Teen Drama Links for January 31, 2023

I’m putting this out there so we can all manifest it.

I’d love to see a joint interview with Darren Star and Kevin Williamson.

Star and Williamson have more in common than just creating the first teen dramas — “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Dawson’s Creek,” respectively.

They both did so as gay men who explored those topics in different ways on their shows.

As I wrote in my essay examining the evolution of LGBTQ teen drama characters, Star was limited in a season 2 “Beverly Hills, 90210” storyline in 1991 that explored a character’s sexuality. In contrast, Williamson was able to go much further with a (somewhat) similar season 2 “Dawson’s Creek” storyline in 1999.

But beyond how things played out onscreen, I wonder what it was like for Star and Williamson offscreen. I’ve never seen anything exploring the fact that two gay men were behind these iconic teen shows. I’d love to see them compare and contrast their experiences, personally and professionally.

Then I’d love to hear from those who followed in their footsteps, like Greg Berlanti, who executive-produced “Dawson’s Creek” after Williamson left, and Joshua Safran, who executive-produced the original “Gossip Girl” and created the spinoff. Both of them are also gay — so how do their experiences compare? What do they owe to the paths Williamson and Star paved? What do Williamson and Star think of what Berlanti and Safran have been able to do with their shows?

We’re still quite a ways away from June, so there’s plenty of time for an outlet to make this dream interview / roundtable happen for a Pride Month celebration.

Let’s manifest it, TeenDramaWhores.

Teen Drama Links for January 31, 2023

Listicle Links

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

• “20 Photos Of 2023’s Oscar-Nominated Actors Today Vs. When They First Started Out” (BuzzFeed)

• “Here Are 21 Of The Best TV Cliffhangers Of All Time, As Decided By TV-Bingeing Experts” (BuzzFeed)

• “33 TV Characters Duos That Are Exactly The Same, But In Different Fonts” (BuzzFeed)

• “I Wondered What The Actors From My Favorite Teen Movies Looked Like Today, So I Looked It Up, And Damn I Still Love Them” (BuzzFeed)

• “11 Gen Z Celebs Who Are Actually Self-Made, And 12 Who Grew Up Rich” (BuzzFeed)

• “39 Obvious Mistakes From TV Shows And Movies That Unfortunately Remind You That They’re Really Just A Work Of Fiction” (BuzzFeed)

• “26 Times Celebs Caught Someone Criticizing Their Body And Called Them Out” (BuzzFeed)

• “15 Celebrity Couples Who Were Set Up By Other Famous People” (BuzzFeed)

• “These 19 Female TV Characters Had Such Garbage Finales, They Deserve Their Own Spin-Offs To Fix It” (BuzzFeed)

• “22 Songs That Were Recently Brought Back To Life By TV And Movies” (BuzzFeed)

• “Aaron Spelling Was Honored 30 Years Ago and the Pics Are Deliciously 90210” (Go Fug Yourself)

• “Busy Philipps and Joshua Jackson Gush Over Former ‘Dawson’s Creek’ Costar Michelle Williams After 5th Oscar Nomination” (Us Weekly)

  • Interesting that Philipps and Jackson both posted on social media for this but not the big “Dawson’s Creek” anniversary.

• “I Want What They Have, Friendship Edition: Busy Philipps and Michelle Williams” (Vogue)

• “Taylor Swift’s Famous Music Video Men: From Stephen Colletti to Miles Teller” (Us Weekly)

• “Lizzie McGuire Would Love Hilary Duff’s Wardrobe This Week” (Grazia)

• “Hilary Duff and Matthew Koma: A Timeline of Their Relationship” (Us Weekly)

• “The Replacements: Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp, and 7 Other Actors Who Were Replaced Onscreen” (Vanity Fair)

• “What’s up, Upper East Siders: 6 podcasts and episodes for ‘Gossip Girl’ fans” (Podsauce)

• “10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Gossip Girl” (CBR)

• “Every Original ‘Gossip Girl’ Character & Actor Who Returned for HBO Max Revival Revealed” (JustJaredJr)

• “Gossip Girl’s Season 2 Finale Is a Mess — But Not in a Good Way” (Paste)

  • A lot of great points here, some of which echo my own reaction.

• “I'll Say It: The Gossip Girl Reboot Ended At The Perfect Time” (Elite Daily)

  • Some good points here too.

• “Could The ‘Gossip Girl’ Reboot Have Been Saved With A Strong Blair Waldorf?” (Digital Mafia Talkies)

  • More good points.

• “The ‘Gossip Girl’ Reboot Never Lived Up to the Original Show” (Collider)

  • And I strongly agree with what’s said here.

