Teen Drama Links for July 5, 2022
Teen Drama Links for July 5, 2022
When I watched the teaser trailer for “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” I wondered if I was too old for it.
That may seem surprising when you consider I’m on the verge of turning 35 and just as obsessed with teen dramas as ever. But something about it felt very young and, given that it was on Amazon Prime and I didn’t have a subscription, I kind of just wrote it off. I felt similarly when it came to “To All The Boys I Loved Before” — which, like “Pretty,” was based on a book by Jenny Han. I don’t have Netflix so I simply didn’t watch it.
But my friend Jessica kept talking “Pretty” up and she suggested I sign up for Amazon’s 30-day free trial so we could have a “watch party” and binge the show together. Now I am so freakin’ glad we did. I fell completely in love with the show and, like with most teen dramas, its central love triangle.
The series revolves around adorable 15-year-old Isabel, who goes by the nickname “Belly” (which of course reminded me of “Brelly,” the nickname for Brandon and Kelly on “Beverly Hills, 90210”). She, her brother, and their mom spend every summer with her mom’s best friend and two sons on Cousins Beach. This summer, the summer Belly is turning 16, she finds her dynamic with the two brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah, changing. You see where this is going…
I’m all about love triangles, longing, and angst, and “Pretty” has this in spades. The triangle actually reminded me of Dylan-Kelly-Brandon on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” or at least how I feel about that triangle. Like Dylan, Conrad is the broody one. Like Brandon, Jeremiah is the one you’d feel more comfortable bringing home to meet your dad. I really love both parings — Conrad & Belly and Jeremiah & Belly — just like I love both Dylan & Kelly and Brandon & Kelly. But at the end of the day, I want Belly with Conrad, just like I want Kelly with Dylan.
Among the other teen drama things that stood out to me: There was a Michelle Williams reference that amused me, in part because the actor who plays Conrad looks to me like a mix between Williams’ “Dawson’s Creek” love interest Michael Pitt and a young Leonardo DiCaprio. One of the main storylines is about a debutante ball, which was a plot on “The O.C.” And “Pretty” was filmed in Wilmington, where “Dawson’s Creek” and “One Tree Hill” were shot (and where I live). I really enjoyed recognizing some of the locations.
A TV writer and teen drama fan I greatly admire, Vlada Gelman, also made this observation…
I should note the diversity among the “Pretty” cast was much appreciated too. Oh, and did I mention the soundtrack is awesome and features multiple Taylor Swift songs?!
None of this is to say the series is perfect, of course. The title and its implication actually really bother me. I really didn’t like Belly’s brother or best friend. And there is a storyline that was unexpectedly triggering for those of us who have dealt with loss.
But “Pretty” was a wonderful viewing experience as a teen drama fan, and it was interesting to learn via my friend what was different from the book. Now I plan to read it myself when I go on vacation this fall, and I look forward to eventually watching season 2, which will start filming in Wilmington this month. (The “Pretty” novels are actually a trilogy and it seems like each season of the series is covering one book; I’m going to hold off on reading the second and third books so I can watch their seasons first.)
Whether you’ve watched the show or not (and I highly recommend you do if you’re a fellow TeenDramaWhore), I hope you enjoy the teen-drama-related content about “The Summer I Turned Pretty” below, along with this week’s roundup of other stories tied to the core teen dramas.
Teen Drama Links for July 5, 2022
Listicle Links
Reminder: All lists and articles relate to the teen dramas or teen drama stars in some way.
“17 Actors Who Were So Sick Of The Way They Were Forced To Look For A Role That They Completely Changed Their Appearance Right After” (BuzzFeed)
“Jensen Ackles and Danneel Harris Are One Good-Looking Couple” (PopSugar)
“How The Boys Fans Have Reacted to Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy” (MovieWeb)
“Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton’s Sweetest Moments With Their Kids Over the Years” (Us Weekly)
“Every Time Hilarie Burton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Public Declarations of Love Made Us Swoon” (Us Weekly)
“Gilmore Girls Characters & Their One Tree Hill Counterparts” (Screen Rant)
These pairings are… weird.
