Teen Drama Links for July 30, 2024

Jul 30, 2024

When it was revealed earlier this month that Hilarie Burton was leaving the “One Tree Hill” rewatch podcast “Drama Queens” and Robert Buckley was joining, three letters came to mind.

WTF?

Days before the announcement, it was clear something was in the works because Burton and Sophia Bush teased mystery news on the podcast’s two-minute July 1 edition, with Burton promising the “fun” would be “multiplied.” Now I’m wondering if she can do math because subtracting herself from the podcast and adding Buckley in her place is not “multiplying” anything. But this is really the least of the issues.

First and foremost, Burton’s departure feels like a betrayal. Multiple times since the podcast launched in June 2021 and across the six seasons they’ve watched thus far, Burton expressed how much she was looking forward to watching seasons 7 through 9 for the first time. Her repeated comments made clear she intended to stay on the podcast until the end despite her character’s departure.

This sudden reversal has many fans feeling the exact same shock and loss that they felt when Burton left “One Tree Hill.” Don’t just take my word for it — look at all the comments on Instagram posts like this one and this one. Look at the latest reviews on Apple Podcasts. I would quote some of them here, but there are just too many that are too spot-on to choose only a few.

To say Burton didn’t give a satisfactory explanation for her abrupt exit would be an understatement. She tried to make the case that she would have nothing to contribute as they watched the show’s last three seasons, but the opposite is actually true. In fact, it’s precisely because she wasn’t there for the filming of those episodes that fans like myself wanted to hear her reactions. We have been so excited to see what she would think as a first-time viewer and to relive the show through her, something teen drama fans love to do.

To make matters worse, the lack of a reasonable rationale has only added fuel to speculation of a rift between Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz. As regular TDW readers have no doubt noticed, I never included anything here about the rumors that surfaced back in March about a falling out that pitted Burton and Bush against Lenz. That’s because there was never any hard proof and I didn’t want to engage in gossip. But I agree with the many fans that felt there was a shift in the trio’s dynamic in the last four months, and it’s hard to blame people for wondering if something went down between them behind the scenes that led to Burton’s exit. Glamour even wrote an article about it titled, “One Tree Hill Fans Aren’t Buying Hilarie Burton’s Reason for Stepping Back From the Drama Queens Podcast.”

Burton tried to ease the blow by saying she would pop in now and then — but what’s the point? If she won’t be rewatching the episodes, then she’ll just be distracting from the rewatch. If she will be rewatching them, then why not be on each week to discuss them? That’s what we wanted. That would be a real contribution. Not stopping by randomly to play a game, as was suggested she’d do.

I was also really annoyed by Burton saying how relieved she was not to have to rewatch a new episode each week, as if it was such a burden. This was a job she signed up for. She was getting paid to do this. And she chose to go below the surface and discuss the trauma behind some of the episodes — as emotionally difficult as that might have been for her, that was her choice. I don’t feel sorry for her.

I also couldn’t help but notice that Buckley was already voicing ads during the announcement edition, which makes you wonder how long this was in the works for and kept a secret. My reaction to this change would certainly be different if they were planning this all along and told us so. But Burton repeatedly said she’d be staying on the podcast. Now not only is she not, but she was also MIA for multiple episodes during her final season. Is it any wonder fans are feeling screwed over?

In fairness to Buckley, I want to be clear that all of my gripes here have nothing to do with him. Though I thought adding a male perspective to the podcast was intriguing (and something I’ve thought about before given how gender-biased the “queens” often are), the announcement edition had me worried that he’d just be a jokester all the time and distract from discussing the episode. I’m pleased to say that hasn’t actually been the case so far. On the contrary, I’ve been impressed with his analysis.

Furthermore, coincidentally or not, since Burton’s departure, Lenz has seemed like she has a new lease on life. She is bringing a different energy than she had in recent months and talking a helluva lot more. While many listeners are still ranting about and lamenting Burton’s absence on the podcast’s Instagram, some have commented that the recent podcasts, with Buckley’s contributions and Lenz’s changed demeanor, have felt like a breath of fresh air.

But none of that changes the reality of the situation, which is that this isn’t what we signed up for and this isn’t what was promised. It’s like the podcast is taking a sharp left turn and becoming a spinoff of the original — much like it felt to me “One Tree Hill” itself did with these final seasons.

I’ve made no secret of my issues with “Drama Queens” in the past. This is another doozy to add to the list.

ICYMI: I am still compiling news and essays related to the death of Shannen Doherty (Brenda, Beverly Hills, 90210) here. Something I want to also highlight here is that Doherty’s own podcast, “Let’s Be Clear,” released a tribute installment yesterday featuring, among others:

James Eckhouse (Jim, Beverly Hills, 90210)
Mark Damon Espinoza (Jesse, Beverly Hills, 90210)
Randy Spelling (Kenny / Ryan, Beverly Hills, 90210)
David Lascher (Kyle, Beverly Hills, 90210)
Shenae Grimes (Annie, 90210)