HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot has accomplished its goal of updating the original series for the modern age of social media. The reboot's contribution in terms of characters has drawn many comparisons to the original gang. These constant comparisons might be somewhat irritating to fans of the new series, who wish for it to be considered on its own merits.
The similarities between the old and new GG can be striking, however, which gives viewers plenty to analyze. Despite attempts to attract a new, younger audience with characters very firmly entrenched in the present, the echoes to the old crew persist. Perhaps these similarities are intentional (it certainly seems so), and the goal is to update the old Gossip Girl for the modern age in a more literal sense. The biggest difference between the old and the new GG is the role of the teachers, but for now, we’re going to focus on the student that Gossip Girl does her (or his, or their) reporting on.
7. Obie Bergman/Dan Humphrey
Obie (Eli Brown) and Dan (Penn Badgley) are the resident moralizers of the Upper East Side. Obie is a shock because, after the finale of the original Gossip Girl, many didn’t think it was possible for someone to be less likable than Dan Humphrey. The new GG writers have achieved this with Obie, who has all of the privileges of his classmates (and then some), which makes his judgemental attitude all the more unbearable.
Both Obie and Dan spend part of their first season torn between two girls. Obie is caught between his longtime girlfriend, Julien (Jordan Alexander), and her younger sister, Zoya (Whitney Peak). Dan was also once caught between an it-girl and an activist when he struggled to choose between Serena (Blake Lively) and Vanessa (Jessica Szohr).
6 - Aki Menzies/Nate Archibald
Like Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford) before him, Aki Menzies (Evan Mock) is one half of the “perfect couple”. Also like Nate, Aki has something of a wandering eye. His reasons for this differ from his heavily-banged predecessor: Aki is questioning his sexuality (valid), while Nate just slept with his girlfriend’s best friend (less valid). Another thing the two have in common is their strained relationships with their fathers. Aki’s father has questionable political alliances, while Nate tries to pin his drug use on him when his wife finds out about it. The last thing these two have in common? In spite of all these scandals, they are both really, really boring characters!
5 - Audrey Hope/Blair Waldorf
Both Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind) and Blair (Leighton Meester) have somewhat strained relationships with their fashion-designer mothers. Audrey’s mother has substance abuse problems, while Blair’s mother simply doesn’t appear to show much interest in her at the start of the series. They also share absentee fathers (join the club!). Audrey and Blair also seek comfort in the resident Bad Boy when their own boyfriends aren’t acting right. They’re both unapologetically mean, classic, and poised, and Audrey literally shares the name of Blair’s favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn.
4 - Julien Calloway/Serena van der Woodsen
Both Julien Calloway and Serena van der Woodsen start off their respective series with a secret pertaining to a younger sibling. Julien is hiding the fact that she bribed Constance to let her younger half-sister Zoya attend, while Serena is hiding her brother’s recent suicide attempt. Julien is an influencer, the 2021 version of the socialite that Serena was before the era of social media. Like Serena, Julien often claims to be all changed and enlightened, and above the drama that her friends are always diving into headfirst. However, when push comes to shove, Julien and Serena get just as catty as the rest of their social circle.
In addition to these fun facts, both Julien and Serena have shown a proclivity for sleeping with the significant others of those closest to them. Julian does this with her younger sister’s boyfriend, and Serena with her best friend’s. To be fair to Julien, however, she did date Obie first. Both young women also suffer from the actions of their parents. Davis is accused of sexual misconduct, and Lily (Kelly Rutherford) famously falsely accused one of Serena’s teachers of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with her daughter (which, he sort of did, only not in the way she accused him of).
3 - Zoya Lott/Jenny Humphrey
Like Little J (Taylor Momsen) before her, Little Z finds her attempts to be friends with the in-crowd met with a chilly reception. Though Julien (like Serena) is often nice enough and willing to let her into the group, the others (Audrey, Luna, and Monet, mirroring the behavior of Blair and her minions) make it clear that Zoya is not and will never be truly welcome. Like Jenny, Zoya comes from the New York private school version of a poor background, complete with a Rufus-esque dad that enjoys talking about doing the right thing (but makes much less bolognese).
2 - Luna and Monet/Blair’s Minions
The GG reboot teases the idea of making Luna (Zíon Moreno) and Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) actual characters outside of their status as Julien’s minions. It doesn’t quite succeed in its first season, but it does promise to give them more to do in season two. Here’s hoping that Monet steps out from Julien’s shadow because she could just be the next Blair Waldorf if she plays her cards right. Blair could take Serena down in her sleep, and Monet could do the same to Julien if she really tried.
1- Max Wolfe/Chuck Bass
Max (Thomas Doherty) and Chuck (Ed Westwick) both expose their father’s cheating in Season 1, only to regret the consequences of doing so. They each live hedonistic lifestyles and rely heavily on self-medicating to avoid dealing with their feelings. Both young men are very sexual beings and succeed in seducing the more uptight members of their friend group. As a result of these seductions, Max and Chuck are confused to discover that they actually have human feelings.
Max Wolfe has the clearest edge over his original Gossip Girl counterpart. For one, he never sexually assaulted anyone (remember Chuck’s behavior in the pilot?). Furthermore, Max hasn’t sold anyone for a hotel (so far). Chuck definitely committed the most transgressions in the original Gossip Girl, and while Max isn’t an angel, he’s far from Chuck Bass.