If you’re anything like me, watching Gossip Girl was a personality trait for you in high school. So, I was really intrigued that HBO was doing a reboot. Gossip Girl is so iconic, how would they reboot it? While it’s such an iconic series, it was lacking stories from other perspectives and riding on a mostly rich, white, cisgendered, straight point of view of what it means to be a high schooler in New York City. And because I was curious and didn’t have anything better to do, I took the liberty of watching the reboot, so you don’t have to. Spoilers ahead.
There were a few things I actually liked about the reboot. I really appreciated the casting. The actors had talent and there was much needed diverse casting, unlike the original. But the writing didn’t do justice to their identities. The young actors seem like they might become key actors of our generation, so I’m ready to see what else the principal cast will work on. Another interesting part of the reboot was how the plot was flipped and the teachers were behind the enigmatic “Gossip Girl.” I like the idea of this twist, but the execution was lacking. Like how we know who Gossip Girl is from the very beginning of the first episode completely void of any anticipation. I did love the soundtrack. They used songs that cater to Gen Z and some of which are more less recently released, like Olivia Rodrigo, Lorde, and Ariana Grande to name a few.
The writing was only okay. It was timely but seemed like it was trying a little too hard, like when the pandemic was referenced. Some of the writing left me confused and wondering why they made certain choices. A Gossip Girl reboot could have been cool, but this one was not. So maybe watch it, maybe don’t?