GOSSIP'S BACK IN STYLE
THE HIT NOUGHTIES TV SHOW RETURNS WITH A VERY MODERN MAKEOVER
Hey there, honorary Upper East Siders. It’s been almost a decade since the dulcet tones of Gossip Girl have filled us in on all the details of the lives of New York City’s young elite. But now the ultimate insider makes her return with a whole new in-crowd to snoop on.
The 10 episodes in the new season will be dropping weekly, but before you dive headfirst into the scandals, heartbreaks and dreams of the new characters, here is everything you need to know about Gossip Girl 2.0 ahead of the first episode …
IT’S NOT A REBOOT
While many have been calling the reincarnation a reboot, the show’s cast and crew have made it clear they see the new series as a continuation of the former series that’s set nine years later, rather than a remake.
“It’s an extension – the old characters already exist and we’re the new kids in town,” Savannah Smith, who plays Monet, told Town & Country magazine. “I love that idea because it makes it easy to modernise; everything feels very now. There are still socialites and billionaires, but we’re discovering what that means in 2021.”
SOME OLD FAVOURITES COULD BE BACK Since the new characters live in the same world as our old favourites, showrunner Josh Safran admits they may pop up from time to time. “[The original characters] are a part of the world,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “The [new] characters talk about them and they do exist.”
There is at least one familiar face, or should we say voice, who’s participating. Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell is back as the show’s narrator, the ever-elusive Gossip Girl. “Kristen Bell has always been and will always be the voice of Gossip Girl,” a statement from producers of the series confirmed. But some other former cast members might be putting in an appearance as well. “I would love to have [the original actors] come back,” Safran said, confirming that producers have reached out to several of the stars.
At least one actor from the classic series has confirmed he’d love to take part in the sequel. “I’d have to [make a cameo]!” Chace Crawford, who played Nate Archibald in the original, confirmed to website Digital Spy.
IT’S MOVED WITH THE TIMES
The new series is a lot more diverse than the first run, which featured a mainly white cast throughout its six seasons.
“There’s a lot of representation, which I can’t say we saw a lot of in the first one,” said Whitney Peak, who will be portraying scholarship student Zoya. “It’s dope being able to see people who look like you and who are interested in the same things, and who happen to be in entertainment, because it’s so influential and obviously reflective of the times.”
The new characters will have to contend with social media affecting their lives in a much greater way than the likes of Serena (Blake Lively) and Blair (Leighton Meester) ever had to deal with.
“So how has this world changed, how has social media and its effect changed?” asked Safran rhetorically, revealing that these questions were a driving force behind the storylines in the new series. “We thought there was something really interesting about the idea that we are all Gossip Girl now, in our own way. [It’s like] we are all purveyors of our own social media surveillance state, and [we look at] how that has evolved and how that has mutated and morphed.
“[Now] we’re telling that story through a new generation of Upper East Side high school kids.”
By Kylie Walters
(Gossip Girl premieres Thu., Jul. 8 on Binge)