Leftist Teen Drama

About Leftist Teen Drama

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 2-5, movie specials)

Publisher

Leftist Teen Drama

Category

news · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

6 Aug 2021

Latest episode

13 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

64 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Sept 2026

   MOVIE SPECIAL: 'Newsies'

   Welcome back to our series of special episodes covering political moments in teen movies! Maria is joined by her friend and union comrade Jon Schleuss, the elected President of the NewsGuild-CWA, to discuss all the timeless, pro-union themes of the movie musical masterpiece NEWSIES (1992). This cult classic featuring a young Christian Bale has been inspiring kids to take collective action for generations now, complete with some of the most impressive choreography by an unbelievable number of background actors. We break down the union messages in various song lyrics, discuss why David and Jack is the most popular ship in the Newsies fandom, and also talk about all the parallels to the 1899 newsboys’ strike that the plot of the movie is based on, as well as parallels to the real-life labor struggles of newspaper workers today. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok, bluesky, threads, youtube, serializd: @leftistteendrama | twitter, letterboxd: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com _ 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, organizing with Italians Against Fascism and in her tenant association, and reading and writing a mix of literary and romance fiction and political nonfiction. Maria’s writing will appear in the book “So Long, Dental Plan” Unions, Labor Relations and Class Struggle…As Seen On TV, forthcoming from SUNY Press in April 2027. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, Bluesky/Letterboxd/Serializd @mariadip, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. JON SCHLEUSS (he/him; guest) is the president of The NewsGuild, which is the largest union of media workers in North America and a sector of the Communications Workers of America. He grew up in rural Arkansas and was a data and graphics journalist at the Los Angeles Times where he and his colleagues unionized. A year later he ran for international president and won. Since his election, more than 10,000 workers from 240 workplaces have unionized with the Guild. He's a big fan of sci-fi and fantasy and watches the X-Files on repeat, but his favorite movie of all time is Steel Magnolias. JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, works in the cannabis industry, and loves talking old TV. CHARLES S. O’LEARY (they/he; art) is a designer + writer based in Richmond, VA. They're currently getting their MFA in Graphic Design at Virginia Commonwealth University, and spend most of their time unsuccessfully scheming how to get off Instagram (@c.s.0.l). 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: Crying the News: A History of America's Newsboys by Vincent DiGirolamo August 18, 2026, Teen Vogue: Teens Have Always Been on the Front Lines of the Labor Movement by Kim Kelly May 11, 2012, Entertainment Weekly, The cult of 'Newsies' by Grady Smith As promised: the picture of the STRIKE! chalkboard sign from The World Will Know scene June 8, 2022, Business Insider: 'Newsies' actress says it's 'funny' fans wanted Christian Bale to end up with male lead instead of her character by Pam DiFiore Support the former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette strikers’ new publication, The Pittsburgh Progress!

2. 

   23 Aug 2026

   SPECIAL EP: Leftist Teen Drama Five Year Anniversary Spectacular, Live from New York

   Live from The People’s Forum in New York City, it’s Leftist Teen Drama’s first-ever live episode in honor of the podcast’s five-year anniversary! This is an audio version of the episode that was livestreamed on YouTube on August 21, 2026, with an opening comedy set by Mick Gilbert followed by the main segment with Maria featuring Kelly Diaz and Kelly Gilbert. We reflect on the first five years of the podcast and discuss the importance of showing teen characters engaged in successful social movements by analyzing “win” moments from three different teen dramas we’ve analyzed in-depth on the pod – ONE TREE HILL (2003-2012), FELICITY (1998-2002), and SWITCHED AT BIRTH (2011-2017). We also play a diabolical game Maria devised called Name That Teen Drama!, complete with buzzers for the two Kellys. If you want to watch the video version, we highly recommend you check out the replay on our YouTube channel. (Especially for the game toward the end of the ep, because it’s partially visual!) FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok, bluesky, threads, youtube, serializd: @leftistteendrama | twitter, letterboxd: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com _ 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, organizing with Italians Against Fascism and in her tenant association, and reading and writing a mix of literary and romance fiction and political nonfiction. Maria’s writing will appear in the book “So Long, Dental Plan” Unions, Labor Relations and Class Struggle…As Seen On TV, forthcoming from SUNY Press in April 2027. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, Bluesky/Letterboxd @mariadip, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. KELLY DIAZ (she/her; recurring guest) is a Research Program Manager at Yale University studying disability & chronic illness justice, access, and inclusion. She is also an adjunct instructor of Media Studies at the City College of New York (CCNY). She has a Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania where she wrote her dissertation on depictions of youth activism on television. She loves to analyze and discuss the intersection of pop culture and politics and is passionate about the role entertainment plays in social justice movements. She has a dog, Matilda "Tillie," who is named after the magical, brilliant, and justice-serving character! KELLY GILBERT (she/her; recurring guest) is a student (phd in Twilight), sometimes activist, teen drama aficionado in Brooklyn! Find her IRL every night drinking her sorrows away at Margaritaville, the Jimmy Buffet Experience! MICK GILBERT (they/them; recurring guest) is a comic based between Upstate NY and Brooklyn, and Kelly’s identical twin! They love Degrassi: The Next Generation and turn to it for wisdom on how to be the best 32 year old Canadian teen they can be. (@mommysack11 on social media) 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 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: “So Long, Dental Plan” Unions, Labor Relations and Class Struggle…As Seen On TV, forthcoming from SUNY Press in April 2027. Follow on Bluesky! Download our "Take Action with Leftist Teen Drama" Brochure!

