Leftist Teen Drama
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Podcast Overview
<p>A podcast celebrating political moments on TV teen dramas, hosted by union communicator and teen drama enthusiast Maria DiPasquale.<br /><br />Produced by Jeff McHale, with art by Maddy Wiryo (logo + season 1) and Charles O’Leary (seasons 2-5, movie specials)</p>
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Publishing Since
8/6/2021
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Recent Episodes
February 18, 2026
EMERGENCY SPECIAL EP: RIP James Van Der Beek
Welcome to an emergency special episode of Leftist Teen Drama in which Maria pays tribute to teen drama icon James Van Der Beek, who sadly passed away at the age of 48 on February 11, 2026 after a battle with colorectal cancer. Thanks to Kelly Gilbert for submitting a reflection! Maria reflects on his iconic roles, including on shows we’ve covered – his legendary run on DAWSON’S CREEK (1998-2003) and guest-starring roles on ONE TREE HILL (2003-2012) and OVERCOMPENSATING (2025-present). We also mourn the fact that James spent the last years of his life selling off memorabilia and fundraising to be able to afford his cancer treatments. May this be a call to continue fighting for our vision of a collective future where every person has access to universal healthcare. Leftist Teen Drama is sending all our love and solidarity to James’ friends and family and all that knew him. _ 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. JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, works in the cannabis industry, and loves talking old TV. “Leftist Teen Drama” alternative logo by Charles O’Leary 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: Leftist Teen Drama: SPECIAL EP: Leftist Teen Drama In Conversation with Thea Glassman 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 Leftist Teen Drama: #9 - Joey Potter Against the System: the ‘Dawson’s Creek’ Protest Episode Leftist Teen Drama: #39 - Benny Scanlon’s Millennial Queer College Journey On 'Overcompensating' (So Far) Previously On with Jillian Bonanne: Dawson's Creek Reunion Recap + Pilot Episode Reaction (Tyler's First Time Watch) Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2026, Appreciation: On ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ James Van Der Beek taught millennials how to cry by Ashley Spencer The New York Times, February 11, 2026, James Van Der Beek, Teenage Heartthrob of ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ Dies at 48 by Anita Gates Melissa Joan Hart remembrance on Instagram Steven Canals remembrance on Instagram Dominique Jackson remembrance Hailie Sahar remembrance Eric Andre remembrance Katie Holmes remembrance Busy Phillips remembrance Universal healthcare tweets and James Van Der Beek's death, part 1 Universal healthcare tweets and James Van Der Beek's death, part 2 Donate to the PCRF
December 21, 2025
MOVIE SPECIAL: 'Samantha: An American Girl Holiday'
Welcome back to our series of special episodes covering political moments in teen movies! To close out 2025, Maria is joined by Mo and Christina, the co-hosts of the Movies That Raised Us podcast, to dive into the American Girl cinematic universe via SAMANTHA: AN AMERICAN GIRL HOLIDAY (2004) starring a young AnnaSophia Robb. This deeply political story traces 1904, an unforgettable year in Samantha Parkington’s life, exploring class difference, child labor, women’s suffrage, and workers’ rights. Samantha goes on quite the journey, from plotting to jail break her friends from an orphanage to witnessing the harrowing factory injury scene that stuck with Mo as a child. In true American Girl fashion, Samantha ultimately gives an unsanctioned speech about factory working conditions at a school event, learning that sometimes you have to break the rules to fight for justice. Plus: we discuss Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia as THEE hottie brownstone socialist power couple, Mia Farrow gagging us as Grandmary, and how Samantha’s fits remain undefeated. For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with SAMANTHA: AN AMERICAN GIRL HOLIDAY, rentable on YouTube and Apple TV. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok, bluesky: @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, tenant organizing, and writing and reading (fan)fiction. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. MO CRUZ (she/her; guest) and CHRISTINA SCHMIDT (she/her; guest) are co-hosts of Movies That Raised Us, a weekly film review podcast. Once Upon A Time (aka freshman year of college), Mo and Christina met in the big apple. While neither became Princess of Genovia or found their long lost twin sister, they did bond over the movies that put those ideas in their heads. If you long for the days of talking through movies with your best friends, analyzing every juicy detail, and making whatever film you just watched your entire personality- look no further. Sit back and relax, as Mo and Christina cover formative movies, flip phones, and growing up on Movies That Raised Us. Listen to the pod anywhere you get your podcasts, plus find MTRU on Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter. 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: December 13, 2023, Collider, 'American Girl' Movie In Development From Mattel, Paramount by Rob London September 24, 2025, Retail Dive, The American Girl doll of the year is Samantha’s great, great granddaughter. By Kaarin Moore October 29, 2025, Michael Lange, How Zohran Can Reach 50% (includes discussion of the “Commie Corridor.”) November 3, 2025, Michael Lange, Predicting Every Block of the 2025 NYC Mayoral Election
December 14, 2025
#44 - The Politics of Coming of Age in Northern Ireland During the Troubles as a Catholic Teen Girl, As Seen On ‘Say Nothing’ and ‘Derry Girls’
In the Leftist Teen Drama Season 5 finale, Maria is joined by twins Kelly Gilbert and Mick Gilbert to contrast the experiences of Catholic teenage girls coming of age in Belfast and Derry during The Troubles on SAY NOTHING (2024) and DERRY GIRLS (2018-2022). For one set of teen girl characters – Marian and Dolours Price – the Cause and the war are all consuming, inseparable from their experience of girlhood. But for teen characters in the DERRY GIRLS universe – Clare Devlin, Erin Quinn, Orla McCool, and Michelle Mallon [and honorarily James Maguire] – the Troubles are simply the political backdrop of their girlhoods, with much more teenage problems often taking a front seat instead. Still, thorough lines run through the stories: a deep hatred for British colonialism; common socioeconomic conditions and the Catholic working class solidarity that comes with it; and, overall, a love for Ireland. We discuss all the political complexities explored on the two shows, ending with a lot more questions than answers. For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with DERRY GIRLS Seasons 1-3, streaming on Netflix, and SAY NOTHING Season 1, streaming on Hulu and Disney+. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok, bluesky: @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, tenant organizing, and writing and reading (fan)fiction. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. 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. 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: Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe March 4, 2019, Prospect Magazine, In Derry Girls and Milkman, teenage girls dance through the Troubles by Caroline Magennis May 2, 2019, Counterpunch, An American Reporter in Belfast: How a New Yorker Writer Got So Much Wrong in His Bestselling Book On The Troubles by Ed Moloney June 10, 2025, Los Angeles Times, ‘Say Nothing’ courted a global audience. In Ireland, it sparked a heated debate by Lesley O’Toole July 29, 2025, Hollywood Reporter, Disney Sued for Defamation Over FX Series ‘Say Nothing’ by Katie Kilkenny December 9, 2025, The Guardian, Britain’s ‘golden egg’: how IRA agent Freddie Scappaticci was protected to the end by Daniel Boffey SUGGESTED FURTHER READING/LISTENING: One Man's Terrorist: A Political History of the IRA by Daniel Finn The podcast Mick listened to beforehand: Redhanded, Episode 224 - The Guildford Four & The Maguire Seven
59 total episodes available
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- What is Leftist Teen Drama?
<p>A podcast celebrating political moments on TV teen dramas, hosted by union communicator and teen drama enthusiast Maria DiPasquale.<br /><br />Produced by Jeff McHale, with art by Maddy Wiryo (logo + season 1) and Charles O’Leary (seasons 2-5, movie specials)</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates bi-weekly.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 10 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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