I’ve always been a huge fan of early 2000s TV shows like Buffy, Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, and of course, One Tree Hill. So, this summer when I saw Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lentz, and Sophia Bush pop up on my TikTok FYP, I was thrilled! One Tree Hill may have started out being focused on the rivalry between Lucas and Nathan Scott, but watching the journeys of Peyton, Haley, and Brooke throughout the series was so special to my childhood. Getting to have them back again means so much to me. (P.S. get ready for some One Tree Hill spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen it yet!)
Drama Queens is a podcast starring Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lentz, and Sophia Bush, who played Peyton Sawyer, Haley James Scott, and Brooke Davis (respectively) on the TV series One Tree Hill. For those who don’t know, One Tree Hill is a teen drama series that premiered in 2003. It follows the story of Lucas Scott: a small-town high-school basketball player who is navigating his way through his love life, his passion for basketball, and the family tension with his half-brother, Nathan, and their father Dan. However, Lucas’ story wouldn’t be complete without the stories of the women in his life. There’s Haley James Scott, his life-long best friend with a passion for music and academia, who married Nathan in their junior year of high school. Then there’s Peyton Sawyer, the moody artist with a clear emotional connection to Lucas, who can’t help but push him away. Finally, there’s Brooke Davis, head cheerleader and seemingly Lucas’ female antithesis, whose kind heart and personal drive make her one in a million.
But the best part is, although the series starts out with a central focus on Lucas and Nathan, the girls’ stories aren’t completely tied to them. Yes, they are usually involved, being main characters and all, but there are so many times when the girls are more central to the storyline than anyone else. And this is why I think Drama Queens is such a special podcast.
Every week, the women discuss the show as they rewatch the series, episode by episode. It’s so interesting to hear their perspectives on so many levels. For one, they hardly remember most of the plots. They’re still recapping the first season which was almost 18 years ago now, so it’s no wonder most of the details have escaped them. Plus, they haven’t rewatched it 20 times over like the rest of us. They’ve said on the show that they didn’t watch the episodes as they were airing back then because they were filming them close to real-time. So it’s almost like listening to them watch the show for the first time!
I also love listening to them talk about their perspectives, now as adults, compared to the teenage perspectives of their characters. The women are all at different points in their life now, and with Hilarie and Bethany Joy being mothers, it’s especially interesting to hear how parenthood has changed their opinions on how different issues on the show should have been dealt with. (For example, the complete lack of parental supervision for all the high school girls.)
My favorite part of the podcast is all the behind-the-scenes intel they give. I love listening to them discuss their acting choices, issues they had with producers and directors about sex scenes and revealing clothing, as well as their relationships with other cast members. Speaking of, they also have had lots of guest stars that gave a ton of fun behind-the-scenes stories. So far, they have had Lee Norris (Marvin “Mouth” McFadden), Barbara Alyn Woods (Deb Scott), Antwon Tanner (“Skills”), and Paul Johansson (Dan Scott). But there are many more are to come!
I recommend this podcast to any One Tree Hill fan; whether you’ve watched it once or a hundred times. Personally, I’m in the hundred times category, but I’m still rewatching along with the podcast. Even if you haven’t seen One Tree Hill, this podcast is a great way to get into it! Listening along adds so much to the experience, so if you’re looking for a new show to watch at night and a new podcast to listen to at the gym or walking to class, run, do not walk.
Right now, you can stream One Tree Hill on Hulu and Drama Queens anywhere you find your podcasts!
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