Jan 30, 2023

Saying Goodbye To The Upper East Side: "Gossip Girl" Revival Gets Canceled

With the reboot of “Gossip Girl” being dropped by HBO Max, it’s time we say goodbye to Manhattan’s elite once and for all.

This just in: Gossip Girl has officially signed her final “XOXO” and bids adieu to the Upper East Side. No more scandals, love triangles, social media blasts and definitely no more fancy debutante balls. After two seasons, HBO Max has decided to cancel the “Gossip Girl” revival and aired its final episode on Thursday.

The creator of the show, Joshua Safran, took to Twitter and Instagram to announce the news in a heartwarming post:

An homage to the classic “Gossip Girl”, the reboot tried to take on a different approach to what the original series captured. Of course, they still maintained the glitz and glamour of what the Upper Eastsiders do so well. But in a golden age full of influencers being talked about more than actual celebrities and social media platforms skyrocketing, this new generation deals with a new kind of drama: maintaining social status in-person and online. The new “Gossip Girl” had a lot to live up to, and rightfully so with the OG series being clear-cut perfection.

When the reboot was confirmed, I and millions of other “Gossip Girl” fans were so excited to return back to the steps of the MET and watch the lives of privileged teens live a life full of elaborate parties and high fashion in New York City. And while the new series did exactly just that, there were still expectations not met with the characters and plots that could explain the downfall.

The whole anonymity of Gossip Girl in the first series was iconic and crucial to the development of the plot. With no one knowing who was spilling the secrets and that person having the power to control the social hierarchy on the Upper East Side, characters in the show and watchers had theories upon theories on who could potentially be Gossip Girl (My money was definitely NOT on Dan Humphrey). But in the reboot, the mystery was completely thrown out the window and Gossip Girl was revealed, IN THE VERY FIRST EPISODE, to be a group of teachers stuck in the past dramas of their high school careers. Already, a red flag to begin with. The teachers of Constance Billard-St. Jude's School justifying their actions with the mentality of “teaching these kids a lesson” was completely unhinged. To have teachers being the ones to control the gossip about children, I and other watchers were shocked!

I had hope for the second season, especially because they invited back Georgina Sparks, the OG queen of mean. However, even with the twist, the writing and characters for the most part were complicated to like and follow throughout the show. Some of the writing felt awkward, plot points felt too rushed and some characters were never able to shine on their own (I’m looking at you, Audrey Hope)!

The leading “It Girl” Julien Calloway resembled parts of the iconic Blair Waldorf from the original series. Yet even with the “Queen Bee” signature, Julien Calloway could not live up to the title. It goes without saying that while everyone may want to be Blair Waldorf, Blair said it best herself, “Not everyone can be.”

While there were moments of brilliance and plots true to what the original did best, the reboot created more disappointment than excitement. Everyone loves nostalgia, and the reboot had OG “Gossip Girl” fans excited to return to the glory days of soapy teen dramas. But if this reboot has taught us anything, is that you can’t outdo the doer. Serena and Blair walked, but unfortunately, this new generation of socialites tripped, stumbled and eventually, fell flat on their faces.

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