SPECIAL EP: Leftist Teen Drama In Conversation with Thea Glassman

In our third Special Episode of Leftist Teen Drama featuring a writer talking about her related body of work, Maria welcomes pop culture writer Thea Glassman to the podcast to discuss her 2023 book, Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek: How Seven Teen Shows Transformed Television. We delve into our mutual obsession with teen dramas, Thea’s reporting process for the book, and how she narrowed her book down to the seven revolutionary teen shows she covers. Then, we dive into the seven chapters that chronicle the making of our favorite characters and plotlines on THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR (1990-1996), MY SO-CALLED LIFE (1994-1995), DAWSON’S CREEK (1998-2003), FREAKS AND GEEKS (1999-2000), THE O.C. (2003-2007), FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (2006-2011), and GLEE (2009-2015).

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ABOUT US:

MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator, organizer, and writer who watches too much TV. She splits her free time between devouring teen dramas, creating this podcast, tenant organizing, and writing and reading (fan)fiction. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. 

THEA GLASSMAN (she/her; guest) has written about television for The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Architectural Digest, Glamour and more. Her debut book, Freaks, Gleeks and Dawson's Creek, was released by Running Press, an imprint of Hachette, in 2023. Thea's next book, Who's That Girl: The Definitive History of New Girl, published by St. Martin's Press, an imprint of Macmillan, will land in bookstores next year. She's the co-founder of the newsletter Ministry of Pop Culture, which features essays, interviews, behind-the scenes features and writer-ly tips. Social media: @theaglassman on Instagram

JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, works in the cannabis industry, and loves talking old TV.

Logo art by Maddy Wiryo

Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned. 

intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats

All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.

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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: 

• Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek: How Seven Teen Shows Transformed Television by Thea Glassman
• Vanity Fair, January 19, 2018, Inside the Thrilling, Chaotic Writers’ Room of Dawson’s Creek by Thea Glassman
• VICE, March 11, 2019, Where Do Former Teen Stars Go When Their Shows Die? by Thea Glassman
• Maria’s Unfinished Bughead/Varchie Riverdale The O.C. AU Fanfic