hollywood Reporter)

  • Related: The WB vs. CW (TDW)

• Tiffani Thiessen (Valerie, Beverly Hills, 90210) was on the “Best Friend Energy” podcast. (Apple Podcasts)

• Watch Hilary Swank (Carly, Beverly Hills, 90210) in the trailer for The Good Mother. (YouTube)

• Jensen Ackles (CJ, Dawson’s Creek) and wife Danneel Ackles (Rachel, One Tree Hill) have purchased a historic home in Connecticut. (CT Post)

• Despite the actors strike, some cast members of “The O.C.” still recognized the show’s 20th anniversary on social media.

  • Ben McKenzie (Ryan)… (Instagram)

  • Rachel Bilson (Summer)… (Instagram)

  • Melinda Carke (Julie)… (Instagram)

  • And Olivia Wilde (Alex) posted a since-deleted Instagram Story.

• McKenzie was on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast. (YouTube)

• And here is one more interview tied to McKenzie’s book: “How actor Ben McKenzie’s ‘bullsh-t meter’ turned him into the bane of crypto” (Semafor)

• Adam Brody (Seth, The O.C.) was on the “Just for Variety” podcast. (Variety)

• Bilson was on the “Inside of You” podcast. (YouTube)

• “City on Fire,” created by Josh Schwartz (creator, The O.C. / creator, Gossip Girl / executive producer, Gossip Girl spinoff) and Stephanie Savage (executive producer, The O.C. / creator, Gossip Girl / executive producer, Gossip Girl spinoff), was canceled by Apple. (Deadline)

  • Along with Schwartz and Savage, Lis Rowinski (co-executive producer, Gossip Girl spinoff) was also an executive producer on the show.

  • Awkward timing: The cancellation was announced just two days before the 20th anniversary of “The O.C.”

• Sophia Bush (Brooke, One Tree Hill) and husband Grant Hughes are divorcing after a year of marriage. (People)

• Hilarie Burton (Peyton, One Tree Hill) took her daughter on a “girls’ trip” to see Lee Norris (Mouth, One Tree Hill) and his wife. (Instagram)

• Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley, One Tree Hill) will be performing at The Bluebird Cafe on Saturday. (Instagram)

• Austin Nichols (Julian, One Tree Hill) and Daphne Zuniga (Victoria, One Tree Hill) have joined the lineup for Friends with Benefit’s aforementioned “A Holiday in Wilmington” weekend. (Facebook)

• Barry Corbin (Whitey, One Tree Hill) did an interview about “his time as Coach Whitey on One Tree Hill and more.” (Survived the Shows)

• Watch Joe Manganiello (Owen, One Tree Hill) in the trailer for The Kill Room. (YouTube)

• Maria Menounos (Jules, One Tree Hill) will participate in the televised “Stand Up to Cancer” special on August 19. (People)

• JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Bree, Gossip Girl) spoke about the season finale of “Sweet Magnolias.” (TVLine)

• Meghann Fahy, who appeared on “Gossip Girl,” has signed with WME for agency representation. (Deadline)

• Shenae Grimes (Annie, 90210) was on the “Scheananigans” podcast hosted by Scheana Shay, who appeared on an episode of “90210.” (YouTube)