The Gossip Girl Creator Explained Why Blair And Serena Won't Be In The Reboot
"If Blair showed up for two scenes, you'd say, 'I want more Blair.'"
Hey, Upper East Siders: The Gossip Girl reboot is almost here, so get pumped to meet a new generation of ultra-rich, angsty NYC teens. Just don’t expect original it-girls like Blair Waldorf or Serena van der Woodsen to pop up. According to showrunner Joshua Safran, who created the new Gossip Girl, fans may spy some original cast members — just not the ones they may have expected.
The 2021 series opens eight years after the original Gossip Girl ended, and the anonymous blog that reported on New York prep school teens’ scandalous secrets went dark. Now a new threat has begun surveilling them, reflecting just how much social media and the city have changed in recent years. But although this show takes place in the same universe as the original CW drama, don’t expect any members of the old Gossip Girl’s core friend group to show up in Season 1. However, there are some cameos to watch out for in the meantime.
“There are some cameos in Season 1 from people on the original show, but not the series regulars,” Safran told The Daily Beast in a July 1 interview. “We made a decision early on — and I was nervous about this decision, but definitely came to believe it was right — that the audience would never accept these characters if they were in the shadow of the original characters. They’re already in the shadow of the original characters, but if the original characters were there with them in some way, why would you want to briefly get to know [new character] Zoya if you suddenly can see Nate?”
He also pointed out that with 16 series regulars and 22 recurring characters, the show just doesn’t have room for a ton guest appearances. “Because the show is bigger, there isn’t enough time. If Blair showed up for two scenes, you’d say, ‘I want more Blair,’” Safran added. “The decision was: Let’s get Season 1 under our belt, and should we get a Season 2, we’ll have the chance to bring in cameos that are more than glorified cameos but actually give them storylines. Hopefully we’ll get there and will reach out to the cast if that time comes and see if they’ll want to come.”
Fingers crossed for a Constance Billard and St. Jude’s reunion!
Gossip Girl premieres on Thursday, July 8, on HBO Max.
