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PODCAST

Leftist Teen Drama

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)

tv & film tv reviews

All Episodes

107:16

#38 - ‘Genera+ion’ Takes On The Messiness and...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2025/11/02

In fulfillment of a listener request from @vanesawye on Tumblr, Maria and recurring guest Dondré Taylor-Stewart break down the HBO Max teen drama GENERA+ION (2021). This short but impactful show is packed with political moments, from Chester’s recurring experience of getting dress coded for being visibly queer to Delilah subverting the activist character trope. We talk about Greta’s asexuality, Nathan’s experience of coming out as bisexual while having conservative parents, and how cruel of a

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113:58

#37 - ‘We’re Not Moving Until It Gets Fixed’: Isaac...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2025/10/26

Maria is joined by recurring guest Kelly Diaz and disability rights activist Sasha Blair-Goldensohn to talk about disability justice on both SEX EDUCATION (2019-2023) and in real life. In Sex Education Season 4, wheelchair user Isaac Goodwin disrupts mock exams to protest the chronically broken elevator at Cavendish College, inspiring the entire student body to hold an impromptu sit-in until the lift is fixed. We talk about this inspiring direct action and how it parallels the real-life fight to

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114:57

#36 - Paige Michalchuk Is Not Your Poor Thing: An...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2025/10/19

TW: sexual assault (and the fallout) discussed throughout the episodeMaria is joined by Rosalie Murray and Kelly Gilbert to discuss Paige Michalchuk’s sexual assault plotline as depicted over several seasons of DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION (2002-2015). Similar to Tim Riggins’ arc that we discussed in Episode #7, this plotline begs for an abolitionist reading. From spontaneously singing “Poor Thing” and driving Dean out of a public space to outing him as a rapist at his frat house and facing his

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133:57

#35 - #Starving4Change At UMKC: The Black Student...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2025/10/12

In the Leftist Teen Drama Season 5 premiere, Maria is joined by Kelly Diaz to discuss one of the most comprehensive student protest movements that she analyzed in her dissertation on depictions of youth activism on television. In Season 5 of SWITCHED AT BIRTH (2011-2017), a second protest movement emerges over multiple episodes, this time in the university setting of UMKC, purposefully told from the point of view of three Black secondary characters while they fight for racial justice on campus. Much

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2:26

Introducing: Leftist Teen Drama Season 5

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2025/10/05

Welcome to Season *FIVE* of Leftist Teen Drama, a podcast for all the girlies who know that “OC” is both shorthand for an organizing committee AND an iconic early 2000s teen drama! Season 5 is filled with a stacked cast of new and returning guests, and I’m happy to announce that, for the first time since 2022, the season has been extended to 10 episodes! We’ve got all our usual suspects: sit-ins and encampments and queer awakenings and class conflict galore. So check out a little taste of Season 5,

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01:53:08

MOVIE SPECIAL: 'Camp Rock'

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2025/08/10

Welcome back to our series of special episodes covering political moments in teen movies! Maria is joined by twins and self-professed “camp freaks” Kelly and MG Gilbert to break down all the class conflict inherent to the plot of CAMP ROCK (2008). From watching teens and tweens network at camp (gross) to trying to place the subprime mortgage crisis in the story’s timeline to cheering on Mitchie as she stands up for service workers, we had a blast analyzing the class anxiety that motivates Mitchie’s

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01:55:32

SPECIAL EP: Leftist Teen Drama In Conversation with...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2025/05/11

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

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01:34:54

MOVIE SPECIAL: ‘Moxie’

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2025/03/23

TW: discussion of rape and rape cultureWelcome back to our series of special episodes covering political moments in teen movies! Maria is joined by childhood friends Rosalie Murray and Dondré Taylor-Stewart to break down the teen feminist film MOXIE (2021). We have a soft spot for this group of outcasts who form a feminist movement at their high school, drawing parallels to our own short-lived feminist action in our 2011-2012 senior year. While we celebrate teen girls uniting to fight sexist dress

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34:00

EMERGENCY SPECIAL EP: RIP Michelle Trachtenberg

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2025/03/01

Welcome to an emergency special episode of Leftist Teen Drama in which Maria pays tribute to millennial teen drama icon Michelle Trachtenberg, who sadly passed away at the age of 39 on February 26, 2025. Thanks to Erin Rittweger, Colette Shade, Charlotte Morrill, strideofpride, and Kelly Diaz for contributing such powerful reflections on Michelle’s legacy to this episode. And thanks to Diana Hussein for inspiring me to make this episode to begin with. May we all rewatch our favorite Michelle

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01:45:51

SPECIAL EP: Leftist Teen Drama In Conversation with...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2025/01/19

In our second Special Episode of Leftist Teen Drama featuring a writer talking about her related body of work, Maria welcomes Colette Shade to the podcast to discuss her brilliant book of essays, Y2K: How the 2000s Became Everything (Essays on the Future That Never Was), just released on January 7, 2025. We deep dive into Colette’s essay collection, chatting about all things Y2K pop culture and leftist politics, including Colette’s affinity for DAWSON’S CREEK (1998-2003) and the fact that Y2K

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02:45:10

#34 - Dan Humphrey, Vanessa Abrams, and A Bunch of...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2024/12/29

