The Gossip Girl reboot aims to revolutionize the way we view one our favorite guilty pleasure TV shows. The cast of the HBO Max series cover the latest issue of Cosmopolitan, where they share how the show has evolved from the original series. Tavi Gevinson, who plays Kate Keller on the reboot, says the upcoming series makes the resentment amongst New York City’s upper crust and the work class much more explicit.
“Part of the fun of watching the old one at the time was, ‘Oh, this is what it’s like to be a very privileged teenager who can act with impunity,’ and living vicariously through that, but with this show, class resentment is a much more explicit part of it, which I’m very in tune with,” Gevinson said.
In addition to highlighting that class resentment, the reboot brings much-needed representation and diversity to the cast that better reflects the lives to todays teens.
“It’s really important for a Black girl, with twists in her hair, to be able to see someone in a position of power who looks like her. And it’s also important for kids in the suburbs or kids who don’t have a lot of Black friends or friends of color just to generally see us depicted in different ways,” explained Savannah Smith, who plays Monet de Haan on the show. “I think this could really change things. Maybe they’re not learning these things at home, but they’re seeing them on Gossip Girl. How amazing is that?”
While the cast kept many of the show’s secrets close to the chest, they did assure that one of our favorite guilty pleasure TV shows will be just that, but with a lot more representation.
There are a few other changes, too. It will take place eight years after the original website went dark (and after Penn Badgley’s Dan Humphrey revealed himself to be Gossip Girl) as a new generation of New York private school teens are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl. The series will address just how much social media — and the landscape of New York itself — has changed in the intervening years. The crux of the new Gossip Girl won’t revolve around the mystery of who the gossip maven actually is, but rather another twist that’s yet to be revealed.
On Wednesday, the show’s official Twitter account announced that the reboot will be coming to HBO Max this July.
“Good afternoon, followers. I need no introduction, but these New York elite do. Pleased to present your newest obsession — coming to @hbomax this July,” the tweet read. “Clear your calendars accordingly.”