“10 Things You Didn’t Know about India de Beaufort” (TVOvermind)
“Why Layla Roslyn From Chicago PD Looks So Familiar” (Looper)
“Gossip Girl: 10 Book Quotes That Should Have Been In The TV Show” (Screen Rant)
“Gossip Girl: 10 Differences Between Serena In The Books & The TV Show” (Screen Rant)
“Gossip Girl: 10 Differences Between Blair In The Books & The TV Show” (Screen Rant)
“Great Outfits in Fashion History: Leighton Meester in Stefano Pilati-Era YSL” (Fashionista)
“Ed Westwick channeled Chuck Bass in the streets of London” (Vogue France)
“9 Times ‘Gossip Girl’ Proved There Is A Blair Waldorf In All Of Us” (Femina)
“HBO Max’s Degrassi: Why the Gossip Girl Revival May Be Telling” (MovieWeb)
“The Blacklist Star You Likely Forgot Played A Character In The CW’s 90210” (Looper)
“Who Is GAC Family’s Trevor Donovan? 6 Things to Know About the ‘Jingle Bell Christmas’ Star” (Us Weekly)
“The Men Who Would Be King: The Best (And Worst) Actors To Play Elvis” (RadarOnline)
“10 TV Shows That Are Ridiculously Different From The Books They’re Based On” (Screen Rant)
“10 TV Couples Who Gave Up Too Easily” (CBR)
“13 Actresses Who Have Played Marilyn Monroe” (Town & Country)
“35 Best Shows Like Bridgerton You Must Watch” (Beebom)
“35 Best Shows Like Euphoria Worth Watching” (Beebom)
“From ‘ER’ to ‘Friends,’ 9 of the Best TV Couples of the ’90s” (TV Insider)
“From ‘Stranger Things’ to ‘Freaks and Geeks’: The Best TV Shows Set in the 80s” (Collider)
“SNL: Best Digital Shorts of All Time, Ranked” (MovieWeb)
“Celebrity Podcasts You Need to Listen To” (L’OFFICIEL)
“46 Celebrities Who Have Had Abortions — And Spoken Out About Them “ (Glamour)
“Phoebe Dynevor And Logan Lerman Are Two-Thirds Of A Threesome In The Threesome” (Nylon)
“Getting Ready With Diana Silvers For The Celine Show At Paris Fashion Week Men’s” (Nylon)
“Wilmington-shot ‘Black Phone’ beats box office expectations, features old-school locations” (StarNews Online)
“On the red carpet or in scenes with stars: Wilmington actor Banks Repeta plays it cool” (StarNews Online)
“Placebo’s Brian Molko on why they covered Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’” (NME)
“10 Best Teen Dramas Like ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ That You Might Like” (OtakuKart)
“The Summer I Turned Pretty Makes Its Soundtrack a Main Character” (CBR)
“The Summer I Turned Pretty Celebrates Female Friendships as Love Stories” (CBR)
“Cousins Beach: Where Did They Film ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’? Learn About the Real Cousins Beach” (J-14)
Best of the Rest
An update on the future of The CW: “Nexstar Nears Deal to Acquire Majority Control of CW Network” (The Wall Street Journal)
Key part for our interests: “One of the motivations for Nexstar is to pivot the programming on the CW to something closer to the older audience of its local stations, a person familiar with the broadcaster’s thinking said. The CW already has taken some steps in that regard by veering slightly away from teen-angst dramas such as ‘Riverdale’ and adding shows such as ‘Walker,’ about a Texas lawman, and ‘The Professionals,’ a new action hour about a private security firm premiering this season.”
Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills, 90210) and Sharna Burgess announced the birth of their son Zane. (Instagram)
Green also has a son with Vanessa Marcil (Gina, Beverly Hills, 90210) and three sons with Megan Fox.