• “Gossip Girl Series Finale: 3 Major Easter Eggs and Details You Might’ve Missed” (Teen Vogue)

• “Let’s Celebrate ‘Gossip Girl’ Luna La While We Can” (LatinaMedia.co)

• “5 Things to Know About Whitney Peak” (L’OFFICEL)

• “Lauren London Looks Back at Her Most Iconic Roles” (Elle)

• “Meet Lauren London’s 2 Sons, Kameron and Kross” (PopSugar)

• “Brianne Howey’s First Part Was on ‘90210’” (Live with Kelly and Ryan)

• “13 TV Series That Will Make You Appreciate Brotherhood, Ranked” (Movieweb)

• “10 TV Shows That Overstayed Their Welcome” (CBR)

• “10 Best Romantic Relationships In Teen Shows” (CBR)

• “10 Iconic Teen TV ‘Villains’ Who Became A Beloved Character” (Collider)

• “TV Love Triangles: 5 That Were Iconic and 5 Others That Were Infuriating, According to Reddit” (Collider)

• “10 TV Shows About Female Friendships To Watch With Your Galentine” (Collider)

• “12 TV Shows That Should Have Just Ended After One Season” (TVLine)

• “TV’s 30 Best Spinoffs: Better Call Saul, Angel, Family Matters, Frasier, Xena, Chicago P.D., Private Practice and More” (TVLine)

  • Related: The Teen Drama Spinoffs (TDW)

• “TV’s 20 Worst Spinoffs, Ranked: Joey, The Golden Palace, The Brady Brides and More Ill-Advised Offshoots” (TVLine)

• “Why Is Dean in Winchesters Photo? Did Last of Us Lunch Look Too Good? Why Is Barney in HIMYF ‘Burbs? More Qs!” (TVLine)

• “Which of January’s 12+ Cancellations Was the Most Heartbreaking?” (TVLine)

• “These Fan Favorite Shows Were Canceled Right At The Beginning Of 2023” (TheThings)

• “Canceled and Renewed TV Shows in 2023” (Entertainment Tonight)

• “New on Netflix February 2023: ‘Outer Banks,’ ‘You,’ and More” (The Daily Beast)

• “11 Beloved Family Movies Turning 20 In 2023” (Slashfilm)

• “Why These Actors Left Hit TV Shows” (Slashfilm)

• “Stars Who Appeared On That ‘70s Show Before They Were Famous” (TheThings)

• “33 best date night movies on Netflix (for when you actually want to watch, not just chill)” (Vogue India)

• “Meet the 2023 Oscar Acting Nominees” (The Wrap)

• “23 of Taylor Swift’s Music Video Co-Stars” (The Wrap)

• “5 ways the film industry surge is having an impact on Wilmington” (StarNews Online)

• “Black Teen Girls On TV Are A Mess… Finally” (Refinery29)

  • The descriptions of Nikki and Faith are… not accurate.

• “The 11 Shortest Celebrity Marriages You Forgot About” (L’OFFICIEL)

• “From Millie Mackintosh to Chrissy Teigen: As Dry January draws to a close, here's some of the celebrities who have ditched alcohol” (Daily Mail)

• “How To Start A Throuple Relationship That Actually Lasts” (Elite Daily)

Best of the Rest

• Various shows and movies with teen drama connections made Nielsen’s 2022 most-streamed lists. (TVLine)

• Jennie Garth (Kelly, Beverly Hills, 90210) and Tori Spelling (Donna, Beverly Hills, 90210) officially revealed their big surprise, launching a home decor line with QVC, and are now doing a ton of press for it. (Instagram / Instagram)

  • “EXCLUSIVE: A First Look at Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth’s ‘The BFF Collection’” (WWD)

  • “Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth’s Home Line includes a Nod to Beverly Hills, 90210” (E! Online)

  • “Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling are proving it’s never too late to make a career pivot” (MSNBC)

  • “Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth Look Back at Their 30+ Year Friendship” (Tamron Hall Show)

  • “Tori Spelling & Jennie Garth launch lifestyle brand” (FOX5)

  • “Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth reveal surprise new project, talk ‘90210’ reboot” (New York Post)

  • “Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth on Their ‘90210’-Inspired Home Decor Line — and Lifelong Bond: ‘We’re Sisters’” (People)

• Spelling’s cat has been missing since last month. (Instagram)

• Jason Priestley (Brandon, Beverly Hills, 90210) did more interviews about Offside: The Harold Ballard Story.

