7 Things From the Original ‘Gossip Girl’ We Hope to See in the Reboot
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost nine years since we last saw the impossibly glamorous lifestyles, tangled relationships and intense drama of the Upper East Side elite in Gossip Girl. Thankfully, fans will get a chance to dive back in when the sequel/reboot to the CW original premieres on HBO Max next month.
While the new show will feature a completely different cast of characters, it will still take place in the same uber-rich universe with the potential for familiar faces to return. A lot has changed since Gossip Girl‘s 2012 exit, and we’re dying to see how this update shakes up the formula given the huge leaps made by social media and the transformation New York City itself has undergone.
That said, GG 2.0 needs to retain some of the qualities that made the original an instant obsession. Below, we’ve listed seven of ’em.
Gossip Girl, Series Premiere, Thursday, July 8, HBO Max
Gossip Girl, Series Premiere, Friday, July 9, 8/7c, The CW
Our Favorite Upper East Siders
Gossip Girl wouldn’t be a pop culture touchstone without its memorable cast of characters, from Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) and Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) to Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford) and Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick). We watched these characters grow over six seasons, and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t miss them. While the series finale showed us a flash-forward of their lives (the revelations included Serena marrying Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) and Nate running for mayor), it would be fitting for at least some fan favorites to return, if only to pass the torch to the next generation.
Big-Bucks Lifestyles
What is Gossip Girl if not rich kids hopping from limos to ballrooms to art galleries to five-star hotels while dealing with rumors and betrayals? Blair even married into royalty (kind of), while Chuck became a billionaire at the age of 17. Fans loved getting a glimpse of this exclusive, money-is-no-object world—one most of us will never see IRL. While the reboot looks to be keeping that same spirit, we just want to request that it’s not toned down: The more luxury, the better!
Of-the-Minute Tech
It feels almost quaint watching characters text on ancient flip phones and reading scandalous dirt on Gossip Girl’s website. But at the time, that was newfangled stuff! With today’s teens communicating (and, yes, spilling secrets) on apps from Snapchat to Twitter to TikTok to Instagram, it’ll be interesting to see a Gossip Girl in the era of social media.
The Fashion
Diane von Furstenberg, Elie Saab, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Zuhair Murad—Gossip Girl‘s teens had designer fashion down, but the way costume designer Eric Daman mixed & matched and accessorized gave each character a distinct look. Blair was all polish and headbands; Serena, more boho and edgy. Even their school uniforms looked incredible! Honorable mention goes to Blair’s Ugg boots, which encapsulated 2000s fashion and somehow worked with everything. With Daman on board for the new GG, we will undoubtedly be wowed again!
A Secret Snoop
The most suspenseful aspect of the original series was always the identity of the title blogger, Gossip Girl. How did she know everything about everyone? Fans spent years speculating on the answer until she was finally revealed as a he (Dan). And while he promised Gossip Girl was dead, the finale teased a new Gossip Girl had taken up the mantle. That mystery always drove the plot to interesting places (plus, it was just plain fun), and we hope the reboot carries it forward.
The Best NYC Has to Offer
The city that never sleeps deserved its own spot in the credits: Iconic landmarks such as the Empire State Building and Grand Central Station were the setting of some memorable scenes, but Gossip Girl also got us into posh places like Sotheby’s art auctions and the Plaza hotel. We can’t wait to see where the show takes us next.
Reasons to Celebrate!
Ever since the pilot episode, Gossip Girl has treated fans to some extravagant events: a masquerade party, a ball, prom, an ‘80s party, a Studio 54 soiree, a rooftop bash… You could always be sure of something big happening against an amazing backdrop. Will 2021’s festivities be even grander and more wild?
