Gossip Girl (2021 TV series)

Gossip Girl (2021 TV series)

Company type	Television series
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	July 8, 2021 (2021-07-08)
Founder	Joshua Safran
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Key people	Joshua Safran (showrunner, executive producer), Josh Schwartz (executive producer), Stephanie Savage (executive producer), Kristen Bell (narrator)
Products	Teen drama television series
Parent	HBO Max

Gossip Girl is a teen drama series from the United States, developed by Joshua Safran for the streaming service HBO Max. Drawing inspiration from the original Gossip Girl series on The CW and Cecily von Ziegesar's book series, it functions as an independent sequel within the same universe. The show’s executive producers include original creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, along with Safran, who also serves as showrunner. The narration is provided by Kristen Bell, reprising her role as the mysterious blogger. The main cast features Jordan Alexander, Whitney Peak, Tavi Gevinson, Eli Brown, Thomas Doherty, Emily Alyn Lind, Evan Mock, Zión Moreno, Savannah Lee Smith, and Grace Duah.

HBO Max commissioned the series directly in July 2019. Production commenced in New York City in November 2020, following delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gossip Girl debuted on July 8, 2021, setting a new viewership record for HBO Max’s original series during its opening weekend. The initial season consisted of 12 episodes divided into two parts of six episodes each, with the latter half released on November 25, 2021. After receiving renewal in September 2021, the second season premiered on December 1, 2022. The show was ultimately canceled after two seasons in January 2023.

Premise

Set nearly ten years after the original site was discontinued, a fresh generation of teenagers comes under the surveillance of Gossip Girl, now operating on an international level. Located in Manhattan, the storyline centers on a new group of private school students who navigate a transformed social media environment and a changed New York City landscape. This reboot presents more mature themes compared to the original CW series, reflecting the more lenient content guidelines of the HBO Max platform.

Showrunner and executive producer Joshua Safran has confirmed that while this reboot exists within the same continuity as the original Gossip Girl, it concentrates on new characters and viewpoints, allowing past characters to be mentioned or make appearances.

Main

• Jordan Alexander portrays Julien Calloway, a social media influencer and dominant figure at Constance Billard who is romantically involved with Obie and has recently reconnected with her half-sister Zoya.
• Whitney Peak plays Zoya Lott, a scholarship student entering Constance Billard who relocates to Manhattan at Julien’s invitation and later becomes Obie’s partner.
• Tavi Gevinson is Kate Keller, an English instructor at Constance Billard who covertly manages the Gossip Girl account.
• Eli Brown appears as Otto "Obie" Bergmann IV, a wealthy philanthropist who begins dating Zoya following his breakup with Julien.
• Thomas Doherty takes on Max Wolfe, a pansexual charmer harboring feelings for both Aki and Audrey.
• Emily Alyn Lind portrays Audrey Hope, Julien’s closest friend and Aki’s girlfriend who shows interest in Max.
• Evan Mock is Akeno "Aki" Menzies, a bisexual skateboarder and Obie’s close friend who dates Audrey and is attracted to Max.
• Johnathan Fernandez plays Nick Lott, Zoya’s father and an attorney.
• Adam Chanler-Berat acts as Jordan Glassberg, a Computer Science teacher involved in running the Gossip Girl account alongside Kate, with romantic interest in her.
• Zión Moreno embodies Luna La, a transgender fashion icon from Mexico City and Julien’s stylist.
• Savannah Lee Smith is Monet de Haan, a powerful ally to Julien and Luna as well as Julien’s public relations manager.
• Jason Gotay portrays Rafa Caparros (season 1), a Classics instructor implicated in misconduct.
• Todd Almond plays Gideon Wolfe, Max’s father and a theatrical producer.
• Laura Benanti appears as Kiki Hope, an athleisure brand designer and Audrey’s alcoholic mother with complex family ties.
• Grace Duah features as Shan Barnes (season 2; guest season 1), Zoya’s new closest friend.
• Megan Ferguson is Wendy (season 2; recurring season 1), staff at Constance Billard knowledgeable about the original Gossip Girl blog who aids Kate and Jordan.

The narration throughout the series is provided by Kristen Bell, returning as the voice of "Gossip Girl."

Recurring

• John Benjamin Hickey portrays Roy Sachs, the landscaper and father of Max
• Carla Hall appears as Rocky
• Donna Murphy plays Vivian Burton, the Headmistress at Constance Billard
• Luke Kirby acts as Davis Calloway, Julien's father who is a music industry executive and Lola's former fiancé
• Elizabeth Lail features as Lola Morgan (season 1), a singer-songwriter and Davis Calloway's ex-fiancée
• Ella Rubin takes on the role of Bianca Breer, a rival student to Julien from another school
• Katherine Reis embodies Pippa Sykes, Bianca's closest companion
• Lyne Renée plays Helena Bergmann, Obie's mother and an affluent real estate entrepreneur
• Malcolm McDowell is cast as Roger Menzies, a media magnate and patriarch to Aki, Jake, Hamish, and Eliza
• Edmund Donovan appears as Scott, an educator from a different school involved in "Gossip Girl"
• Angelic Zambrana portrays Tati
• Cole Doman acts as Rex Huntington
• Kathryn Gallagher plays Heidi Bergmann, Obie's sister who was Max's first sexual partner
• Amanda Warren appears as Camille de Haan, Monet's mother and a leader in biotechnology business
• Anna van Patten embodies Grace Byron, daughter of state senator Charlotte Byron and Obie's current girlfriend
• Pico Alexander features as Mike Shubin (season 2), a Constance Billard instructor returning after sabbatical
• Rick Worthy acts as Greyson de Haan (season 2), Monet’s father
• Jarvis Tomdio plays Graham (season 2), a romantic interest for Julien

