Gossip Girl (2021 TV series)

Premise

Nearly a decade after the original series concluded, a new group of Manhattan private school students navigates life under the surveillance of Gossip Girl, reflecting changes in social media and New York City. The series includes more adult content than the original due to HBO Max's relaxed standards. Showrunner Joshua Safran confirmed it shares continuity with the original series, allowing references and potential appearances by previous characters, but focuses on a different set of characters.

Cast and characters

Jordan Alexander plays Julien Calloway, an influencer and queen bee at Constance Billard who reunites with her half-sister Zoya. Whitney Peak portrays Zoya Lott, a scholarship freshman who later dates Obie. Tavi Gevinson is Kate Keller, an English teacher who leads a teacher ring as Gossip Girl. Eli Brown plays Otto 'Obie' Bergmann IV, a wealthy do-gooder.

Thomas Doherty is Max Wolfe, a pansexual flirt with feelings for Aki and Audrey. Emily Alyn Lind plays Audrey Hope, Julien's best friend and Aki's girlfriend. Evan Mock portrays Akeno 'Aki' Menzies, a bisexual skateboarder. Johnathan Fernandez is Nick Lott, Zoya's father.

Adam Chanler-Berat plays Jordan Glassberg, a computer science teacher who helps run the Gossip Girl account. Zión Moreno is Luna La, a transgender trendsetter. Savannah Lee Smith plays Monet de Haan, Julien's PR representative. Jason Gotay portrays Rafa Caparros, a Classics teacher who preys on students.

Todd Almond is Gideon Wolfe, Max's father. Laura Benanti plays Kiki Hope, Audrey's alcoholic mother. Grace Duah is Shan Barnes, Zoya's friend. Megan Ferguson plays Wendy, an administration staff.

Kristen Bell narrates as Gossip Girl. John Benjamin Hickey plays Roy Sachs. Carla Hall appears as Rocky. Donna Murphy is Vivian Burton, the headmistress.

Production

WarnerMedia ordered the revival for HBO Max in July 2019, with Josh Schwartz revealing it as a continuation. Karena Evans directed the first two episodes.

Showrunner Joshua Safran aimed for inclusivity and queer stories. Kristen Bell was announced as narrator in November 2019. Second-season filming began February 4, 2022, in New York City and also took place in Rome, Italy, in August 2022.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 38% approval rating based on 56 critic reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10, and a critical consensus calling it 'an ambitious misfire'. On Metacritic, it scored 51 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews. The second season received a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 10 critics, with an average rating of 7.1/10, and a Metacritic score of 68 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews.

Did You Know?

• The series was acquired by BBC One and BBC iPlayer for the United Kingdom.
• Michelle Trachtenberg reprised her role as Georgina Sparks from the original series in the second season.