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- How HBO Max's Gossip Girl Reboot Is Fixing the Shortcomings of the Original
How HBO Max's Gossip Girl Reboot Is Fixing the Shortcomings of the Original
Getty / Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin
With each new detail, we learn about the Gossip Girl reboot, we become even more intrigued. While the original series – which ran on The CW from 2007 to 2012 – has become a cult favourite as far as teen dramas go, it also had its shortcomings, including the lack of diversity within its main stars. As HBO Max gears up to introduce us to the next generation of Manhattan’s elite, it seems like they are taking a cue from the original to ensure that the new series pays tribute but also is current and representative of society today.
Though details about the project have been few and far between – save for a few paparazzi photos from filming and some brief, albeit incredibly mysterious descriptions of the characters – Cosmopolitan‘s cover story with the stars for their May/June issue offers a little more light. And as an OG Gossip Girl stan, I must say, I’m super excited for what’s in store. If you’re curious about how the reboot will compare to the original, read ahead for the biggest differences we know so far.
Getty / Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin
There Is a Big Twist With Gossip Girl
For starters, there seems to be a big “twist” with how Gossip Girl is portrayed on this installment of the series. But, unfortunately, that’s really all we have to go on. In the original, Gossip Girl was a blogger, but in the reboot, Gossip Girl becomes “more like an all-encompassing social media platform.” Showrunner Josh Safran further teased the twist telling Cosmo, “My hope is that we make it to airing and people don’t know. I would love to see that conversation happen in the context of people having seen it as opposed to talking about something they haven’t seen.”
Getty / Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin
It Will Tackle Class in a Whole New Way
Part of the intrigue of the original was just how far from reality everything seemed. From the characters to the storylines, everything was heightened, especially when it came to the privilege surrounding the Upper East Side. While Cosmo promises the reboot will still have that same dramatic effect, it will be tackling class in a different way. “Part of the fun of watching the old one at the time was, Oh, this is what it’s like to be a very privileged teenager who can act with impunity, and living vicariously through that,” Tavi Gevinson told the publication. “But with this show, class resentment is a much more explicit part of it, which I’m very in tune with.”
Getty / Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin
It Will Feature Much More Representation on Screen
As Safran previously teased, the series will feature a more inclusive cast than the original, including more nonwhite leads and LGBTQ+ characters. “Representation is everything,” Whitney Peak further emphasized in Cosmo‘s cover story. “I want all the hers and the hes and the theys and the people of color from all over the world to be able to watch the show and think, That’s a person who looks like me. I don’t have to be the stereotypical idea of who I am.”
Savannah Smith echoed that same sentiment, adding, “It’s really important for a Black girl, with twists in her hair, to be able to see someone in a position of power who looks like her. And it’s also important for kids in the suburbs or kids who don’t have a lot of Black friends or friends of color just to generally see us depicted in different ways. I think this could really change things. Maybe they’re not learning these things at home, but they’re seeing them on Gossip Girl. How amazing is that?”