Culture

HBO Max’s Gossip Girl revival cancelled after two seasons

By Sam Damshenas

20th January 2023

Gossip Girl has been axed after two seasons.

News of the revival’s cancellation coincided with the airing of season two’s penultimate episode, I Am Gossip.

Josh Safran, showrunner, wrote on social media: “So here’s the goss: it is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce Gossip Girl will not be continuing on HBO Max.

“The EPs and I will forever be grateful to the network and studio for their faith and support; the writers for their devious brains and dexterous talent; the superstar cast for being the greatest of collaborators and friends; and the crew for their hard work, dedication and love for the project.

“This was honestly the greatest set I ever worked on, top to bottom.”

Safran revealed that he’s “looking for another home” for the LGBTQ+ inclusive series, “but in this climate, that might prove an uphill battle, and so if this is the end, at least we went out on the highest of highs.

“Thank you all for watching, and I hope you’ll tune into the finale next Thursday to see how it all comes together. xoxo”.

According to THR, season two “was designed with some finality”.

HBO Max said in a statement: “We are very grateful to Josh Safran, Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz for bringing us back to the Upper East Side and all the scandals at Constance Billard.

“Although we are not moving forward with a third season of Gossip Girl, we thank them for the enticing love triangles, calculated backstabbing and impeccable fashion this series brought to a new audience.”

Although the Gossip Girl revival was met with a mixed response, the salacious teen drama succeeded expectations when it became the streamer’s most-watched original series in its debut weekend.

It did receive praise, however, for its racial diversity and more authentic representation of the LGBTQ+ community, with leading queer characters such as Max Wolfe (Thomas Doherty), Luna La (Zion Moreno), Aki Menzies (Evan Mock) and Monet de Haan (Savannah Lee Smith).

Here’s how fans reacted to the cancellation: