Leftist Teen Drama

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 Presid

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

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 mudgu

Celebrating Five Years of Leftist Teen Drama: Join Us LIVE in NYC!

YOU ARE INVITED TO CELEBRATE FIVE YEARS OF LEFTIST TEEN DRAMA! Join us at The People’s Forum in New York City on Friday, August 21, 2026 at 6 PM for our first-ever live r

MOVIE SPECIAL: 'Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam'

Welcome back to our series of special episodes covering political moments in teen movies! Maria is once again joined by twins and self-professed “camp freaks” Kelly and M

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

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 Movi

#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

#43 - Bayside Teachers Deserve Better: The 'Saved By The Bell' Teachers’ Strike Episode

In the penultimate episode of Leftist Teen Drama Season 5, Maria is joined by fellow union comms girlie Diana Hussein to dive into the SAVED BY THE BELL (1989-1993) Teach

#42 - ‘They Censored His Radio Show!’: Hillman College Students Stage a Sit-In on 'A Different World'

Maria is joined by Dondré Taylor-Stewart for Leftist Teen Drama’s first episode covering A DIFFERENT WORLD (1987-1993) – but it certainly won’t be our last. Once Debbie A

#41 - A Summer Romance Teen Drama Set in the Imperial Core: Postcolonial Class Consciousness in 'We Were Liars' Season 1

**SPOILERS INSIDE** DO NOT LISTEN BEFORE YOU FINISH SEASON 1. At first glance, WE WERE LIARS (2025-present) might seem like any other rich kid teen drama, but this show

#40 - Inside the Fleeting Yet Inherently Political World of 'Freaks and Geeks'

Maria is joined by fellow union comrade and FREAKS AND GEEKS (1999-2000) superfan Margaret McLaughlin to break down the political themes of the show’s one and only season

#39 - Benny Scanlon’s Millennial Queer College Journey On 'Overcompensating' (So Far)

Maria is appropriately joined by two of her fellow millennial teen drama Internet friends, Abir Mohammad and Jillian Bonanne, to break down the queer college journey of B

#38 - 'Genera+ion' Takes On The Messiness and Complexity of Gen Z Teen Politics

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

#37 - ‘We’re Not Moving Until It Gets Fixed’: Isaac Goodwin, Aisha Green, and Disability Justice on 'Sex Education'

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

#36 - Paige Michalchuk Is Not Your Poor Thing: An Abolitionist Take On The First 'Degrassi' Sexual Assault Plotline

TW: sexual assault (and the fallout) discussed throughout the episode Maria is joined by Rosalie Murray and Kelly Gilbert to discuss Paige Michalchuk’s sexual assault pl

#35 - #Starving4Change At UMKC: The Black Student Union Protest Movement in 'Switched At Birth' Season 5

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 dis

Introducing: Leftist Teen Drama Season 5

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 t

MOVIE SPECIAL: 'Camp Rock'

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 t

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 podca