The Gossip Girl Reboot: watch or skip?

I think we were all really looking forward to that reboot of Gossip Girl. But that enthusiasm fades — at least for me — quite quickly when such a series isn't immediately available in the Netherlands. I really don't understand those streaming services: Videoland, Discovery, are you guys sleeping or something? We. Want. Gossip. Girl. Well, I was a bit disappointed and bored with the current series, so I took the somewhat less kosher routes and started streaming Gossip Girl. And I thought you’d definitely want to know if I can recommend it to you or not. Here it comes.

Okay, first let's go over the whole concept: it indeed revolves around kids who go to Constance Billard. And the biggest highlight so far is that Kristen Bell reprises her ‘role’ as Gossip Girl. In that sense, it feels very much like Gossip Girl, but actually, that's where it stops a bit. But that's not a bad thing: I found the first episode really entertaining as a series in itself, not because I felt like I was watching Gossip Girl.

But what they do have again: the bitchiness, the gossip, New York, lifestyle of the rich and famous, so in that sense, it really is a Gossip Girl setting. I just expected more references to the OG gang. I think they only know who Nate and Dan are (they get name-dropped right in the first episode), but they've never heard of a Chuck. I mean, hello: it's Chuck Bass. How do these people not know him?

It's funny that Gossip Girl is also immediately explained in the first episode, because a teacher tells her colleagues that it was such a big deal back then. And maybe this is a spoiler, but it's honestly clear in the first episode: the teachers decide to bring Gossip Girl back. As in: they are going to do it THEMSELVES, after they have delved into Blair, Chuck, and Serena who did the most terrible things and ended up on Gossip Girl. I don't know much about teaching, but I have the feeling that this isn't really part of your job description when you take such a job.

But okay, quite a funny (but not exactly ethically responsible) twist. I also find their whole motivation quite intense: they never want that kind of students like Blair and Chuck again, so they want to keep the reins in their own hands by being Gossip Girl themselves. Sorry, but isn't that guaranteed chaos?

The answer is: yes. There is chaos, intrigue, cheating, and love triangles, that kind of stuff, but it is also pointed out that Gossip Girl was a bit white in terms of people and now has much more attention for inclusivity. Many topics are also really relevant and very current. Oh yes, and they are back on the steps of the Met. Loooove it.

In short, it's actually just really a recommendation. I want to go back to New York immediately and even though I don't yet love the characters like I did with the original series, it's starting to come.

PS: The only thing that really bothered me is that one of the teachers looks much younger than the students. Couldn't they have cast someone who looks a bit older?