Gossip Girl (2021 TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama streaming television series developed by Joshua Safran for HBO Max. It is an extension and a standalone sequel to The CW television series of the same name which is based on the novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series is executive produced by original series' co-creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, along with Safran, who was an executive producer on the first series and who also serves as showrunner. The series is narrated by Kristen Bell, who reprised her role as the voice of "Gossip  Girl", an anonymous and omniscient blogger. The series features an ensemble cast led by Jordan Alexander, Whitney Peak, Tavi Gevinson, Eli Brown, Thomas Doherty, Emily Alyn Lind, Evan Mock, Zión Moreno and Savannah Lee Smith. It was given a straight-to-series order in July 2019 by HBO Max. Filming takes place in New York City and was originally scheduled to begin in March 2020 before being delayed to November 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Gossip Girl" premiered on HBO Max on July 8 to mixed reviews, and broke the record for the most-watched HBO Max original series  over its launch weekend. The first season consisted of 12 episodes, split into two six-episode parts, with the second half debuting on November 25, 2021. In September 2021, the series was renewed for a second season. Premise. Nearly a decade after the conclusion of the original series, a new cast of Manhattan private schoolers takes the lead under the watchful eye of Gossip Girl, while demonstrating how much social media – and the landscape of New York City itself – has changed in the intervening years. "Gossip Girl" is slated to feature more adult content than the original on The CW , owing to the relaxed standards of the HBO Max streaming service. The series is also slated to be more diverse, with non-white leads and LGBT characters. In regard to continuity, executive producer and showrunner Joshua Safran stated that it is officially in the same continuity of the original "Gossip Girl" series. However, rather than a direct continuation of the story, it is instead set in the same world where previous characters existed and can be freely referenced and potentially reappear, but stars a different set of characters from a different point of view. Cast and characters. Main. The series  is narrated by Kristen Bell as the voice of "Gossip Girl", an online anonymous figure, reprising her role from the 2007 series. Production. Development. WarnerMedia ordered a revival of the series for HBO Max in July 2019. Although called a "reboot", it was confirmed to be a continuation of the original story by Josh Schwartz. On November 2, 2020, it was announced that Karena Evans would direct the first two episodes of the series. On September 9, 2021, HBO Max renewed the series for a second season. Writing. The creator and executive producer of the reboot, Safran, says that his  priorities for the series are "to focus on stories that are not limited to one demographic.". He also stated "I wanted to be more inclusive; I wanted to showcase a more diverse universe; I wanted to tell more queer stories.". Casting. In November 2019, it was announced Bell would be returning as the voice of Gossip Girl in the new series. In March 2020, it was reported Alyn Lind, Peak, Brown, Fernandez and Gotay were cast. Later that month, Gevinson, Doherty, Chanler-Berat and Moreno were reported to have joined as well. In April 2020, it was reported Smith had  joined the cast. In August 2020, Jordan Alexander joined the cast in a starring role. In October 2020, Evan Mock was cast as a series regular, while Benanti was cast in an undisclosed capacity. In March 2021, Lail joined the cast in an undisclosed role. In May 2021, Renée joined the cast in a recurring role. In June 2021, Ferguson and Harris joined the cast in an undisclosed capacities. Filming. Filming for the series was scheduled to begin in March 2020 in New York City but was put on hold due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the  United States, and as a result, the release date was pushed back to 2021. Production for the series began on November 2, 2020. Release. "Gossip Girl" premiered on HBO Max on July 8, 2021. The first six episodes of the series aired weekly, while the second slate of six episodes released November 25, 2021. The first season finale released on December 2, 2021. In June 2021, it was announced that The CW would broadcast the first episode of the reboot on July 9, the day after it premieres on the streaming service, with the episode available to stream on The  CW's online platforms after its broadcast. The series is acquired by BBC One and BBC iPlayer for the UK. For Canada, it's acquired by Crave. In Belgium, the series released on on July 9, 2021. Reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 37% based on 54 critic reviews, with an average rating of 4.90/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "An ambitious misfire, "Gossip Girl" stutters more than it struts, stranding a stacked cast in a sumptuous sea of rudderless drama." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 51 out of  100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".