Leftist Teen Drama

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A podcast celebrating political moments on TV teen dramas, hosted by union communicator and teen drama enthusiast Maria DiPasquale. Produced by Jeff McHale, with art by Maddy Wiryo (logo + season 1) and Charles O’Leary (seasons 2-4, special eps)

Episodes

Sunday Aug 29, 2021

#3 - Between Two Worlds: Navigating Black/white Spaces on ‘Moesha’ and ‘All American’

Sunday Aug 29, 2021

In the third episode, Maria and guests Dondré Taylor-Stewart and Liv Christian discuss beloved teen drama characters Moesha Mitchell from MOESHA (1996-2001) and Spencer James from ALL AMERICAN (2018-present). These two Crenshaw-based main characters are plunged into richer, whiter spaces when they transfer to different schools. As a result, they have similar arcs set twenty years apart, as they’re pulled between two worlds and try to merge their friend groups even though they’re very socioeconomically different, all against the backdrop of gentrification. As always, we pull from our own high school experiences as we talk about everything from academic racism to microaggressions to dealing with the police. Plus: we say “that’s so 90s” about a million times and reminisce about the “free on iTunes era.”

For this episode, we recommend you watch or have familiarity with MOESHA Season 3 and ALL AMERICAN Seasons 1, 2, and 3, both streaming on Netflix

CW: a scene that depicts Black teenagers interacting with racist cops is discussed/featured

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com

ABOUT US:

MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead

DONDRÉ TAYLOR-STEWART (he/him; recurring guest) is a television writer in Los Angeles where he splits his time between writing, adult content creation and obsessively listening to R&B deep cuts like it's 1996. IG: oxtail.papi TWITTER: dondrenesta

OLIVIA “LIV” CHRISTIAN (she/her; recurring guest) is a writer and freelance digital marketer living in Los Angeles, CA. When she’s not writing screenplays or working on ways to help her client’s shine, you can find her watching teen dramas and hanging on the couch with her cat Rumble. IG: yung.scorp twitter: _yungscorp

MADDY WIRYO (they/them; art) is an artist who works all around New England.

You can find more of their work at: maddyworldfr.wordpress.com

JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.

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.

SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

‘Moesha’ Creators Changed The Setting In Season 3 To Attract White Advertisers by Brenda Alexander for CheatSheet

#2 - Brooke Davis, Labor Organizer: That Time Our Early Aughts Fave Organized Her Workplace on ‘One Tree Hill’

Sunday Aug 22, 2021

Brooke Davis once organized her workplace for better working conditions. Yes, that Brooke Davis, from ONE TREE HILL (2003-2012), the show that ran for so many seasons, it started on the WB and ended on the CW. Join Maria and her fellow unionists/friends Nicki and Emma as we take you through one of Maria’s favorite teen drama plotlines of all time—and talk about how to organize a union in your own workplace. Plus: Maria’s thesis that Brooke’s organizing experience was foundational to her character, as she later gives up her company and personal fortune to ensure she can repay all her investors.

For this episode, we recommend you have familiarity with ONE TREE HILL and/or watch ONE TREE HILL Season 2, Episode 12: Between Order and Randomness, streaming on Hulu

CW: sexual assault and abuse by the One Tree Hill showrunner is briefly discussed at the top of the episode

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com

ABOUT US:

NICKI MORRIS (she/her; recurring guest) is a union staffer who loves cats, corn, and comrades. Her favorite teen show is Degrassi because she knows we can "make it through" with solidarity! Enjoys watching criminal syndicate shows in all forms: The Wire, Claws, Good Girls, Killing Eve. Follow her on Twitter @NickiMorris321.

EMMA ROSE (she/her; recurring guest) watches a lot—and she means a lot—of reality tv, with the occasional teen drama or murder mystery or sci-fi thriller thrown in for good measure. When she's not watching said television, you can find her listening to podcasts and diving into internet content about said television. Sometimes she posts on instagram @emmaaaaaroseeeee (5 a's and 5 e's)

MADDY WIRYO (they/them; art) is an artist who works all around New England. You can find more of their work at: maddyworldfr.wordpress.com

JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.

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.

SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:

Variety, ‘One Tree Hill’ Cast, Crew Detail Assault, Harassment Claims Against Mark Schwahn (EXCLUSIVE) by Daniel Holloway

CNBC, How the coronavirus pandemic may be causing support of labor unions to rise by Abigail Johnson Hess

Employer Relations, The Rise of Millennials and their Potential Support for Labor Unions by Ashley Laken, Esq.

Axios, Record number of journalists unionize during COVID pandemic by Sara Fischer

Labor Notes’ Secrets of a Successful Organizer guide

Detroit Metro-Times, Thinking of unionizing your workplace? Here are tips from UNITE HERE’s Nia Winston. by Lee DeVito

PRO Act information cited from https://passtheproact.org! See also the Working People podcast episode on the PRO Act.

#1 - ‘He’s Our Wildest Dream’ - Eric Effiong’s Groundbreaking Black Queer Journey on ‘Sex Education’ (So Far)

Sunday Aug 15, 2021

In the premiere episode, we talk about the brilliance of the unapologetic Black queer character, Eric Effiong, on SEX EDUCATION (2019-present.) As will become tradition for the pod, Maria and her guests Dondré Taylor-Stewart and Liv Christian discuss our relationships to each other (including how Maria and Dondré became best friends on MySpace, true story) and our relationships to SEX EDUCATION. We then delve into Eric’s journey with his sexuality, gender presentation, religion, friendships, and relationships in the first two seasons of the show.

For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with SEX EDUCATION Seasons 1 and 2, streaming on Netflix.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com

ABOUT US:

OLIVIA “LIV” CHRISTIAN (she/her; recurring guest) is a writer and freelance digital marketer living in Los Angeles, CA. When she’s not writing screenplays or working on ways to help her clients shine, you can find her watching teen dramas and hanging on the couch with her cat Rumble. IG: yung.scorp twitter: _yungscorp

MADDY WIRYO (they/them; art) is an artist who works all around New England. You can find more of their work at: maddyworldfr.wordpress.com

JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.

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.

Friday Aug 06, 2021

Introducing: Leftist Teen Drama

Friday Aug 06, 2021

A new podcast celebrating political moments on TV teen dramas, hosted by unionist/teen drama enthusiast Maria DiPasquale. Produced by Jeff McHale, with art by Maddy Wiryo. Season 1 premieres August 15, 2021. Solidarity forever! | FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com