he internet, as it has been said before, can be a powerful tool for a great deal of things, including making it possible for anyone, anywhere, both famous and otherwise to share the content they create, including podcasts, videos, writings and (so much more) often attracting trolls.

Among many trends that have come up, one particular trend is that of actors talking about each episode from a show they once starred in and what went on behind that particular episode. Things that could not be said back then were also revealed in a Time’s Up era.

Think back to a period when Netflix’s flight to global success didn’t become a compelling factor for nearly every network as well as a tech giant like Apple creating their own streaming service with one rule: there are no rules. It was also a time when Marvel was not calling the shots in context to superhero-related shows.

In the pre-Netflix era, people watched network series where there was a huge variety of cop shows, forensic shows, medical shows and their sequels.

But there was also a time when network television entertained a younger demographic or even an adult one while following boundaries. Shows that you still go back to like Charmed (a remake was recently cancelled), One Tree Hill and Smallville remain reminders of a time we did not suffer from cognitive dissonance due to too much content.

If television can create awareness, it can also provide escapism through quality shows. And the ones mentioned above did do so. But they also left questions in the air. Here’s a deeper look.

Series: One Tree Hill

Podcast: Drama Queens

One Tree Hill (OTH) a series about teenagers, basketball, friendships, and family in a small town ran for nine seasons but two of its major cast members left the series halfway. Fans could never figure out why Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Peyton (Hilarie Burton) left what was one of the best teenage series of the time.

But with Drama Queens, the three leading ladies of the show, Hilarie Burton (Peyton), Sophia Bush (Brooke) and Bethany Joy Lenz (Hailey) walk fans through each episode including why Peyton left. After six years and more than 130 episodes, Hilarie Burton – during the podcast finally revealed that both she and her co-star Chad Michael Murray left - due to an allegedly toxic workplace environment. Once Hilarie opened the conversation, it was uncovered that the show’s frontrunner Mark Schwahn was allegedly the man harassing the actors who were much younger at the time.

18 members of the production wrote a letter to Schwahn but he never responded. However, the cat was finally out of the bag, and fans finally learned that it was the harassment, not some “cat fight” with her other female co-stars that led to the departure.

The first season of Drama Queens began in 2021 and since then has taken a life of its own with fans coming out to meet the actors in different cities, also showing how some series have a lasting impact on viewers.

The podcast is available on major platforms including Spotify and Apple.

Series: Charmed

Podcast: The House of
Halliwell

Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan are better known as a political force, campaigning for Time’s Up and the women’s movement in the last couple of years. However, in terms of work both of them are still well known for the series, Charmed, in which they appeared together for at least five years.

Once again, in the pre-Netflix era, even Charmed had to follow the same boundaries as One Tree Hill but because the idea behind the series was so novel, it worked.

Fast forward to 2023, and there is already a new version of Charmed that was so banal that after four seasons, it was inevitably cancelled.

But the original series featured Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs and Shannen Doherty during the first three seasons before the latter left. Rose McGowan joined Alyssa Milano, and Holly Marie Combs as the power of three surged again. In essence, the sisters were about being good witches who save innocent people and struggle to have a normal life.

In a time when female-centric shows were not in vogue, this show ran for eight years with women leading from the front.

In the aftermath, even as they went their different ways, one of the three sisters, Piper, or Holly Marie Combs joined forces with her onscreen husband Brian Krause and onscreen son Drew Fuller for The House of Halliwell podcast, based on discussion about each episode from the original series. Apart from the three hosts who dissect each episode, The House of Halliwell also brings guests back from the original show, including actors who also played darker roles. During one episode, Holly Marie Combs, for instance, revealed how the other two actors would not leave her side when she was ill even though Alyssa and Shannen did not get along back in the day. You hear one episode and it’ll make you want to watch the love story of Brian and Holly, what power of three refers to, and the stupid reason a new version of Charmed was rebooted for at least four years. Maybe lack of ideas is truly becoming the slogan in the post-Netflix age.