HBO Max's Gossip Girl [1] reboot is shaking up the Upper East Side. The new series premiered on July 8 and while it features some key differences — including the reveal of Gossip Girl in the very first episode [2] — you can rest assured that it still pays tribute to the original series. Throughout the first episode, there are a handful of fun Easter eggs that will get fans very excited, including a few casual name drops and some intentional fashion choices [3]. It's still unclear if any stars from the original will make an appearance, but the cast guaranteed that there will be even more references to the original as the season goes on. While chatting with POPSUGAR ahead of the premiere, Zión Moreno and Savannah Smith both noted that there is one particular Easter egg in episode four that they think fans of the original will "really love." Read ahead for all the Easter eggs in episode one, and be sure to check back for more when new episodes drop on HBO Max every Thursday.
Gossip Girl Episode 1 Easter Eggs
- Zoya tells her dad that she is attending Constance Billard School in hopes of getting into Yale. Not only is this storyline similar to Dan and Jenny attending Constance and St. Jude's to get into better colleges, but Yale is the school Blair always dreamed of attending.
- If you pay close attention to detail, the fashion on the show actually includes some sly Easter eggs. Early in the episode, Julien is shown looking up clothes on Alice + Olivia, which was featured heavily on the original. At one point, Luna shades Zara clothing, which was also featured heavily on the original. Even Kate's outfit is supposed to be a tribute to the outfit Serena wore in the pilot [5].
- During a scene in the teacher's lounge, we get our first name drop of a character from the original series. As Kate rants about all the privileged students at Constance Billard School, she notes all the incredible alumni the school has produced, including Nate Archibald.
- In that same conversation, one of the faculty members and a former student at Constance Billard School introduces the teachers to the former Gossip Girl [6] website, which features a handful of iconic blasts from the original series.
- While Zara clothing and headbands appear to be out of style in this reboot, sitting on the steps of the Met is not. We get a shot of all the students hanging out by the museum in the first episode.
- Though Kristen Bell [7] is back as the voice of Gossip Girl, her iconic intro is slightly different. Now she says Gossip Girl is "your one and only source for the truth behind the scandalous lives of New York's elite." This is likely due to the fact that characters on the show don't just live on the Upper East Side anymore: Julien is in Tribeca and Obie lives in Brooklyn.
- All the characters have striking similarities to the original characters, but the first episode clearly states that Julien and Zoya are the new Serena and Blair of this series, which is precisely why Gossip Girl 2.0 tries to pit them against each other to start more drama.