Teen Drama Links for March 4, 2025

Days before the sixth anniversary of Luke Perry’s death, the teen drama world was rocked again by another tragedy.

I’d been planning for months to devote today’s issue, which falls on the anniversary of Perry’s passing, to him with a discussion of the new “I Am Luke Perry” documentary that premiered on Saturday.

But on Wednesday came the stunning news that Michelle Tratchtenberg — Georgina on “Gossip Girl” — had died. No, she wasn’t a series regular, but she had an outsized impact on the show. In 28 episodes across all six seasons (plus two episodes of the “Gossip Girl” spinoff), Trachtenberg’s Georgina became one of the show’s most memorable characters.

Though they weren’t the same age when they passed, Perry and Trachtenberg both died way too young, he at 52 and she at 39. Perry suffered a medical emergency out of nowhere and it seems Trachtenberg was struggling with medical issues she hadn’t publicly shared. Millions of people grew up watching Perry in television and film and millions did the same with Trachtenberg as well.

And after other big losses in our teen drama world in recent years, most significantly Shannen Doherty last year, it just feels like… a lot. What’s worse is knowing that, even though they each died long before they should have, as our teen drama actors age, we’re going to be experiencing these losses with increasing frequency. The thought is utterly heartbreaking.

As for the Perry documentary, it was a 90-minute film expanded to two hours to fit The CW’s broadcast. It was executive-produced by Jason Priestley (who didn’t promote it, oddly) and featured familiar faces like Priestley himself, “Beverly Hills, 90210” executive producer Charles Rosin, and others with teen drama connections. I have no doubt the documentary team had good intentions, but they clearly they didn’t fact-check well, as I caught at least two errors. You all know I’m a stickler for accuracy, so that annoyed me, and the audio sync seemed off as well.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a documentary about Trachtenberg one day. Did she have Perry’s level of fame? Arguably, no. She certainly didn’t cause the same kind of hysteria. But she was a pop culture force all her own and one worthy of being remembered.

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Coverage of Michelle Trachtenberg’s Death & Legacy

• “Michelle Trachtenberg Was ‘Really Sick’ and ‘Struggling’ Last Year Prior to Her Death, Says Source” (People)

• “Michelle Trachtenberg’s Life in Photos” (People)

• “From Nickelodeon to Black Christmas, Remembering Michelle Trachtenberg’s Best Early Moments in TV and Movies” (People)

• “Remembering Michelle Trachtenberg’s Best Gossip Girl Moments: How Her Georgina Sparks Became the Series’ Favorite Villain” (People)

• “Michelle Trachtenberg’s Iconic Gossip Girl Line Has Become a Viral TikTok Sound Amid News of Her Death” (People)

• “‘Gossip Girl’ Cast and Crew Pay Tribute to Late Michelle Trachtenberg: ‘Force of Nature’” (Us Weekly)

• “A Look Back at Michelle Trachtenberg’s Relationship With ‘Gossip Girl’ Cast” (Us Weekly)

• “Michelle Trachtenberg Dressed ‘Exactly Like Georgina’: See Her Best ‘Gossip Girl’ Looks” (Us Weekly)

• “Michelle Trachtenberg Was the Ultimate ‘Gossip Girl’ Scene-Stealer” (Rolling Stone)

• “Michelle Trachtenberg Made the Mean Girl Sparkle on ‘Gossip Girl’” (The New York Times)

• “‘Michelle Trachtenberg’s incredible roles always made me hope for more in my life’” (Stylist)

• “Remembering Michelle Trachtenberg: A Career In Photos” (Deadline)

• “20 of Michelle Trachtenberg’s best roles” (Yardbarker)

• “How to Stream ‘17 Again,’ ‘Gossip Girl’ and Other Michelle Trachtenberg Movies and TV Shows” (Parade)

• “Michelle Trachtenberg Supposed to Appear at Documentary Screening Before Death” (TMZ)