Jennie Garth (Kelly, Beverly Hills, 90210) was on the CareWalks podcast as part of her partnership with Voltaren. (Apple Podcasts)
Liz Vassey (Marcie, Beverly Hills, 90210), Jeri Ryan (Charlotte, The O.C.), and Michelle Hurd (Laurel, Gossip Girl / Rachel, 90210) are among the signatories on a “Fandoms Stand Against Racism & Bigotry” statement. (Twitter)
“Dawson’s Creek” left Netflix Canada as of July 1, a few months after leaving the U.S. Netflix. (NOW)
Joshua Jackson (Pacey, Dawson’s Creek) and his Liquid Media Group have launched Projektor, a “marketplace for independent creators, distributors, and content and catalog holders globally.” (Deadline)
Busy Philipps (Audrey, Dawson’s Creek) was arrested outside the Supreme Court while protesting the recent ruling overturning Roe V. Wade. (Instagram)
Philipps was on the “Feminist Buzzkills Live” podcast. (Part 1, Part 2)
Philipps was also on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast. (Apple Podcasts)
Sarah Shahi (Sadia, Dawson’s Creek) has signed with WME for agency representation. (Deadline)
Kevin Williamson (creator, Dawson’s Creek) has signed with CAA for agency representation. (The Wrap)
Williamson will participate in a “Making Horror Fun Again” panel at the Midsummer Scream convention on July 31. (Fangoria)
“Vampire Academy,” for which Julie Plec (producer, Dawson’s Creek) is the writer, executive producer, and showrunner, will premiere on Peacock on September 15. (TVLine)
The above article also mentions that “A Friend of the Family,” with Colin Hanks (Grady, The O.C.), will debut on October 6.
Michael Pitt (Henry, Dawson’s Creek) is among the cast for crime drama One Day as a Lion. (Deadline)
“The Boys,” starring Jensen Ackles (CJ, Dawson’s Creek) and Chace Crawford (Nate, Gossip Girl), made Nielsen’s streaming top 10, along with “All American,” which is executive-produced by Greg Berlanti (executive producer, Dawson’s Creek), for the week of May 30 to June 5. (Deadline)
Melissa Claire Egan, who appeared on “Dawson’s Creek” and “One Tree Hill,” Autumn Reeser (Taylor, The O.C.), Drew Seeley (Vegas, One Tree Hill), Torrey DeVitto (Carrie, One Tree Hill), and Trevor Donovan (Teddy, 90210) are all scheduled to participate in August’s Christmas Con California. (That’s 4 Entertainment)
“How Maroon 5 became the most annoying band in rock” wrongly says Adam Levine’s band Kara’s Flowers appeared on “The O.C.” — it was actually “Beverly Hills, 90210.” (The Telegraph)
Adam Brody (Seth, The O.C.) was a clue in the July 2 Los Angeles Times crossword. (Game N Guides)
Rachel Bilson (Summer, The O.C.) talks about her daughter and more in the July 11 issue of People. (People)
Chris Pratt (Che, The O.C.) is on the cover of the July-August issue of Men’s Health. (Men’s Health)
Pratt did more interviews to plug “The Terminal List.”
“Actors Chris Pratt and Taylor Kitsch Talk Prime Video’s New Series ‘The Terminal List’” (Moviefone)
“Chris Pratt Says ‘The Terminal List’ Role Is ‘Unlike Any Character I’ve Ever Played’” (TV Insider)
Cam Gigandet (Volchok, The O.C.) was asked how he views “The O.C.” / Twilight era of his life. (Digital Trends)
Marguerite Moreau (Reed, The O.C.) participated in a Mighty Ducks reunion panel at the Classic Rewind Weekend convention. (YouTube)
Noticeably absent? Jackson.
