- By PAIGE PETRONE
“You know you love me, xoxo” was the famous saying that blogger Gossip Girl used when signing off her scandalous posts … and we all did love her! The original Gossip Girl on The CW was a huge hit for the network, ran for six seasons, and launched the careers of Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Chace Crawford, and Penn Badgley. The show was based on a bunch of over-privileged upper east side high school kids and all the drama surrounding them at their private school, as well as their families.
HBO Max has taken a shot at reviving this series with a new cast of characters with updated twists and a promise to “shatter reputations.” With the growing ratings wars of streaming services, HBO’s hipper, sexier version of GG should undoubtedly deliver the goods! The series begins with a new generation of Manhattan private schoolers getting introduced to ruthless social media attention — eight years after the original blogger’s site went dark. (Kristen Bell returns as the voice of GG.) The cast will feature more diversity, with nonwhite leads and LGBTQ characters, including Thomas Doherty, Emily Alyn Lind, Jordan Alexander, Evan Mock, Eli Brown, Whitney Peak, Tavi Gevinson, Savannah Lee Smith, Jason Gotay, Johnathan Fernandez, Megan Ferguson, Lyne Renée, and Broadway favorites Donna Murphy and Laura Benanti. The new Gossip Girl will air its first six episodes weekly, with another six episodes slated to air in the fall.
Premiering July 8th on HBO Max. Click here.