• Besides the “Gossip Girl” cast, some other teen drama names who worked with Trachtenberg paid tribute to her…

  • Emma Caulfield (Susan, Beverly Hills, 90210)… (Instagram)

  • James Van Der Beek (Dawson, Dawson’s Creek)… (Instagram)

Teen Drama Links for March 4, 2025

Listicle Links

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

• “15 TV Characters Who Were So Painfully Insufferable, They Should’ve Just Been Killed Off The Show” (BuzzFeed)

• “Spotlight on Mike White: Here’s some things you perhaps didn’t know about ‘The White Lotus’ mastermind” (CNN)

• “Nobody Wants This’ Jackie Tohn Says Adam Brody and Leighton Meester Are ‘Couple Goals’” (E! Online)

• “What Sophia Bush Has Done Since Leaving Chicago PD As Erin Lindsey” (Screen Rant)

• “Leighton Meester’s Easy Little Makeup Look” (Vogue)

• “Gossip Girl cast: See the stars of the teen soap, then and now” (Entertainment Weekly)

• “Emily Alyn Lind’s 10 Best Movies And TV Shows” (Screen Rant)

• “10 Great TV Mysteries That Were Deliberately Left Unanswered” (Screen Rant)

• “9 TV Reboots Criticized by the Stars or Makers of the Originals” (TV Insider)

  • Related: My Problem with nu90210 (TDW)

• “10 Great Books That Became Even Better TV Shows” (CBR)

• “10 Great Shows With Insufferable Characters” (CBR)

• “15 most hated TV show characters” (SoapCentral)

• “32 Child Actors Who Made Triumphant Comebacks” (Cinemablend)

• “33 Celebrities You Had No Idea Were From Ohio, Including Halle Berry & Paul Newman” (Screen Rant)

• “Two of a kind: 20 of our favorite fictional couples” (Yardbarker)

• “The 9 Best TV Shows To Watch On Max In March” (Brit + Co)

• “Oscars 2025: We Look Back at Each Acting Nominee’s Past TV Roles” (TVLine)

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Best of the Rest

• At Sunday’s Oscars…

  • Sebastian Stan (Carter, Gossip Girl) lost Best Actor to Adrien Brody. (Deadline)

    • A reminder that Hilary Swank (Carly, Beverly Hills, 90210) remains our only teen drama Oscar winner. (TDW)

    • Demi Moore, mother of Rumer Willis (Gia, 90210), lost Best Actress to Mikey Madison.

  • The in memoriam featured Roger Corman, who appeared on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” and Bill Cobbs (Gus, One Tree Hill).

    • This is a very fitting headline for our teen drama world: “Oscars In Memoriam: Shannen Doherty, Michelle Trachtenberg and Linda Lavin Among Notable Snubs” (TVLine)

    • Also: “Shannen Doherty: Oscars In Memoriam Snub Disappointing A Hollywood Vet, Rep Says” (TMZ)

    • And: “Tony Todd: Family Fuming Over Oscars Snub ... Why No In Memoriam?!?” (TMZ)

  • FX on Hulu ran a commercial during the broadcast that gave us our first look at Michelle Williams (Jen, Dawson’s Creek) in “Dying for Sex.”

    • The timing struck me given Williams’ Oscar history. (TDW)

• Jennie Garth (Kelly, Beverly Hills, 90210) did a new interview about her “I Choose Me” brand. (The Boca Raton Observer)

• Tori Spelling (Donna, Beverly Hills, 90210) made the media rounds to promote Abducted in The Everglades.