“Tom Swift,” executive-produced by Josh Schwartz (creator, The O.C. / creator, Gossip Girl / executive producer, Gossip Girl spinoff), Stephanie Savage (executive producer, The O.C. / creator, Gossip Girl / executive producer, Gossip Girl spinoff), and Lis Rowinski (co-executive producer, Gossip Girl), was canceled by The CW. (Deadline)
Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley, One Tree Hill), Austin Nichols (Julian, One Tree Hill), Sharon Lawrence (Sylvia, One Tree Hill) and Amber Wallace (Glenda, One Tree Hill / Lila, 90210) are the latest additions to the roster for November’s “A Week in Tree Hill” convention. (Facebook)
James Lafferty (Nathan, One Tree Hill) shared photos from his May wedding to Alexandra Park. (Instagram)
Park posted pictures as well. (Instagram)
Shantel VanSanten (Quinn, One Tree Hill) opened up about “For All Mankind,” getting married, her work with the American Lung Association, and more. (Haute Living)
Kelsey Asbille (Gigi, One Tree Hill) did some press for “Yellowstone.”
“‘Yellowstone’ Star Kelsey Asbille Says ‘It’s Not Easy Being Married To A Dutton’” (The Kelly Clarkson Show)
“‘Yellowstone’ Star Kelsey Asbille Admits She Is Still Starstruck by Kevin Costner — ‘I’m Not Sure It Will Ever Go Away’” (Showbiz Cheat Sheet)
Related: “‘Yellowstone’ Star Kelsey Asbille Reveals She Is Taking a Couple of Special Guests on Her Trek to Montana to Film Season 5” (Showbiz Cheat Sheet)
“A Dutton Interview from the Ranch” (Yellowstone)
Missed this in May: “‘Yellowstone’: Kelsey Asbille Knows What Kayce Meant By ‘I Saw the End of Us’” (TV Insider)
And this one too: “Kelsey Asbille Shares Why ‘Yellowstone’ Is a Surprisingly Happy Place to Work” (Taste of Country)
LaMonica Garrett (Jerome, One Tree Hill) also did interviews promoting “The Terminal List,” in which he co-stars in with the aforementioned Pratt.
“Jeanne Tripplehorn And LaMonica Garrett Talk About The Terminal List” (LRM Online)
“The Terminal List Interview: Jeanne Tripplehorn and LaMonica Garrett” (ComingSoon)
“Exclusive interview: Jeanne Tripplehorn and LaMonica Garrett talk ‘The Terminal List’” (We Got This Covered)
“‘The Terminal List’ stars Pratt, Garrett, Shaw share predictions for UFC 276” (TSN)
Brian Robbins (executive producer, One Tree Hill), Adele Lim (producer, One Tree Hill), and Jeremy O.Harris (himself, Gossip Girl spinoff) have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Crawford’s press tour for “The Boys” continues…
“The Boys Star Jokes About Being Banned from Aquariums After Octopus Sex Scene” (ComicBook.com)
“‘The Boys’ star Chace Crawford on The Deep: He is narcissist, wants to say right things and move on” (PTI)
“Actor Chace Crawford, B1G Adds USC/UCLA, KD Wants Out & Mt Rushmore Of The Boys With Will Compton” (Pardon My Take)
The description misspells Crawford’s first name.
Missed this last month: “‘The Boys’ Companion Podcast Goes Deeper on Chace Crawford’s The Deep” (Variety)
Melissa Fumero (Zoe, Gossip Girl) will announce the Emmy nominations next Tuesday. (Deadline)
The second season of the “Gossip Girl” spinoff will feature artwork with environmental messaging. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Watch Whitney Peak (Zoya, Gossip Girl spinoff) in the teaser trailer for the Hocus Pocus sequel. (YouTube)
Peak shared “The Things She Can’t Live Without.” (Harper’s Bazarr Singapore)
Evan Mock (Aki, Gossip Girl spinoff) is on the cover of “The Gen V Issue” of V. (V)
Diablo Cody, who appeared on “90210” as herself, will write and produce a film called Lisa Frankenstein. (Deadline)