The recent talks about a “Gossip Girl” revival on HBO Max has me feeling a little bit nostalgic about the Upper East Side. As soon as I heard the news, the original series somehow captivated me back into its reins and had me watching Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and Blair Woldorf (Leighton Meester) as they ruled Constance Billard School for Girls, and navigated through their scandals with their classmates Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), and Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) at the neighboring school, St. Jude’s School for Boys.

This show sets the precedent for the ideal teenage drama series. The main characters are all living their high society lives while their secrets and scandals get leaked by Gossip Girl, an anonymous person that posts submitted messages on their website. “Gossip Girl” was aired in the turn of the social media era and was probably the first time many teenagers ever witnessed it. When I watched the series in 2015, it was still my first glimpse of social media. The show originally aired from 2007-2012. 

Along with taking on social media in its early days, “Gossip Girl”’s designer fashion was to die for. With the main characters attending society galas and exclusive fashion shows, there is never a dull moment of Serena and Blair’s wardrobe. I never realized this until I started really started paying attention to Blair’s signature headbands and Serena’s 15 outfit changes within the 42 minute episode. 

But, out of everything this show entails, my favorite part about this show is the character of Dan Humphrey. I know this is not a popular opinion. In fact, a lot of people dislike Dan because of his perpetual transition from a Brooklyn nobody to becoming more and more preppy. His character development throughout the show builds, as he loses part of his original personality each season, until he is ultimately revealed as Gossip Girl. This made no sense to me and the majority of the viewers, but that’s how it ended. 

Overall, I recommend “Gossip Girl” to everyone who likes a good drama series. Also, it is something that must be binged before the revival. This show was monumental in its time and still holds that same edge that made it so popular.