  • “Tori Spelling on Her Encounter with an Alligator, Motherhood and Missing Shannen Doherty” (First For Women)

  • “Tori Spelling on Doing Stunts With Alligators, ‘Donna Martin Graduates’ and Her New Lifetime Movie” (Remind)

  • “Tori Spelling Originally Turned Down the Lead Role in Abducted in the Everglades — Here’s Why She Later Took It on” (People)

  • “Tori Spelling Has Had a ‘Lack of Confidence My Entire Life’ and ‘Never Felt Worthy’ but Is Working on ‘Tori 2.0’” (People)

  • “Tori Spelling Says Son Beau, 7, ‘Reminds’ Her of Late Father Aaron Spelling: ‘So Perceptive’” (People)

  • “Tori Spelling Says Daughter Stella, 16, Has Been Dropping Hints for a Car: ‘She’s Been Researching’” (People)

  • “Tori Spelling Wanted to Pull a Lana Del Rey and ‘Fall in Love’ With ‘Hot Airboat Guy’ on Lifetime Set” (Us Weekly)

  • “Tori Spelling Reveals What Her Kids Really Think of Her Movie Roles” (E! Online)

  • “Tori Spelling Talks About Dustin Diamond Being Her First Onscreen Kiss On ‘Saved by the Bell’” (Access Hollywood)

• Spelling and Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills, 90210) will be on the new season of “The $100,000 Pyramid.” (TV Insider)

• Green did interviews while in Australia.

  • “Brian Austin Green is in Australia and ready to spill all about Beverly Hills, 90210” (WHO)

  • “One thing 90s TV star doesn’t want to be called” (The Daily Telegraph)

• Peter Krause (Jay, Beverly Hills, 90210) was on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” (YouTube)

• Vanessa Lachey (Camille, BH90210) and Nick Lachey, who appeared on “One Tree Hill,” did press for the new season of “Love Is Blind.”

  • “Vanessa & Nick Lachey Talk ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 8 & First Date At Hooters” (The Kelly Clarkson Show)

  • “Nick and Vanessa Lachey talk ‘Love Is Blind,’ gold goblets” (Today)

  • “Vanessa Lachey Gets Emotional Over Marriage and Motherhood With Hubby Nick” (Entertainment Tonight)

  • “Nick & Vanessa Lachey Have ‘Hump Days’ & ‘Calendar Dump Days’” (Extra)

  • “Vanessa Lachey Addresses Age Gap With ‘Old and Wise’ Nick Lachey” (E! Online)

  • “Nick and Vanessa Lachey Tease Love Is Blind Season 8, Say It Has ‘Elements That Never Were Factors’ Before” (People)

  • “Love Is Blind’s Nick and Vanessa Lachey Address Dave Questioning Lauren’s Pre-Show Hookup” (Us Weekly)

  • “‘He Didn’t Waste Any Time In Correcting It’: Nick And Vanessa Lachey Revealed Which ‘Love Is Blind’ Couple They Knew Would Break Up” (BuzzFeed)

  • “As Love Is Blind Celebrates Five Years On Netflix, Nick And Vanessa Lachey Talk About How Their Roles As Hosts Have Changed Since The First Season” (Cinemablend)

  • “Nick And Vanessa Lachey Talk ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 8 And Dealing With Criticism” (Betches)

  • “Nick and Vanessa Lachey Say There’s No Perfect Person — Just Your Person” (Brides)

  • “‘Love Is Blind’ hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey talk about controversy surrounding Netflix dating show” (Yahoo)

  • …and more.

• Here’s a first look at Katie Holmes (Joey, Dawson’s Creek) in “Poker Face.” (USA Today)

• Joshua Jackson (Pacey, Dawson’s Creek) did new interviews for “Doctor Odyssey.”

  • “Joshua Jackson on board for ‘Doctor Odyssey’ series” (Boston Herald)

  • “‘Doctor Odyssey’ Stars Joshua Jackson & Don Johnson Tease ‘Thrilling’ Return” (TV Insider)

• Kate Hudson spoke about brother Oliver Hudson (Eddie, Dawson’s Creek) while promoting Netflix’s “Running Point,” which features Max Greenberg (Young Sandy, The O.C.). (People)

• Scott Foley (Cliff, Dawson’s Creek) will star in and executive-produce the Amazon series “It’s Not Like That.” (Variety)

• Mischa Barton (Marissa, The O.C.) opened up about “having Richard Attenborough as a mentor, why she loves starring in horror films, and hanging out with the Killers on the set of The OC.” (The Guardian)

• Peter Gallagher (Sandy, The O.C.) was on the “Little Known Facts” podcast. (Apple Podcasts)

• Chris Pratt (Che, The O.C.) is doing press for The Electric State.

