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Parents' Guide to

Gossip Girl (2021)

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Drugs, sex, language in oddly colorless teen drama reboot.

TV Max Drama 2021
Gossip Girl (2021) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 7 parent reviews

mila.takahashi
mila.takahashi Adult
July 31, 2021
age 18+

I am in shock

Entertaining? perhaps. but OMG I am 27 but what the f**k are the writers/directors/ thinking when making this show? what kind of message are they sending to young people? what hell are they trying to normalize?? This is simply not okay. no underage should ever watch this show. it's sad where the media is trying to take youth just because "accepting" is a trend. we cant forget values are also important. The fact that these tv shows normalize underage consumption of drugs, promiscuity, alcohol consumption, smoking, the message that the sexuality of a homosexual couple will influence their kids sexual orientations (my point is that it's implying if you have homosexual parents you will be as well, there is nothing wrong with that but it can't be stereotyped like that), among so many other wrong messages because it's not like they are being resolved in a healthy way on the show. I am so disappointed it just so sad. fine, there are exaggerations accepted when trying to create entertaining content but there is a line especially when these shows are watched by young people.
Leon M.
Leon M. Parent of 18+-year-old
January 12, 2023
age 18+
3cjdusudjsjfueidgdusijuidjhducid Thats ur rating
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Almost a decade after its predecessor finished its tale of NYC private school kids gone wrong, GOSSIP GIRL is back with a brand new passel of students, and a new secret source chronicling their doings for a rapt online audience. Julien (Jordan Alexander) is the undisputed queen of her elite all-girl school, with a popular social media stream and designers begging her to walk in their fashion shows and wear their wares for her audience. But her reputation takes a tumble when Zoya (Whitney Peak) enrolls. Though they share a (now deceased) mother, the half-sisters are transformed from fledgling friends to rivals when a group of vengeful school insiders begin spreading gossip about them online. Now the game is on: Who can cause more damage and emerge as the leader of the Upper East Side school pack?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (6 ):

It strains for the blithe tone of the 2007 original, but it feels as if it's trying to be simultaneously socially conscious and tawdry, and there's a great big logical hole that mars the effort. Specifically, the identity of Gossip Girl, which in the original was a closely-held secret, eventually revealed to be (spoiler-free) a student at one of the pair of elite private schools in which the original was set. This time, viewers see the genesis of the new Gossip Girl right in the first episode, when a group of disgruntled teachers band together to teach these rotten rich kids a lesson. Teachers so over-involved with their students' lives that they follow them around seeking specific bits of tittle-tattle? It feels unethical and creepy, at times bordering on criminal, like when a male teacher lurks outside a student's apartment to watch two teens taking off their rain-wet clothing, snapping pictures that are soon published on social media (on Twitter this time instead of a blog; see? Relevance!). If that's not illegal, it certainly should be.

So the Gossip Girl device is weirdly weighted from the start, but it might have been forgivable if the rest of the show was solid. It's not. The group of popular kids anchored by influencer Julien feels colorless, tropey, full of types rather than fleshed-out characters: Julien's woke boyfriend Obie (Eli Brown) volunteers prominently for an anti-gentrification non-profit; Julien's main courtiers, Luna (Zión Moreno) and Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) do nothing but roll their eyes and emit put-downs; Julien herself is oddly blank for the supposed queen of her school. Only one of the in-crowd, pansexual pill-popping bad boy Max (Thomas Doherty), gins up the right amount of seamy heat, despite the many (many!) scenes of wealthy teens partying in sleek spaces. It's all a bit toothless, where the original grabbed attention and didn't let go, right from the start. There are more involving portraits of rich kids behaving badly; viewers may want to stick with an alternative instead.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the behavior portrayed in teen soaps like this. Parents, watch with your teens, and ask them if their friends are doing what these kids are. Do these teens seem realistic? Are they supposed to?

  • Families can also talk about stereotyping. What instances of stereotyping exist in Gossip Girl? Do the characters reflect the groups you see among your peers? To what degree is stereotyping necessary for the drama to be effective?

  • Is it OK to show teen sex, drinking, and drug use on television? Do shows like Gossip Girl present a realistic view of teen life, or is anything exaggerated for entertainment? What would the real-life consequences of the characters' behavior be?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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