Welcome back YEM readers! We must address the elephant in the room that we all know is lingering among us. HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl” has returned for another scandalous season! To get the inside scoop, YEM had the opportunity to interview none other than the Executive Producer & writer of the show Joshua Safran! In the interview, Joshua shares a few secrets about what season two will introduce to the returning viewers of the last season that debuted in 2021.
For those of you who may not have watched the original “Gossip Girl”, it was a series that originally aired on the CW network from 2007 to 2012. The show was based on a series of young adult novels by the same name, written by Cecily von Ziegesar. Viewers get a point of view of a group of wealthy and privileged teenagers who attend an exclusive private school in New York City’s Upper East Side. The series is narrated by an anonymous character named “Gossip Girl,” who uses a blog to spread rumors and scandals about the main characters. Back then, the show was popular because of its dramatic storylines, obscure scandals, and the high fashion that every teenager could dream of. Considering it was the early 2000s, it was a refreshing piece of television that was watched by many households.
However, now that we have transitioned into a new era of television, “Gossip Girl” returned in 2021 on the streaming service HBO Max. As expected, the show was the most-watched HBO Max series over its first weekend with over 555,000 viewers! It is obvious viewers want to know about the process of season two. We asked Joshua about what may be different about season two compared to season one. He replied that this season has the feeling of test driving a car, in the first season things are taken slowly. In season two we are going to feel like getting on a highway full throttle.
He also talked about how viewers have become more attached to the characters, season two is going to get more emotional than last season. Emotions plus shock value after Joshua continued, the character that he has always felt strong feelings for the fan-favorite character “Georgina Sparks” (Michelle Trachtenberg) in the original “Gossip Girl”. It has been confirmed she will actually be coming back to the new series. He said it was already in the plans for her return when the news broke about HBO Max rebooting the show.
Joshua mentioned that he knew that the new series’ first season would receive some confusion from old-school fans considering the old cast was not in the reboot. He made it clear that season one was a whole new concept that the fans had to learn to love. He humbly appreciates the love and support from all of the original and new fans that are keeping the show buzzing on social media.