  • “Chris Pratt on His Parenting Style, the Return of Star-Lord & He Shows Off His Rapping Skills” (Jimmy Kimmel Live)

  • “Chris Pratt Gushes Over Working With Millie Bobby Brown On ‘The Electric State’: ‘She’s Very Sweet’” (Access Hollywood)

  • “Chris Pratt Reveals How He Had To Keep Patrick Schwarzenegger’s ‘White Lotus’ Role A Secret” (Access Hollywood)

  • “Chris Pratt Reacts to Brother-in-Law Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Nude ‘White Lotus’ Scene” (Entertainment Tonight)

  • “Chris Pratt Wants 10% Cut of Patrick Schwarzenegger’s ‘White Lotus’ Salary” (Extra)

  • “Chris Pratt Is Still ‘Very Close’ with His Parks and Rec Castmates, Says They Text ‘Almost Every Day’” (People)

  • “Chris Pratt Has the Ultimate NSFW Reaction to Patrick Schwarzenegger’s White Lotus Scene” (E! Online)

  • “Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown Decide if Their Other Iconic Characters Could Survive ‘The Electric State’” (The Wrap)

  • “Chris Pratt Reacts to Zoe Saldaña’s Awards Season: ‘She Deserves Every Single Award She’s Gotten’” (The Hollywood Reporter)

  • Pratt was also on “The Graham Norton Show.” (BBC)

• “Mid-Century Modern,” featuring the late Linda Lavin (Sophie, The O.C.), will premiere on Hulu later this month. (Deadline)

• Paris Hilton (Kate, The O.C.) sold nearly 100 items from her wardrobe to raise money for Los Angeles fire relief. (CNN)

• Lesli Linka Glatter (director, The O.C.) will executive-produce and direct the pilot for Apple’s “Imperfect Women.” (Deadline)

  • Glatter, whom I failed to mention lost her home in the Los Angeles fires, is also doing press right now for Netflix’s “Zero Day,” which she directed.

• Adele Lim (producer, One Tree Hill) will serve as writer, executive producer and showrunner for a Crazy Rich Asians TV series years after co-writing the film adaptation. (Deadline)

• Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley, One Tree Hill) was named Queen Azalea for Wilmington’s upcoming Azalea Festival. (StarNews Online)

  • Lenz follows in the footsteps of Valerie Wildman (Christine, Beverly Hills, 90210), Sydney Penny (Josie, Beverly Hills, 90210), Nina Repeta (Bessie, Dawson’s Creek), Barbara Alyn Woods (Deb, One Tree Hill), and — just last year — Sharon Lawrence (Sylvia, One Tree Hill).

• Lenz did a new interview about her memoir. (Scary Mommy)

• Lenz, Danneel Harris (Rachel, One Tree Hill), and Drew Seeley (Johnny, One Tree Hill) are the final stars to sign on for Friends With Benefit’s “The Show Must Go On” event later this month. (Facebook)

• Sophia Bush (Brooke, One Tree Hill) was one of the panelists at the TIME “Women of the Year” event. (Instagram)

• Bush’s girlfriend Ashlyn Harris spoke about how Bush is supporting her as she launches a podcast. (E! Online)

  • Also: Harris was on the “Broad Ideas” podcast hosted by Rachel Bilson (Summer, The O.C.). (Apple Podcasts)

    • Related: Podcasts Hosted by Teen Drama Stars (TDW)

• Daphne Zuniga (Victoria, One Tree Hill) guest-hosted a new edition of the late Doherty’s ongoing podcast, “Let’s Be Clear.” (Apple Podcasts)

  • Zuniga, of course, starred on “Melrose Place,” a spinoff of Doherty’s “Beverly Hills, 90210.” (TDW)

• Gerald McRaney (Royal, One Tree Hill) is profiled in a small article in the March 10 issue of People.

