Teen Drama Links for July 18, 2023

Jul 18, 2023

Last week, SAG-AFTRA went on strike, throwing Hollywood — and our teen drama world — into chaos.

The strike prevents actors in the union from not only, you know, acting, but also from promoting past and present projects that involved SAG work and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. There has been much confusion about what this means for the teen drama rewatch podcasts and upcoming conventions.

A reporter for Variety initially maintained that participating in conventions like “90s Con” would be prohibited, but has since clarified that actors can participate but “can’t talk about their past show” — which makes these events impractical and pointless to me. How can the stars participate in events explicitly tied to “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “One Tree Hill” and then not talk about them at all?

Yet “90s Con” organizer That’s 4 Entertainment has insisted the event is still on, and Friends with Benefit similarly said the same about its September and November “One Tree Hill” events in the comments here. It seems Fab Five still plans to move forward with its September convention as well, as they haven’t said otherwise. But as I discussed on Twitter, I don’t see how actor participation is justifiable based on what we know thus far.

In fact, the FAQ on the SAG-AFTA website currently states the following in regard to union members:

Can I participate in conventions?
You cannot participate in conventions such as Comic-Con on behalf of, or to promote, companies we are striking against. This includes appearances, panels, fan meet-and-greets, etc. involving struck work. You may participate in a convention in ways that are wholly independent of characters from struck work or sponsorship by struck companies.

Neither “90s Con” nor the “One Tree Hill” events nor the Fab Five weekend are “wholly independent of characters from struck work or sponsorship by struck companies.” Just the opposite, actually — assuming I am interpreting this correctly. The conventions may not be sponsored by struck companies, as they are independent events, but the characters and shows they relate to are tied to struck work and companies.

As for the rewatch podcasts, “9021OMG” dropped a normal installment today, likely recorded before the strike began. However, “Drama Queens” released a new edition on Monday that explained how the rewatch is on hold due to the strike but they still plan on producing content — see my notes on what was said here. Meanwhile, I’m not sure if or how the “Bye Bitches” podcast and Patreon will continue during the strike, as that’s all predicated on actors talking about their past work.

And the aforementioned FAQ states:

What about podcasts?
In general re podcasts: any podcasts covered by the SAG-AFTRA Podcast Agreement are not affected by a strike of the TV/Theatrical Contracts; podcasts produced by companies that are not part of the AMPTP are not affected by a strike of the TV/Theatrical Contracts; guest appearances on podcasts to promote struck work is not allowed under any circumstance; and both hosting and guest appearances on podcasts promoting struck work that are produced by struck companies are not allowed under the strike order.

Well, these rewatch podcasts involve “both hosting and guest appearances on podcasts promoting struck work that are produced by struck companies.” How do you, say, continue rewatching “One Tree Hill” and discussing the show when it is a series that was produced by a struck company and is considered struck work?

Is your head spinning yet?

I recently wrote about the 2007 and current writers strikes and how they affected our teen dramas then and now, but this is the first time the actors are on strike since the 1980s and so much has changed since then. As such, we’re really in uncharted territory, hence all the confusion and chaos.

This doesn’t feel like the appropriate word given what’s going on and how people’s livelihoods are affected, but it will be “interesting” to see what happens over the next few weeks and months as Hollywood is at a standstill. I’m certainly eager to see how things shake out with the rewatch podcasts and conventions.

In the meantime, while there may be less news and entertainment content out there, I can tell you one thing: This newsletter isn’t going anywhere.

Get your day started right with Vallie Lynn Watson and CordCutting.com’s “The O.C.” season 3 rewatch content — all edited by me!

“‘The O.C.’ 20th Anniversary: Rewatching Season 3” (CordCutting.com)
“‘The O.C.’ Season 3: The New Characters We Love (and Love to Hate)” (CordCutting.com)
“‘The O.C.’ Holiday Celebrations in Season 3, Ranked” (CordCutting.com)
“Summer’s Best ‘Ew!’ Reactions From ‘The O.C.’ Season 3” (CordCutting.com)
“Julie’s Top Quips in ‘The O.C.’ Season 3” (CordCutting.com)