Guest

• Jeremy O. Harris appears as himself (season 1)
• Princess Nokia makes a guest appearance as herself (season 1)
• Billy Porter features as himself (season 1)
• Marc Shaiman guest stars as himself (season 1)
• Hettienne Park portrays Jodie Menzies (season 1), Roger’s ex-wife and biological mother of Aki
• Lucy Punch acts as Saskia Bates (season 1), Max's surrogate mother and an actress
• Elizabeth Stanley appears as Charlotte Byron (season 2), Grace’s mother and a controversial senator
• Charli XCX guest stars as herself (season 2)
• Andy Cohen makes an appearance as himself (season 2)
• LaChanze plays Mimi (season 2), aunt to Julien and Zoya
• Lukas Gage appears as himself (season 2)
• Aaron Dominguez portrays Phillip Price/Pip/Pablo (season 2)
• Gonzalo Aburto de la Fuente acts as Alejandro (season 2)

Guest characters from Gossip Girl (2007)

• Yin Chang returns as Nelly Yuki, a high-level magazine professional and former member of Blair Waldorf's circle
• Azhy Robertson appears as Milo Sparks (season 1), son of Georgina Sparks who assists Zoya in her revenge; character originally from the 2007 series
• Zuzanna Szadkowski reprises Dorota Kishlovsky (season 1), the Waldorfs’ Polish housekeeper
• Wallace Shawn plays Cyrus Rose (season 1), Blair Waldorf’s stepfather and lawyer for Gideon
• Margaret Colin returns as Eleanor Waldorf-Rose, ex-fashion designer and Blair Waldorf’s mother
• Aaron Schwartz features as Vanya (season 1), Dorota’s spouse and former doorman for the van der Woodsens
• Michelle Trachtenberg reprises her role as Georgina Sparks (season 2), a manipulative socialite blackmailing Kate; this was Trachtenberg’s final television performance before her passing in February 2025
• Matt Doyle appears as Jonathan Whitney (season 2), husband to Eric van der Woodsen

Season 1 (2021)

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Development

In July 2019, WarnerMedia commissioned a revival of the series for HBO Max. Although described as a "reboot," creator Josh Schwartz clarified that it continues the narrative of the original show. In November 2020, Karena Evans was announced as the director for the initial two episodes. After achieving record viewership during its launch, HBO Max confirmed a second season renewal in September 2021. Nevertheless, the series was discontinued after two seasons in January 2023.

Writing

Executive producer and sequel creator Safran highlighted the goal of expanding the series’ reach beyond a single audience segment. He focused on fostering inclusivity by presenting a more diverse world and integrating additional LGBTQ+ storylines.

Casting

Kristen Bell was confirmed in November 2019 to reprise her role as the voice of Gossip Girl. By March 2020, cast members including Emily Alyn Lind, Thomas Doherty, Jordan Alexander, among others, had been announced. Later casting additions featured Savannah Smith, Evan Mock, Laura Benanti, Elizabeth Lail, Lyne Renée, Megan Ferguson, and Jeremy O. Harris. Michelle Trachtenberg returned as Georgina Sparks for season two in June 2022. Grace Duah was elevated to series regular status for the second season in October 2022.

Filming

Originally set to begin in March 2020 in New York City, production was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a delayed release to 2021. Filming officially started on November 2, 2020. The second season’s production commenced on February 4, 2022, also in New York City, with additional scenes shot in Rome, Italy during August 2022.

Release

Gossip Girl debuted on HBO Max on July 8, 2021. The initial six episodes were released weekly, followed by a second set of six episodes on November 25, 2021. The season concluded with its finale on December 2, 2021. In June 2021, it was revealed that The CW would air the premiere episode one day after its HBO Max release and make it available for streaming on their platforms thereafter. The second season premiered on December 1, 2022.

Globally, the series is accessible in Asia through HBO Go, was acquired by BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom, streamed via Crave in Canada, available on Streamz in Belgium, and launched on Amazon Prime Video India starting July 21, 2022.

Reception

The inaugural season of Gossip Girl garnered mixed reactions from critics; it holds a 38% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 56 reviews with an average score of 4.9/10. On Metacritic, it achieved a score of 51 out of 100 from 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."

The sophomore season experienced more favorable critiques, attaining a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 10 critics and earning a Metacritic score of 68 out of 100 based on five critic reviews, reflecting "generally favorable reviews."

From an audience standpoint, data from Samba TV showed that within its first four days on HBO Max, approximately 550,000 U.S. households streamed the show. This strong initial viewer engagement contributed to its renewal for a second season.