Welcome to Great Expectations, a recurring series in which we break down the most essential information about an upcoming movie or show. In this edition, we look at what you can expect (and where you can watch) the upcoming Gossip Girl reboot on HBO Max.
On September 19, 2007, the scandalous first episode of Gossip Girl premiered on The CW. From then on, the show consistently shocked in the best ways possible. From crafty manipulation to extra-marital affairs and even manslaughter, if you were itching to see something gloriously vile, you were sure to find it throughout the teen drama’s six seasons.
Almost nine years since its original series finale, Gossip Girl is now back with a bang. So if you’re itching to see rich kids wreak havoc upon another again, you’re in luck. Just don’t expect things to be exactly as they were in the Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen era, though because the Upper East Side has seen some changes in the past decade.
Here is everything you need to know about the show’s imminent release:
Gossip Girl Reboot Release Date (and Where to Watch)
Despite initial production being delayed on the Gossip Girl reboot due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show is finally ready to see the light of day. New episodes will air weekly on HBO Max starting on July 8, 2021. They will then appear on The CW, (where the OG series lived), the next day.
Gossip Girl Reboot Cast
Although you might be disappointed to hear that the new Gossip Girl cast doesn’t include your favorites from the original — besides Kristen Bell returning as the voice of Gossip Girl herself — the new version of the show does have a pretty exciting roster of newcomers.
Included in the group of hedonistic one-percenters is Jordan Alexander as Julien Calloway, The Babysitter’s Emily Alyn Lind as Audrey Hope, Spinning Out’s Eli Brown as Otto “Obie” Bergmann IV, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Whitney Peak as Zoya Lott, Tavi Gevinson as Kate Keller, Evan Mock as Akeno “Aki” Menzies, Thomas Doherty as Max Wolfe, Zión Morenno as Luna La, and Savannah Smith as Monet de Haan.
Gossip Girl Reboot Plot
While the show’s plot has remained somewhat elusive, the overall premise doesn’t seem to have strayed too far from that of the original — don’t fix what isn’t broken, right? The Gossip Girl reboot will see a new set of teens at an elite Manhattan private school, but this time under the sinister dark cloud of social media. And, of course, the all-powerful, Big Brother-esque Gossip Girl. Based on the show’s trailer, the youngins seem to be getting into just as much mischief as they were ten years ago. And for that, we are thankful.
Watch the Trailer
Near the end of the trailer for the Gossip Girl reboot, a character says “privilege and power will always win in the end,” and it pretty much encapsulates everything we loved about the original. The first Gossip Girl had all of the things we loved to hate, and, based on the trailer, so will the second. Check out the Gossip Girl reboot trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsah5yCzh-U
What is the Controversy Around the New Version?
Josh Safran, the showrunner for the Gossip Girl reboot, recently gave an interview to Variety that has some fans of the original a little… dubious. He hints at some character changes: “These kids wrestle with their privilege in a way that I think the original didn’t. In light of [Black Lives Matter], in light of a lot of things, even going back to Occupy Wall Street, things have shifted.” While this deviation from the original undoubtedly reflects the current social status quo, a lot of people are arguing that it misses the point of what was so darn fun about the show in the first place.
my favorite hollywood trend is “people trying so hard to make something not tone deaf that they make something incredibly tone deaf” https://t.co/0G2hlbclIG
— Bobby Wagner (@bwags) June 22, 2021
Waiting for the American Psycho remake where Patrick Bateman grapples with his white privilege https://t.co/aln0D74DPo
— fashion school dropout (@glamdemon2004) June 22, 2021
You can’t be serious…how am I going to live vicariously through them if they’re not flaunting their wealth??? https://t.co/RFSJeu6Sz8
— chocolate-dipped capitalist (@clitostrophy) June 22, 2021
Whether or not you agree with these disillusioned fans, though, you can’t deny that it’ll be fun seeing how times have changed. And besides, if we learned anything from the show the first time around, it’s that controversy is just part of the game.