In the Leftist Teen Drama Season 4 finale, Maria is joined by Laura Marino and strideofpride to dissect the class dynamics on a longtime listener-requested show: the iconic teen drama GOSSIP GIRL (2007-2012)! Approaching this episode from our usual leftist lens, we mainly zero in on the “working-class” characters who are thrust into the owning-class world of the Upper East Side: Dan Humphrey, Vanessa Abrams, and Jenny Humphrey. Since Maria and Laura were OG Gossip Girl book readers, we discuss the

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02:57:26

#33 - The Secret Life of British Teenagers in the...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2024/12/22

Maria is joined by Abir Mohammad to break down powerful depictions of British teenagers in the South Asian diaspora on SOME GIRLS (2012-2014), ACKLEY BRIDGE (2017-2022), SEX EDUCATION (2019-2023), and WATERLOO ROAD (2023-present.) This episode is jam packed with South Asian teen characters living in all their complexity – as sexual beings, as Muslims, as hijabis, as queer teens, as protest leaders. We celebrate beloved characters like Saz Kaur, Nasreen Paracha, Naveed Haider, Olivia Hanan, Anwar

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02:03:43

#32 - Simone Hicks, HBCU Athlete-Activist: Black...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2024/12/15

Maria is once again joined by childhood friend Dondré Taylor-Stewart to talk about the often-political ALL AMERICAN universe, and specifically the HBCU spin-off ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING (2022-2024). We trace Simone Hicks’ journey as an HBCU athlete-activist, as she emerges as a leader during two separate experiences of collective Black trauma: a bomb threat and a cop stop. We discuss the show’s depiction of Black joy, resilience, and protest in the aftermath of these traumatizing events, shaping

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02:28:46

#31 - Angela Chase and Rickie Vasquez, 30 Years...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2024/12/08

“My So-Called Life was the OG Leftist Teen Drama,” Diana declares. Both MY SO-CALLED LIFE (1994-1995) and Maria turned 30 this year! Diana Hussein again joins the podcast to break down all the politics of this groundbreaking yet short-lived teen drama. We discuss everything from a pre-Columbine gun violence (B) plot to the political awakening of Angela Chase and the raw and groundbreaking depiction of an unhoused queer teenager of color in Rickie Vasquez, famously the first out gay character to be

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02:25:23

#30 - ‘Let’s Be A Revolution’ - Queer Love and Class...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2024/12/01

Maria is joined by Kelly Diaz and Taylor Garland to discuss the inherently political Swedish teen drama YOUNG ROYALS (2021-2024). We trace the star-crossed romance between Crown Prince Wilhelm and the working-class, socialist student Simon Eriksson as their relationship brings out class tensions and questions about the legitimacy of the monarchy. We also analyze our strangest sit-in plotline yet when, inspired by the very people they mock, the privileged students of Hillerska stage a “sit-in strike”

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01:51:49

#29 - Burning the Jeans: Aimee Gibbs Finds Artistic...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2024/11/24

Maria is once again joined by Nicki Morris and Kelly Gilbert to dissect the conclusion of Aimee Gibbs’ arc on SEX EDUCATION (2019-2023). In Season 4, Aimee pursues art to process her trauma and ends up finding herself through darkroom photography – and producing deeply political art about the patriarchal violence she experienced in the process. We break down Aimee’s parallel artistic and sexual healing journeys, from rating vibrators in her diary with a pink pom-pom pen (iconic) to working her way

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02:10:23

#28 - Deaf Students ‘Occupy Carlton’ to Save Their...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2024/11/17

Maria is joined by Kelly Diaz to discuss the epic student occupation plotline on SWITCHED AT BIRTH (2011-2017). When the safe sanctuary that is Carlton School for the Deaf is threatened with closure, deaf and hard of hearing students make a plan to fight back, inspired by the real-life Deaf President Now (DPN) protests at Gallaudet University in 1988. This plotline was a central part of Kelly’s dissertation on depictions of youth activism on television, and we break down all the elements of this

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01:30:09

#27 - ‘Everything Now’ Tackles Anorexia and Abortion...

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2024/11/10

TW: detailed discussion of anorexia and eating disorder recovery throughout the episode; depiction of a panic attack at ~1:04:00-~1:05:30In the Leftist Teen Drama Season 4 premiere, we dive into two “the personal is political” plotlines on EVERYTHING NOW (2023). In this short-lived British teen drama, we get introduced to two wonderfully different Black teenage girl characters with a gorgeous best friendship. Maria is joined by childhood friends Dondré Taylor-Stewart and Adrienne Bennett to break

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02:41

Introducing: Leftist Teen Drama Season 4

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2024/11/03

We are so back. Our 2024 season includes a lot of discourse about class conflict, abundant “the personal is political” moments, and of course, two different civil disobedience plotlines (though one is truly our weirdest sit-in plotline yet!) Check out a little teaser of Leftist Teen Drama Season 4, premiering on Sundays, starting on November 10, 2024 through the end of the year. XOXO, Free Palestine FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama |

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01:42:54

MOVIE SPECIAL: ‘Strike! (1998)’

Leftist Teen Drama ·

2024/05/05

Welcome back to our new series of special episodes covering political moments in teen movies! Maria is joined by Kelly Diaz to break down all the political themes of the movie of many names: THE HAIRY BIRD/ALL I WANNA DO/STRIKE! (1998). (We went with the most thematically appropriate title for our podcast episode title, as you can see!) We discuss the solidarity and friendship between the main teen girl characters at Miss Godard’s Prep and their various actions to make change on campus, culminating

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