Teen Drama Links for December 26, 2023
It’s time for my favorite end-of-year activity: looking back at the year that was in our teen drama world.
2023 was quite the year, as a matter of fact, with some definite themes and major events.
Milestone Anniversaries Galore
January through September brought a number of milestone teen drama anniversaries. We marked 25 years since the premiere of “Dawson’s Creek,” 20 years since the premiere of “The O.C.,” 20 years since the premiere of “One Tree Hill,” and 15 years since the premiere of “90210.” We also reached 20 years since “Dawson’s Creek” ended and 10 years since the finale of nu90210.
“Gossip Girl” Spinoff Canceled
Days before the season 2 finale of the “Gossip Girl” spinoff in January, HBO Max (now known as just Max) announced the show wouldn’t be getting a third season. I wasn’t surprised — just frustrated. A new series diluting the legacy of the original show wasn’t needed. But here we are. Creator Joshua Safran (who was an executive producer on the OG “Gossip Girl”) is regularly asked on social media about the spinoff being revived via another platform and he repeatedly makes clear that isn’t going to happen. How about we all just move on, mmkay?
“Welcome to the OC, Bitches” Ends & “Welcome to the O.C.” Released
In May, “Wecome to the OC, Bitches” became the first of our teen drama rewatch podcasts to officially end. Co-hosts Rachel Bilson (Summer) and Melinda Clarke (Julie) went through every single episode and, along the way, interviewed every single series regular, in addition to numerous producers, writers, directors, and various other crew members. I also had the honor of being on the podcast twice. And now we have something to look forward to in the new year: Clarke recently announced “Beyond the OC,” a new podcast where she and her daughter will look back at 50 fan-favorite episodes and interview special guests. The podcast will debut in January.
Not to be confused with the similarly titled “Welcome to the OC, Bitches” podcast, this year also delivered “Welcome to the O.C.,” an official oral history of the series. As part of the book’s launch, Bilson and Clarke temporarily brought back their podcast for a few special editions. I’m in the midst of reading the book right now and will be writing about it next month.
“XOXO” Disappears
While “Welcome to the OC, Bitches” reached its natural conclusion, this “Gossip Girl” rewatch podcast hosted by Jessica Szohr (Vanessa) simply went MIA. On January 4, a “Best of 2022” edition was released, with Szohr mentioning there would be a “hiatus.” However, no time frame was given, and then weeks and months went by without a return — or an acknowledgement that “XOXO” was done for good. The disappearance was just as bizarre as the podcast starting its rewatch with season 2.
Cast Reunions at Conventions
The casts of “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “One Tree Hill” reunited at separate events. The “Beverly Hills, 90210” gang actually got together twice — first at March’s “90s Con,” for which I outlined my problems with here, and then at September’s “90s Con,” for which I outlined my very different problems with here. Meanwhile, the stars of “One Tree Hill” returned to Wilmington in November for “A Holiday in Wilmington: Giving Back Celebration” and the “20in23 Fundraiser.” I also had my own reunion of sorts in April with John Wesley Shipp (Mitch, Dawson’s Creek).
Dual Strikes Shut Down Hollywood
The WGA strike in May and the SAG-AFTA strike in July brought Hollywood to a standstill. While our teen dramas weren’t directly affected because they’re no longer in production, there were still some connections and ramifications. “Beverly Hills, 90210” writer Meredith Stiehm was heavily involved in the writers strike as the president of WGA West, “9021OMG” and “Drama Queens” could no longer interview cast members about “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “One Tree Hill,” respectively, because they were considered struck work, and Joshua Jackson (Pacey, Dawson’s Creek) saw his Starz series — which had been filming in Wilmington — first temporarily and then permanently shut down.
I kept track of weekly developments in a “SAG-AFTRA Strike Update” section of “Teen Drama Links,” highlighting which actors hit the picket lines, who was running afoul of the strike rules, and which projects were given the green light to move forward with an interim agreement. The strike also delayed the would-be celebration for the 20th anniversary of “One Tree Hill,” which was originally slated for September. The event was reimagined as the aforementioned fundraiser in November.