3. 

   16 Aug 2026

   SPECIAL EP: Leftist Teen Drama In Conversation with Anjali Madgula

   In our fourth Special Episode of Leftist Teen Drama featuring a writer talking about her related body of work, Maria introduces Anjali Madgula (pronounced uhnjuhlee mudguhla), who recently completed her Master’s thesis at Rutgers University-Newark entitled, “Organizing In Popular Culture: Teen Drama Television and Jane McAlevey.” (Maria—and Leftist Teen Drama—were featured in the Master’s thesis!) Maria and Anjali delve into the project, breaking down the various teen drama tropes that Anjali analyzed and problematized, as well as the narrative framework she devised, translating Jane McAlevey’s organizing framework in order to effectively depict organizing plotlines on teen drama television. Anjali will be back in Leftist Teen Drama Season 6 to discuss the largest case study from her thesis – an OUTER BANKS (2020-2026) Season 4 organizing plotline – so you don’t want to miss this introduction to Anjali’s research and our newest recurring guest slash member of the super unofficial Political Teen Drama Caucus. YOU ARE INVITED TO CELEBRATE FIVE YEARS OF LEFTIST TEEN DRAMA! Join us at  The People’s Forum in NYC on Friday, August 21, 2026 at 6 PM for our first-ever live recording featuring Maria alongside Kelly Diaz and Kelly Gilbert, with opening comedy by Mick Gilbert. Get your free ticket on Eventbrite here to secure your free union-made Leftist Teen Drama logo sticker! Outside the tristate area? Livestream the event on YouTube! FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok, bluesky, threads, youtube, serializd: @leftistteendrama | twitter, letterboxd: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com _ 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, organizing with Italians Against Fascism and in her tenant association, and reading and writing a mix of literary and romance fiction and political nonfiction. Maria’s writing will appear in the book “So Long, Dental Plan” Unions, Labor Relations and Class Struggle…As Seen On TV, forthcoming from SUNY Press in April 2027. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, Bluesky/Letterboxd @mariadip, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. ANJALI MADGULA (she/her; recurring guest) is a New Jersey based organizer and writer who recently graduated from Rutgers-Newark with an MA in American Studies. Her research focuses on how organizing is represented in popular culture and how popular culture genre and tropes might relate to telling stories about organizing. Her latest research focuses on teen drama television while drawing inspiration from labor organizer Jane McAlevey’s No Shortcuts. Follow Anjali on Twitter @anjpiscesmoon or instagram @netipotfirefly or email her at anjalim3123@gmail.com. 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. _ SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: SPECIAL EP: Leftist Teen Drama In Conversation with Kelly Diaz No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age by Jane McAlevey Raising Expectations (and Raising Hell): My Decade Fighting for the Labor Movement by Jane McAlevey The Promise of Happiness by Sara Ahmed Time Passages: Collective Memory and American Popular Culture by George Lipsitz Teen TV by Stefania Marghitu

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

13 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

50

Social presence

91

YouTube

0

Engagement

71

Contact Leftist Teen Drama

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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