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three friends, three boy-band members, three romances— all of which are forbidden.

[ TAKES PLACE 1985 - 1994 ]

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[ ONE — FORBIDDEN BY FAMILY ]

— SAGE COPPOLA AND DONNIE WAHLBERG first spotted each other in a corner store during the summer of 1985. Uninterested, Sage never thought twice about shooting glances at a boy who she knew her mother would describe as "trashy". Through a game of matchmaker (thanks to her best friends, twins Campbell and Brett Thatcher), Sage and Donnie end up meeting again and become inseparable, much to the dismay of their respective households.

On top of the familial drama, Donnie's band Nynuk takes a name change and slowly rises to the top of the charts as New Kids on the Block. Differing lifestyles, parental inputs, potential new lovers, and long-distance are all factors that take a toll on the couple, leading to a whirlwind of ups and downs. Sage and Donnie label their history as "it's complicated", and rightfully so.

donald "donnie" wahlberg as himself

—boston's so-called "bad boy"

" you can tell me to leave, but sage... just... hear me out: i want to ruin my life with you. "

young!alyssa milano as giavanna "sage" coppola

—the sharp-tongued dancer

" you're so full of yourself, wahlberg. you think singing and dancing a little bit is going to make me take you back... and i fucking hate you, because it's working. "

anne archer as leona coppola

—the stringent mother

" what does this long-haired kid from the slums really have to offer you? you're sixteen years old! "

mark wahlberg as himself

—the pot-stirring baby brother

" you really think i'm gonna let my brother-- the one in a pansy-ass boy band--tell me how to live my life? "

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[ TWO — FORBIDDEN BY SOCIETY ]

— JONATHAN KNIGHT AND BRETT THATCHER don't know how to describe the way they both felt when they met each other at a carnival in 1985. However, they both knew that whatever it was wasn't right for boys in their area, their age, any of it. 

The two boys are completely drawn to each other and choose to pursue a relationship in secret. No one can know. Not the boys, not Campbell, not Sage— and definitely not the press. Things take a turn for the worst when, in order to not draw suspicion, Jon is forced by management to start a relationship with teen idol Tiffany Darwish... while in a relationship with Brett behind closed doors.

jonathan knight as himself

—the paranoid softie

" you don't understand how badly i wish i could introduce you as my boyfriend to my parents. "

young!mark-paul gosselaar as brett thatcher

—the beautiful secret

" how cute would that be? you, me, nikko, and my birds of paradise plants... all living together in some ritzy house on the coastline. sounds like the dream. "

tiffany darwish as herself

—jon's red herring

" you're unlike any boy i've ever met, jonathan. you're so sensitive and so patient. how have you been single for so long? any girl would be lucky to have you. "

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[ THREE — FORBIDDEN BY STARDOM ]

— CAMPBELL THATCHER AND JORDAN KNIGHT were complete opposites. She was all work, he was all play. She admired him from afar, he never took notice. He preferred girls who wore makeup and gossiped, she was a tomboy who liked to play baseball with the boys in the park. But after spending time with each other (thanks to the romance blossoming between their respective best friends, Sage and Donnie), the pair find themselves falling in love-- but never admit it to each other. Instead, they keep in touch during tours through long-distance phone calls and exchanging snail mail-- and one-night stands when Jordan's back in town.

However, at the height of New Kids on the Block's fame, Campbell receives news that she is pregnant with Jordan's child after the two share a "no strings attached" night together. Choosing to keep the baby and make his relationship with Campbell serious, Jordan must deal with the pressures of being one-fifth of the most famous boy band of the times... on top of fatherly and spousal duties.

jordan knight as himself

—teen beat's favorite pinup

" does this mean we have to get married? because i'll do it. we could do it right now. i can cancel the show tonight. the guys'll get it. "

young!candace cameron-bure as campbell thatcher

—teen beat's public enemy #1

" jordan, i had expectations for myself. i wanted to work for the white house. i didn't think i'd be hiding from paparazzi on the way to an ultrasound at nineteen. "

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[ REST OF CAST ]

joey mcintyre as himself

danny wood as himself

nikko the shar pei as himself

young!joe perrino and young!madeline zima  as lorenzo and clarissa coppola

knight family members as themselves

wahlberg family members as themselves

halle berry as herself

young!gina gershon as gwen rossi

young!tony goldwyn as michael sharpe

tbd as baby knight (name/gender is a surprise)

meredith baxter and christopher rich as isla and bill thatcher

nine inch nails as themselves

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DISCLAIMER/TRIGGERS!

Yes, yes, there are some problematic faces here (looking at you, Mark Wahlberg and Candace Cameron). I will not be ignoring the horrible things Mark Wahlberg has done to POC, and I do want to issue a trigger warning involving racism and violence towards minority groups. I do not condone his actions whatsoever, and to be frank... Mark's a dick in this story. He also has a history of harassment towards women, which will be addressed.

Candace. She has a history of being openly homophobic, and again, I do not condone this behavior. Her vibe just fit the character of Campbell so well, I couldn't bring myself to find a substitute. Campbell gives DJ Tanner; it was an obvious option.

This is a segway into my next trigger warning: period-typical homophobia. It was the AIDS crisis and people were FREAKING OUT. If you're a big NKOTB fan like myself, you'll know that Jonathan Knight was forced to suppress his sexuality and he was pretty much forced into a relationship with Tiffany Darwish by his managers. Though their relationship was short-lived (they are still friends to this day!), this caused Jon to spiral and eventually caused him to leave NKOTB mid-tour in 1994. Homophobia (external/internalized), depression/social anxiety, and other mentions of mental illness will be present.

Drug/alcohol use (involving minors), (explicit) sexual content, language, and violence will also be mentioned.

STARTED: 5/14/23

ENDED: TBD