The Year Where Everyone Got Divorced
In April, there seemed to be something in the water when it was revealed first that Shanten VanShanten (Quinn, One Tree Hill) and then Shannen Doherty (Brenda, Beverly Hills, 90210) was getting divorced. As it turned out, that was just the start. In June, Dean McDermott announced he and Tori Spelling (Donna, Beverly Hills, 90210) were separating, and while he later deleted his Instagram post and neither has filed for divorce, it is quite clear they are no longer together (for starters, both have been photographed kissing other people). Then in August, Sophia Bush (Brooke, One Tree Hill) filed for divorce, and in October, Jackson’s wife Jodie Turner-Smith did the same. Meanwhile, Joe Manganiello (Owen, One Tree Hill) and Sofia Vergara also announced their divorce.
On the bright side, Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills, 90210) and Sharna Burgess got engaged, and Jana Kramer (Alex, One Tree Hill) and Allan Russell did too, months before they welcomed a son.
Shannen Doherty Returns to the Spotlight
Doherty had a lot more going on this year than just her “90s Con” appearances and divorce. In June, she revealed her terminal breast cancer had spread to her brain earlier in the year and then recently revealed it has also spread to her bones. The revelation came as Doherty launched a podcast called “Let’s Be Clear,” where she is reflecting on her life — including her time on “Beverly Hills, 90210.”
I wouldn’t have predicted most of what took place in 2023, so I can’t even begin to imagine what 2024 has in store.
Want to look back at what happened in years past? Here are my end-of-year wrap-ups for 2021 and 2022.
Teen Drama Links for December 26, 2023
Listicle Links
Reminder: All lists and articles relate to the teen dramas or teen drama stars in some way.
“‘[I] Could Not Believe How Bad It Was’: 21 Actors Who Openly Criticized The Roles That Made Them Famous” (BuzzFeed)
“Travel Back To The 2000s For A Sec To Find Out Which Decade-Defining Song You Are” (BuzzFeed)
“Joseph Gordon-Levitt Helped ‘That ‘70s Show’ Beat ‘Dawson’s Creek’ to This ‘Romantic’ Milestone’” (Cracked)
There’s a lot of inaccuracies in this and I’m just sharing it because it pissed me off. The premise is flawed in multiple ways.
“‘The O.C.’s Chrismukkah Episode Means More Than You Think” (Collider)
“The 10 Best Chrismukkah Moments From The O.C.” (PRIMETIMER)
“All 13 One Tree Hill Deaths, Ranked By How Sad They Were” (Screen Rant)
Spot the mistake here?
“10 Musicians You Forgot Had Cameos In One Tree Hill” (Screen Rant)
Related: Top 10 Musical Guests (TDW)
“Kelly Rutherford Is the Queen of Stylish Mirror Selfies: See Her Best Looks” (Us Weekly)
“10 TV Pilots That Lied To Us About What The Show Was Going To Be Like” (Screen Rant)
“10 Best TV Shows Set In New York City” (Screen Rant)
“10 Amazing TV Shows That Are Really Hard To Rewatch” (Screen Rant)
“10 Best Shows Like My Life With The Walter Boys” (Screen Rant)
“10 Actors Who Turned Down The Chance To Return For TV Show Reboots” (Screen Rant)
Oh, the mistakes here…
“10 Actors You Forgot Starred In Buffy The Vampire Slayer” (Screen Rant)
“10 TV Show Romances That Are too Familial for Comfort” (Movieweb)
“10 TV Couples That Took Forever to Get Together” (Movieweb)
“20 Guilty Pleasure TV Dramas Perfect for When You’re Bored” (Movieweb)
There’s an error here, too.
“10 Major TV Twists No One Saw Coming” (CBR)
“The 38 most dramatic TV cliffhangers of all time” (The Independent)
“Ho Ho Ho! 30 of TV’s Most Memorable Christmas Episodes” (The Hollywood Reporter)
Related: Revisiting TDW: Favorite Teen Drama Holiday Episodes (TDW)
“Best Christmas TV episodes of all time: ‘Friends,’ ‘Modern Family,’ ‘The Office’ and more” (New York Post)
Ugh to the mistakes here too…
“The Best Hallmark Holiday Movies to Stream in 2023” (Harper’s Bazaar)
Related: 2023 Holiday Movies with Teen Drama Stars (TDW)
“The Only Hallmark Christmas Movie That’s Actually Worth Watching” (Collider)
“Remembering every show that’s been canceled this year” (The A.V. Club)
“The most memorable fictional college sports programs” (Yardbarker)
“Actors you didn’t know were in holiday films as kids” (Yardbarker)
“25 crushes from the ‘90s who still own our hearts” (Yardbarker)
“Variety’s Top Cult-Favorite Shows of All Time: ‘Alias,’ ‘Clone High,’ and More” (Variety)
I absolutely do not consider “Dawson’s Creek” a “cult” TV show.
