Hey, Upper East Siders. Get ready to dust off your Chanel because the iconic teen drama series, Gossip Girl, is coming back for a reboot in 2021.

The original TV show, which aired from 2007 to 2012, focused on members of New York’s elite, ranging from the crafty Blair Waldorf to golden boy Nate Archibald. Despite the substantial sizes of their trust funds, their lives weren’t entirely easy, as they were constantly tangled in drama instigated by the popular gossip blog, Gossip Girl. 

Years after the show’s finale, loyal fans are excited to see it return, but significant aspects of the plot have been altered to fit the reboot’s modern timeframe. For example, the blog Gossip Girl was able to brew so much conflict on the Upper East Side because online connectivity was much rarer in the early 2000s than it is today. The reboot must now take social media into account. “It’s just a new look at this particular society in New York, the idea being that society changes constantly. So how has this world changed, how has social media and its effect changed? All of those things allow us to look at the world 12 years on as opposed to just redoing the story,” Gossip Girl screenwriter Joshua Safran said in The Hollywood Reporter. 

Some viewers are wary of the reboot because of the fundamental changes that have been made to the original plot of the show. “I really liked the original, Gossip Girl, but I’m unsure about watching the new one. There’s something about the time period that really adds to the original series. The whole point of the show was that everyone was only on this one website to spread gossip, so I think social media would just ruin that and I don’t see how they’ll successfully work around it,” junior Abigail Turner said.

Another significant change being made in the reboot is the cast. Although the original characters will still exist in the same universe as the new ones and may be mentioned on the show, the reboot is taking on an entirely new set of cast members. This time, diversity has been taken into consideration when casting new characters. “This time around the leads are nonwhite. There’s a lot of queer content on this show. It is very much dealing with the way the world looks now, where wealth and privilege come from, and how you handle that,” Safran said in Vulture.

This new, more diverse take on the show has been well received by viewers and invites the possibility of the show gaining new fans through its reboot. “To be honest, I didn’t like the original show, but I like that they’re including more diversity in the reboot. Shows were always just white and never represented people [of color]. I would possibly consider watching the new show for its inclusivity because I really like that they’re emphasizing diversity,” junior Elizabeth Ipe said.