5 franchise reboots or spinoffs of popular shows (and why they didn't work)

Gossip Girl's Reboot Lost The Original Fun And Sass

In this case, MAX's Gossip Girl remake was created by the same team of writers who crafted the original CW Network Gossip Girl. So, it did not seem out of the realm of possibility that they would want to alter the show enough so that it did not feel like the exact same series a second time. To their credit, they did make a lot of changes that could have been interesting.

MAX's Gossip Girl tried to aim for conversations about protesting and other social justice issues and causes, as the 2021 iteration worked to reach out to teenagers and young adults who have stepped up in activism. Yet, the series never actually develops these conversations beyond the surface level. Instead, it is far more interested in discussing the impact of influencers in the age of social media.

But, for all the positive adjustments it tried to make, this version just could not keep up with what made the original so addictive.

The original Gossip Girl did spend plenty of time discussing financial gaps between the Upper East Side elite and the central characters who lived in Brooklyn. However, where this show really shined was in how it turned New York City into its own character and highlighted this world with bright colors and fun elements that allowed Gossip Girl to feel like a piece of escapism.

However, the biggest alteration, and downfall, of MAX's iteration is how the series handles Gossip Girl itself. In both shows, Kristen Bell voices the narration of Gossip Girl's posts. But, the nature of the mystery of the character, and motive for the posts is completely different.

In the original series, Gossip Girl's identity is a mystery until the series finale, where Dan finally reveals himself to be the elusive blogger. He explains how his feelings for Serena were the motivation behind the website and how people's interest and excitement resulted in how the Gossip Girl blog blew up into the monster it became.

While the reveal that Dan Humphrey was Gossip Girl may not always make sense, and there were various scenes that could arguably prove that it should not have been possible, he was still the most sensical choice of the main characters, and the final episodes did plant easter eggs that tried to prepare the audience for the eventual revelation.

Under Dan Humphrey, Gossip Girl was bright, intelligent, charismatic, and thirsty for tips and gossip. Kristen Bell's narration was of someone excited to stir the pot. Gossip Girl would tease a big story and would certainly cross the line at times, revealing things that would mess with their lives, but it was all under the vocal narration that sounded upbeat and light-hearted.

In MAX's version, Gossip Girl is revealed from the first episode, as the audience gets to watch the teachers team up to re-create Dan's mysterious alias. The teachers read through Dan's old posts, trying to learn how Gossip Girl influenced and impacted these people, then, because the teenage students at school are just too mean and bullying the teachers, the adults decide that they have had enough.

Under the teachers, Gossip Girl, rather than sounding like an excited peer, feels more like a judgmental and threatening figure. Rather than sounding light-hearted and joyful, Kristen Bell's narration is given a more grounded, dangerous approach. The writing for the narration is not as quick-witted and catchy as it had been previously, and even though the intent behind Gossip Girl's creation is different, it also has the teachers feeling more like they are trying to play God instead of reporting events.

Ultimately, Gossip Girl should have just been left in the past.