“The Teen Drama Is Dead” (Paste)
The teen drama lives forever in our hearts (and in this newsletter).
“80 Trivia Tidbits About Harry Shearer for His 80th Birthday” (Cracked)
Best of the Rest
Doherty was on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” (YouTube)
There is an additional clip.
“Las Vegas,” starring Vanessa Marcil (Gina, Beverly Hills, 90210), will be available for streaming via Peacock starting Friday. (TVLine)
Kelly Tata, the daughter of the late Joe E. Tata (Nat, Beverly Hills, 90210), is selling his Los Angeles home. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Denise Richards (Robin, Beverly Hills, 90210 / Denise, BH90210 / Gwen, 90210) was on the “Just B” podcast again. (Apple Podcasts)
Rachael Leigh Cook (Devon, Dawson’s Creek) signed with Mainstay Entertainment for representation. (Deadline)
Here are more interviews 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) did for Welcome to the O.C.
“Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage Reveal How Oliver and Other ‘The O.C.’ Regrets Changed ‘Gossip Girl’” (The Messenger)
“‘The O.C.’ Show Runners Reflect on Mischa Barton Treatment” (YouTube)
“How ‘The O.C.’ (Almost) Saved Rock” (Rolling Stone)
Alan Sepinwall, who wrote Welcome to the O.C., was on the “Guilty Pleasures” podcast to discuss “The Best Chrismukkah Ever.” (The Ringer)
In contrast to all the divorces mentioned above, this was delightful to see: husband and wife Adam Brody (Seth, The O.C.) and Leighton Meester (Blair, Gossip Girl) interviewed each other. (Interview)
See more with Meester below.
Shailene Woodley (Kalitin, The O.C.) is doing press for Ferrari.
“Shailene Woodley Shows a New Side of Being the Other Woman in Ferrari” (Harper’s Bazaar)
“Shailene Woodley talks about her new film, ‘Ferrari’” (ABC News)
“Inside Shailene Woodley’s Loewe Squeeze Bag” (British Vogue)
“Penélope Cruz, Adam Driver and Shailene Woodley on Ferrari” (FOX 5)
Janel Parrish (Leah, The O.C.) and John Schneider (Jeffrey, 90210) were unmasked on the season finale of “The Masked Singer.” (TVLine)
Uh, for more on Schneider see below.
Chad Michael Murray (Lucas, One Tree Hill) has signed on for a “One Tree Hill” convention slated to take place in Paris next September. (Instagram)
Austin Nichols (Julian, One Tree Hill) is on board too. (Instagram)
Murray did another interview for his LenelS2 partnership. (News 12)
Paul Johansson (Dan, One Tree Hill) was on the “Trying to Figure It Out” podcast. (YouTube)
Barry Corbin (Whitey, One Tree Hill) again hosted one of his “An Evening with Barry Corbin” events. (Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Gavin DeGraw, who sings the “One Tree Hill” theme song and appeared on the series multiple times, was on “Good Morning America.” (GMA)
DeGraw was among the performers on “A Home for the Holidays.” (CBS)
While these bios are often made up, I was amused to see this one for a contestant on the upcoming season of “The Bachelor”: “On the weekends, Talyah enjoys watching ‘Gossip Girl’ all cuddled up with her chihuahua.” (ABC)
Meester did more press tied to EXmas.
“Leighton Meester on life after Gossip Girl: ‘There were six white, rich leads, and now in a post-Trump era, it just looks different’” (The Independent)
Sherri Saum (Holland, Gossip Girl) is mourning the death of her husband, actor Kamar de Los Reyes. (USA Today)
This headline speaks for itself: “John Schneider Probe Opened By Secret Service After ‘Dukes Of Hazzard’ Star Urges Public Hanging Of Joe Biden” (Deadline)
Season 2 of “Reacher,” starring Alan Ritchson (Tripp, 90210), is Amazon’s most-viewed show of the year. (Deadline)