  • “Why Paradise Actor Gerald McRaney Still Won’t Retire at 77 — Unlike His Wife Delta Burke: ‘Just Can’t Do It’” (People)

  • “Gerald McRaney Reveals the Secret to 36-Year Marriage to Delta Burke: ‘Most Drop-Dead Beautiful Woman I’d Ever Seen’” (People)

  • “Gerald McRaney Explains Why Wife Delta Burke Retreated from the Spotlight” (People)

• Watch Blake Lively (Serena, Gossip Girl) in the teaser trailer for Another Simple Favor. (YouTube)

• Here are a few more Leighton Meester (Blair, Gossip Girl) interviews about “Good Cop/Bad Cop.”

  • “Dean’s A-List Interview: Good Cop/Bad Cop star Leighton Meester talks about days on ‘Gossip Girl’” (WGN)

  • “Exclusive: Leighton Meester on living in Australia while filming her new series Good Cop/Bad Cop — and the ‘Aussieism’ she’s taken back to LA” (nine.com.au)

• Penn Badgley (Dan, Gossip Girl) and wife Domino Kirke are expecting twins. (Instagram)

• Watch Badgley in the trailer for the final season of “You,” created by Greg Berlanti (executive producer, Dawson’s Creek). (YouTube)

• Kelly Rutherford (Lily, Gossip Girl) did an interview for her partnership with Caudalie. (Instagram)

• Here’s an Oscars red carpet interview with Stan… (E! Online)

• Katie Cassidy (Juliet, Gossip Girl) will star in Nanny Cam. (Deadline)

• JoAnna Garcia (Bree, Gossip Girl) was on the “Work in Progress” podcast, hosted by the aforementioned Bush. (Apple Podcasts)

• Melissa Fumero (Zoe, Gossip Girl) did interviews for “Grosse Pointe Garden Society,” which also features Daniella Alonso (Anna, One Tree Hill).

  • “‘Grosse Pointe Garden Society’ Star Melissa Fumero Unpacks Premiere Twist: ‘She’s in Survival Mode’” (The Wrap)

  • “Melissa Fumero Almost Didn’t Audition for Her ‘Complex’ New Role: ‘I Was Scared’” (NBC)

  • “Melissa Fumero digs into ‘Grosse Pointe Garden Society’” (NBC New York)

  • “‘Grosse Pointe Garden Society’ stars talk soapy new drama’” (Today)

  • “How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Melissa Fumero” (Los Angeles Times)

• Natalie Morales (Ashley, 90210) did interviews for My Dead Friend Zoe.

  • “Natalie Morales Talks ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’ & Playing Monica Beltran in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’” (Movieweb)

  • “‘I Was Like a Little Sprite That Was Causing Havoc Around Set’: Natalie Morales Talks Playing a ‘Guilt Demon’ In War Dramedy ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’” (Collider)

  • “Natalie Morales doesn’t care if you don't understand her” (NPR)

  • “Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales talk new drama-comedy ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’” (CBS News)

  • “‘My Dead Friend Zoe’ is a film about veterans that is for everyone, says actor” (MSNBC)

• Here are more interviews with Stephen Amell (Jim, 90210) about “Suits: LA,” which also stars Bryan Greenberg (Jake, One Tree Hill).

  • “Stephen Amell Talks Failed ‘Mean Girls’ Audition & ‘Suits LA’” (The Kelly Clarkson Show)

  • “Stephen Amell Reveals Why Suits LA Uses the Same Theme Song as the Original Show” (NBC)

• Meghan Markle, who appeared on “90210,” covers the March 17 issue of People with an interview timed to the premiere of her Netflix series, “With Love, Meghan,” and the launch of her lifestyle brand, As Ever. (People)