  • “Player’s Own Voice podcast: Jason Priestley discusses Harold Ballard documentary” (CBC)

  • “Why Jason Priestley decided to explore and portray Harold Ballard’s story” (Sportsnet)

• Gerard Butler told a story about working with Hilary Swank (Carly, Beverly Hills, 90210) while on “The Drew Barrymore Show.” (YouTube)

• Babyface, who appeared on “Beverly Hills, 90210” as himself, will perform at the Super Bowl. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Meredith Stiehm (writer, Beverly Hills, 90210) has signed with UTA for agency representation. (Variety)

• The February 6 issue of People features a short piece on the 25th anniversary of “Dawson’s Creek.”

• Peacock is no longer moving forward with its adaptation of the “Dead Day” comic, which was being executive-produced and written by Kevin Williamson (creator, Dawson’s Creek) and Julie Plec (producer, Dawson’s Creek). (Variety)

• NBC gave a pilot order to “Wolf,” executive-produced by Greg Berlanti (executive producer, Dawson’s Creek). (Deadline)

• “Titans” and “Doom Patrol,” both executive-produced by Berlanti, are ending their runs. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Michelle Williams (Jen, Dawson’s Creek) is doing UK press for The Fabelmans.

  • “Michelle Williams on The Fabelmans, Spielberg & Dawson’s Creek turning 25” (JOE.ie)

  • “Michelle Williams on why parenthood is her greatest role and playing Steven Spielberg’s mother” (Metro)

  • “We test Michelle Williams’ Dawson’s Creek knowledge!” (Heart)

  • “‘Girls today aren’t prey. They are victorious’: Michelle Williams on #MeToo, money and playing Spielberg’s mum” (The Guardian)

• Kerr Smith (Jack, Dawson’s Creek) said he’s “working on a spinoff” with “Dawson’s Creek” cast members that would center around Jack. (7NEWS)

  • Please… no. (TDW)

• Watch Ken Marino (Professor Wilder, Dawson’s Creek) and Jane Lynch (Mrs. Witter, Dawson’s Creek) in the trailer for the “Party Down” revival. (YouTube)

• Julie Bowen (Gwen, Dawson’s Creek) is continuing her press tour for her new skin care line.

  • ”Julie Bowen Brought a Man Home From Italy” (The Drew Barrymore Show)

  • “Julie Bowen Reveals the One Project She Didn’t Enjoy” (Watch What Happens Live)

    • There are additional clips.

  • “Julie Bowen Talks Living with 3 Teenage Boys” (Rachel Ray Show)

    • There is an additional clip.

  • There’s also an interview with Bowen in the February 6 edition of People.

• Madchen Amick (Nicole, Dawson’s Creek / Catherine, Gossip Girl) opened up about her son’s bipolar disorder diagnosis. (People)

• Jason Moore, who directed episodes of “Dawson’s Creek” and “One Tree Hill” and appeared in a “Dawson’s Creek” episode, is doing interviews for his new movie, Shotgun Wedding.

  • “Director Jason Moore on the power of Cher and working with Jennifer Coolidge for ‘Shotgun Wedding’” (Queerty)

  • “Jason Moore: 5 Films That Inspire Me as a Director” (A.frame)

  • “Shotgun Wedding Director Jason Moore On Ziplines, Jennifer Coolidge, And More” (Slashfilm)

  • By the way, Shotgun Wedding was supposed to star Armie Hammer (Gabriel, Gossip Girl) until he dropped out due to his growing scandals.

• Rachel Bilson (Summer, The O.C.) will be at the SCAD TV Fest next month for a screening of “Accused.” (SCAD)

  • Bilson was on “Live with Kelly and Ryan” to promote the show, but you wouldn’t know it from this clip. (YouTube)

  • And: “Rachel Bilson Is a Distressed Mother in New ‘Accused’ Clip” (Collider)

  • Also: “‘Accused’ Premiere Secures Hefty Delayed Viewing To Become Fox’s Highest-Rated & Most-Watched Drama Debut In 3 Years” (Deadline)

• “Three Women,” starring Shailene Woodley (Kaitlin, The O.C.), will no longer air on Showtime, which is being revamped as “Paramount+ With Showtime.” (Deadline)

• Netflix renewed “The Recruit,” executive-produced by Doug Liman (executive producer, The O.C.). (Netflix)

• Josh Schwartz (creator, The O.C. / creator, Gossip Girl / executive producer, Gossip Girl spinoff) purchased a new home in Los Angeles. (The Dirt)

• Wayfarers Chapel, seen on both “The O.C.” and “90210,” is at the center of a new lawsuit. (Courthouse News Service)

• Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley, One Tree Hill) received an Ambie Award nomination for her performance on the fiction podcast “Dark Sanctum.” (The Ambies)

• Spotify did a “Throwback Thursday” playlist in honor of the original “Gossip Girl” and Gossip Girl Day. (Spotify)

• Blake Lively (Serena, Gossip Girl) will star in and executive-produce the film adaptation of It Ends With Us. (Deadline)

• Connor Paolo (Eric, Gossip Girl) will star in the movie Séance. (Deadline)

• Hilary Duff (Olivia, Gossip Girl) did more interviews for the new season of “How I Met Your Father.”

