Gossip Girl scenes compared to ‘soft porn’ ahead of HBO Max launch

Original series attracted a similar response from scandalised parent groups

Roisin O'Connor
Thursday 10 June 2021 10:48 BST
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Full trailer released for Gossip Girl reboot

It sounds as though the new Gossip Girl series will be as scandalous as the original.

The first trailer for HBO Max’s revamped show, starring an all-new cast with a few familiar faces as well, was released this week.

The series is scheduled to debut in July, but sources claiming to have previewed the first few episodes have shared some insight into what to expect.

According to Page Six, the episodes involve some explicit sex scenes, with a source claiming they came close to “soft porn”.

“I feel that this new iteration is trying too hard,” they said. “They’re ruining something that’s classic, and at the same time, hyper-sexualising these young actors in particular, which is really quite offensive.”

Gossip Girl first aired in 2007 and ran for six seasons, concluding in 2012. The series regularly sparked controversy among conservative critics, including the Christian Parents Television Council, who denounced the exploits of its teenage characters.

In response, showrunners ran several advertisements quoting the negative reactions, including “Every Parents Nightmare” and “Mind-Blowingly Inappropriate”.

The show’s original creators — Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage — and executive producer Joshua Safran have all returned for the reboot.

The lead cast includes Emily Alyn Lind, Thomas Doherty, Jordan Alexander, Savannah Lee Smith, Evan Mock and Zión Moreno.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Safran described the series as a “continuation” of the original show, rather than a remake, with the events still taking place on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, New York.

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“This group is nothing like the old group,” Page Six’s source claimed.

Gossip Girl’s original “voice”, actor Kristen Bell, appeared on The Tonight Show yesterday (Wednesday 9 June) to discuss her role in the new show.

“I love [voiceovers] – I like the challenge of having to evoke emotion from the audience using only one tool,” she said. “The new show is really cool because it talks about how social media has changed us, it’s more risqué, and there’s a twist at the end of episode one that’s really different.”

You can read about the first trailer from the series here.

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