[TV Show Review] The new ‘Gossip Girl’ is more decadent than the original and just as dramatic

Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Obie (Eli Brown), Julien (Jordan Alexander), Monet (Savannah Lee Smith), and Luna (Zión Moreno) rule the school in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Obie (Eli Brown), Julien (Jordan Alexander), Monet (Savannah Lee Smith), and Luna (Zión Moreno) rule the school in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

Cast: Jordan Alexander (Julien Calloway), Whitney Peak (Zoya Lott), Tavi Gevinson (Kate Keller), Eli Brown (Otto “Obie” Bergmann), Thomas Doherty (Max Wolfe), Emily Alyn Lind (Audrey Hope), Evan Mock (Akeno “Aki” Menzies), Zión Moreno (Luna La), and Savannah Lee Smith (Monet de Haan)

Jordan Alexander as Julien Calloway in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Jordan Alexander as Julien Calloway in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

Score: 4.5/5

Whitney Peak as Zoya Lott in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Whitney Peak as Zoya Lott in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

This review covers episodes 1-4 of Gossip Girl. New episodes premiere Thursdays on HBO GO.

Jordan Alexander as Julien Calloway in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Jordan Alexander as Julien Calloway in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

There’s no denying the appeal of Gossip Girl — who wouldn’t want to watch a show about nubile young adults (who act as teens) stirring up drama at every corner, living a decadent life of luxury, all while also managing to eke out time to lead perfectly curated lives online? The original Gossip Girl let us live vicariously through its main characters, as they engaged in habits or kept with fashion trends that only the rich and famous could. And now, the new Gossip Girl looks to fill the shoes (or glass slippers) of its original — and it’s a perfect fit!

Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Obie (Eli Brown), Luna (Zión Moreno), Julien (Jordan Alexander), and Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) hang out in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Obie (Eli Brown), Luna (Zión Moreno), Julien (Jordan Alexander), and Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) hang out in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

Gossip Girl is a teen drama that’s set in the same universe as the 2007 series of the same name. It revolves around the turbulent lives of wealthy teenagers even as the original Gossip Girl website returns — this time as a gossip Instagram account. However, Gossip Girl has some secrets of her own, and there’s never a dull day at school with these privileged students.

Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Obie (Eli Brown), Luna (Zión Moreno), Julien (Jordan Alexander), and Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) hang out while Zoya (Whitney Peak) sits by herself in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Obie (Eli Brown), Luna (Zión Moreno), Julien (Jordan Alexander), and Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) hang out while Zoya (Whitney Peak) sits by herself in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

Make no mistake — this series has a lot more debauchery than the original, which is evident from the second episode onwards. This is probably due to the fact that Gossip Girl gets to be on a streaming service this time around, rather than being on a television network (with stricter censorship rules). It’s raunchier than the original, and in a way, makes the decadent lifestyles of its core character seem more authentic. The scenes definitely skew towards a more diverse crowd, and it’s clear that it’s more inclusive of different demographics than the original.

Luna (Zión Moreno), Julien (Jordan Alexander), and Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Luna (Zión Moreno), Julien (Jordan Alexander), and Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

Hence, what really stands out is how much more representation the show has — both in terms of orientation, cultures and even fashion. It does more than pay lip service to these demographics (something that many shows which purport to be inclusive do), and actually has storylines that revolve around said demographics. After all, any show about teenagers has to have some coming-of-age tales, and what better way to tell such a story than by having some characters search for their identity? However, it maintains a balance by also covering many other storylines, which it is able to thanks to its large cast.

Thomas Doherty as Max Wolfe in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Thomas Doherty as Max Wolfe in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

The drama definitely holds up, making it worthy of its title. The show is not afraid to shake up the status quo, and it seems like every episode has some life-changing moment for its characters. Fans of the original Gossip Girl will remember how the two female leads were frenemies, and how they could backstab each other but go back to being friends in just one episode. The same dynamic can be seen here, with the added wrinkle of two of the characters being related to each other.

Thomas Doherty as Max Wolfe in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Thomas Doherty as Max Wolfe in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

The show also features Instagram heavily as a social media site that all the characters use. But instead of just using it as a plot device, the show shows an intimate familiarity with Instagram’s myriad functions and how to engineer certain outcomes. It doesn’t shy away from the technicalities (which social media geeks may enjoy) and indulges in being ultra specific with the different aspects of Instagram.

Zoya (Whitney Peak) confronts Julien (Jordan Alexander) in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Zoya (Whitney Peak) confronts Julien (Jordan Alexander) in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

However, the appeal of this reboot lies squarely with the teenage characters. Unlike the original, the adults of the show are just… bland. In fact, some of the adult characters can be downright childish, way more so than the supposed children of Gossip Girl. While it can be construed as making a statement about appearances and such, it feels more like a case of not knowing what to do with the adult characters. Their misadventures just aren’t as interesting as those of the core cast.

Julien (Jordan Alexander), Max (Thomas Doherty), Aki (Evan Mock), and Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind) in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Julien (Jordan Alexander), Max (Thomas Doherty), Aki (Evan Mock), and Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind) in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

Gossip Girl is raunchier than its predecessor, and holds great promise in just four episodes. If you’re a fan of the original, then you’ll enjoy seeing a character who bears the same surname as a character from the first series. With so much debauchery and drama going on, this new series seems like it’s going to be a winner. XOXO.

Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Obie (Eli Brown), Julien (Jordan Alexander), Monet (Savannah Lee Smith), and Luna (Zión Moreno) rule the school in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)
Aki (Evan Mock), Max (Thomas Doherty), Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Obie (Eli Brown), Julien (Jordan Alexander), Monet (Savannah Lee Smith), and Luna (Zión Moreno) rule the school in Gossip Girl. (HBO Max)

This article was written for and first published on Yahoo Lifestyle SEA.


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I’m an independent scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site

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