  • “Hilary Duff Talks About Mark Consuelos on ‘How I Met Your Father’” (Live with Kelly and Ryan)

    • There is an additional clip.

  • “Hilary Duff Says Which of Her Y2K Looks Were ‘So Yesterday’” (Watch What Happens Live)

    • There are additional clips.

  • “Hilary Duff Says Sophie Is A ‘Monster’ In ‘How I Met Your Father’ Season 2” (The Kelly Clarkson Show)

    • There are additional clips.

  • Also: “How I Met Your Father: Leighton Meester Returns to Ruffle Hilary Duff’s Feathers” (E! Online)

• Kristen Bell (Gossip Girl, Gossip Girl) is shutting down her skin care brand. (Glossy)

• Bell has joined the voice cast of PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie. (Deadline)

• Here are interviews with Joshua Safran (executive producer, Gossip Girl / creator, Gossip Girl spinoff) about the “Gossip Girl” spinoff’s series finale…

  • “‘Gossip Girl’ Boss Josh Safran Explains How He Re-Shaped The Season 2 Closer As A Series Finale & What He Had Planned For Season 3” (Deadline)

  • “‘Gossip Girl’ Boss Talks Original Series Star He Tried to Get Back for Finale” (TV Insider)

  • “‘Gossip Girl’ Boss Reveals What Was Cut From Series Finale & What Would’ve Happened in Season 3” (TV Insider)

  • “Gossip Girl EP Answers Our Burning Series Finale Questions, Reveals What Would Have Happened in Season 3” (TVLine)

  • “After Cancelled Gossip Girl Reboot, Creator Josh Safran Reflects on the Show’s Legacy” (Teen Vogue)

  • “How Gossip Girl Recreated the Met Gala for an Epic Farewell — Its Own Way” (Vanity Fair)

  • Safran also tweeted a lot of tidbits. (Twitter)

• And here are interviews the “Gossip Girl” spinoff cast did…

  • “Jordan Alexander Discusses Season 2 of ‘Gossip Girl’ and What to Expect From the Finale” (The Nerds of Color)

  • “‘Gossip Girl’ Star Jordan Alexander: Reboot Was Canceled ... But I’m Happy It Even Happened!!!” (TMZ)

  • “XOXO, Whitney Peak” (The New York Times)

    • Peak mentions The Fabelmans and “Emily in Paris,” both of which have teen drama connections.

  • “Thomas Doherty Has Hope for a Gossip Girl Reboot-Reboot” (Elle)

  • “Thomas Doherty Is ‘Ready to Move On’ After ‘Gossip Girl’ Cancellation: ‘When It’s Done, It’s Done’” (The Wrap)

  • “Thomas Doherty Says There’s No Way He’d Be in a Throuple In Real Life” (The Drew Barrymore Show)

  • “Evan Mock Talks ‘Gossip Girl’ Finale and the Future of His Wahine Fashion Label” (WWD)

  • “Grace Duah hopes you’ll be seeing more of her after ‘Gossip Girl’” (CNN)

• Doherty received an honorable mention for “Performer of the Week” for his performance in the “Gossip Girl” spinoff’s finale. (TVLine)

• Mock did an interview for the “#ShareTheWonder Disney100” campaign. (People)

• Jennie Snyder Urman (co-executive producer, 90210) will executive-produce and serve as showrunner for “Cleo” on Peacock. (Deadline)

• Somehow I missed that Shenae Grimes (Annie, 90210) and AnnaLynne McCord (Naomi, 90210) ended their “Unzipped” podcast back in September. (Apple Podcasts)

• Lauren London (Christina, 90210) is doing press for You People.

  • “Lauren London’s Children Give Her Strength After Nipsey Hussle’s Passing” (The Drew Barrymore Show)

  • “Lauren London’s First Time Meeting Jonah Hill Was Almost a Disaster” (The Tonight Show)

  • “Lauren London on Why She Was Apprehensive Having Jonah Hill as Her Love Interest in ‘You People’” (Entertainment Tonight)

  • “WATCH: Lauren London On If There Should Be A ‘This Christmas’ Followup” (Essence)

  • “Lauren London Learned More About Her Jewish Roots Filming ‘You People’: It Became ‘Personal’” (People)

  • “Lauren London Has Smoked Weed With Snoop Dogg Before” (Watch What Happens Live)

    • There are additional clips.