Reimagined Rewatch: A review of pilot episodes of podcasts where celebrities rewatch their classic shows

You know when your parents reminisce about their college days or look through your grandparents’ photo albums and you get waves of nostalgia that aren’t even your own? This is the same feeling that comes when actors from your favorite old shows reunite for a rewatch podcast. 

Actors from iconic early 2000s shows are coming back together to evoke that feeling of nostalgia for original fans as well as first-time-watchers by giving a peek behind the scenes. 

This podcast, steaming with hot pink, bedazzled energy, is nothing less than what I’d expect from the fabulous Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz — the star actresses from “One Tree Hill.”

The on and off-screen friendship between Bush, Burton and Lenz — otherwise known as Brooke Davis, Peyton Sawyer and Haley James Scott — is evident through the speakers, adding a friendly touch that many other podcasts are missing. 

They begin by discussing the casting process and filming in Wilmington, North Carolina. Listening to the actresses discuss Burton’s literal hole-in-the-wall apartment, the ongoing debate over Lenz’s hair and laughs over episodes that the cast were too hungover to remember has fans feeling like they’re in Tree Hill High School’s inner circle. 

Hair was a recurring topic throughout the episode. The actresses discussed how the showrunners were subject to the patriarchal belief that a woman’s core identifier is their hair color and by extension, their appearance. They discuss how ridiculous it was that it was such a concern throughout the series and how they’d argue with their bosses over it because it was one of the only aspects of their character that they could control.

My only qualm with the podcast is that they don’t announce when ad breaks are coming, but I’m willing to forgive since they transition with claps from their pop-rock theme tune, and they read the ads themselves which shows that they trust their brands enough to attach their voice to the product.

Listening to Bush, Burton and Lenz discuss how much their personal lives differed from their characters and how inappropriate certain scenes were — like Peyton walking around in a towel in front of her boyfriend’s dad — shed light on the serious flaws of the industry. Bush and Burton both acknowledge that the increase in their partially nude scenes was due to competition with other popular teen dramas like “The O.C.” and “Dawson’s Creek.” 

The hour-long discussions of these three wonderful and accomplished women about their joys and battles while filming the show gave me a new level of respect and appreciation for the actors and the show overall. 

Aside from its annoying theme song, this podcast is everything “New Girl” fans need — plus $5 in the Douchebag Jar. 

The iconic trio Zooey Deschanel, Hannah Simone and Lamorne Morris, who play Jessica Day, Cece Parekh and Winston Bishop are just as electric present day as they were throughout all seven seasons of their show.

Before I even hit play, I was grinning over the title, “Welcome to Our Show,” a reference to Jess’s token greeting in the show, “Welcome to our home,” she uses whenever a new character or guest star enters the loft. 

The actors spend the beginning of the podcast discussing their audition process and casting of the show, as well as the unknowns of the show’s beginning, like the character identities of the Coach and Winston, and where the show would be filmed. 

They also reminisce on scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor, like when Simone had to sit in an afro wig with a live vulture on her shoulder, or when Morris had to wear a pair of jorts for a running gag about jeggings. 

Simone discusses her experience auditioning for the role of Cece — unlike other actresses up for the role, she opted not to play the character dumb, which set her apart from the other actresses and secured her the role. It’s impossible to imagine Cece bringing anything other than her raw, deadpan humor to the show which made me value how Simone played her and how unlikeable the character could’ve been in the wrong hands.

Once Deschanel, Simone and Morris dig into the episode, they discuss their favorite guest stars, gags and improvisations from the pilot. They laugh over how often Deschanel had to sing, how frequently bears were mentioned and “New Girl”’s original title, “Chicks and Dicks.”

As each episode comes to a close, the actors go around the table playing a modified version of “True American,” attempting to name as many rom-coms as they can since Jess is obsessed with “Dirty Dancing.” Hearing Morris immediately repeat a title after he’d established the rule that no title could be repeated and Deschenel clarifying that she’d “actually been naming ‘screwball comedies’ which was the preamble to the rom-com,” I could’ve sworn I was listening to an episode of the show since their real life and TV personalities mirror each other beautifully.

The podcast, “Welcome to the OC, Bitches!,” a reference to the line that got people hooked on the cultural phenomenon that was “The O.C.,” is hosted by Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke, who played Summer Roberts and Julie Cooper in the 2000s teen drama.

The host pairing of Bilson and Clarke had me skeptical at first, since the two didn’t have many scenes together in the show. However, within the first 15 minutes of the podcast, it was obvious that the different perspectives were a key part of the podcast, since the show covers the teens just as much as they cover their parents.

The pilot episode of the podcast is guest hosted by Josh Schwartz, the show’s creator, which was perfect for the first episode because listeners are immediately gifted with an even higher level of behind-the-scenes knowledge than the actors.

The podcast is so well-organized and on-point, you’d think Bilson and Clarke had been hosting together for years. They dig into the episode relatively early and don’t go off on too many tangents. They address fan questions and utilize all of Schwartz’s unique knowledge.

They break down the most iconic scenes like Ryan and Marissa smoking — what turned out to be the last lit cigarette aired on network TV — at the end of the driveway or him looking back at her standing in the sunset as he drives off — a spontaneous choice by director Doug Liman jumping into the back of the car, filming the clip himself.

Schwartz discusses how music influenced his writing of the show and the three hosts analyze how the series went from reflecting pop-culture to defining it. Mischa Barton, who played Marissa Cooper, was considered a fashion icon almost immediately after the premiere. The Beastie Boys debuted their single, “Ch-Check It Out” on the show. The podcast is enlightening a new generation of fans on how “The O.C.” defined the decade.

A single word to perfectly describe this podcast is pure.

Jenna Fischer, who played Pam Beesly, and Angela Kinsey, who played Angela Martin, are real life best friends and kick off the first episode with messages of love and excitement to fans. They then dig into the pilot with Fast Facts, defying skeptical fans of the British version of the show and describing their first impressions of castmates. 

Kinsey recalls her bizarre first interaction with Rainn Wilson, who plays Dwight Schrewt, and his pregnant wife. He introduced himself and his partner in the most Dwight way possible by saying, “This is my wife Holly, bearer of my seed.” 

They also giggle over how Phyllis Smith, who plays Phyllis Lapin-Vance, was the casting associate who read lines with all the potential cast members — including Fischer and Kinsey — and delivered them so well that show creator, Greg Daniels wrote a part for her. 

Fischer and Kinsey go on to discuss how unique their show was in that Daniels trusted the actors to be the experts of their characters and encouraged collaboration between them and the writers. He let Steve Carrel write the line where Michael lists his heroes, “Bob Hope, Abraham Lincoln, Bono and God — probably,” brilliantly summarizing Michael’s opinion of himself. 

Daniels also encouraged actors to develop backgrounds for their characters which led to the improvised initial Jim and Pam flirtation with the line “Are you going to the cat birthday party?” since Kinsey had established Angela as the homely cat lady. 

Wrapping up the inaugural podcast episode, Fischer and Kinsey gush over how the pilot aligns with themes throughout the series. It set the standard for Jim and Pam flirtation, the Jim and Dwight rivalry and Michael’s playfully unprofessional leadership style.