‘Gossip Girl’ Coming Back for Season 2: Everything to Know About the HBO Max Series

Credit: HBO Max

'Gossip Girl' Coming Back for Season 2: Everything to Know About the HBO Max Series

Hey, Upper East Siders! Gossip Girl is coming back for a second season — and there may be another cameo from one of the original cast members. Before the HBO Max series debuted in 2021, showrunner Joshua Safran emphasized that the new episodes were meant to be a continuation of the original CW teen drama. “I wish there was the proper word because it isn’t a remake, isn’t a reboot. It truly is just years after the original," he explained to Us Weekly in December 2019. "I kind of look at it as sort of what Marvel does or the DC Universe. You’re just looking at a different angle inside the universe." He didn't rule out the possibility of the OG cast coming back for a cameo or two, but many of the actors — including Penn Badgley, Blake Lively, Leighton Meester and Chace Crawford — are busy with other TV shows and films. Still, season 1 contained plenty of references to Serena van der Woodsen, Blair Waldorf and the gang, as well as the return of several minor characters, including Nelly Yuki (Yin Chang). In the original series, Nelly was a frenemy and academic rival of Blair's who eventually turned on Queen B. When she returned in the new show's first season, Nelly had established herself as a powerful magazine editor; the students run into her at a Halloween party. In June 2022, Gossip Girl's social media accounts teased a season 2 cameo from a major player in the original series: Georgina Sparks, who was portrayed by Michelle Trachtenberg. "It only takes one spark ... to start a fire," read the text over a video that showed Georgina sitting in an auditorium and clapping. HBO Max didn't confirm the casting news at the time, but Safran tweeted: “The cat has escaped the bag — thank Jesus!” Despite the return of the Upper East Side's most notorious socialite, Gossip Girl viewers likely shouldn't get their hopes up for a Blair or Nate appearance. "We made a decision early on — and I was nervous about this decision, but definitely came to believe it was right — that the audience would never accept these characters if they were in the shadow of the original characters," Safran told The Daily Beast in July 2021. "They’re already in the shadow of the original characters, but if the original characters were there with them in some way, why would you want to briefly get to know Zoya if you suddenly can see Nate?” Keep scrolling for everything to know about Gossip Girl season 2. [podcast_block]

Credit: HBO Max

'Gossip Girl' Coming Back for Season 2: Everything to Know About the HBO Max Series

Hey, Upper East Siders! Gossip Girl is coming back for a second season — and there may be another cameo from one of the original cast members. Before the HBO Max series debuted in 2021, showrunner Joshua Safran emphasized that the new episodes were meant to be a continuation of the original CW teen drama. “I wish there was the proper word because it isn’t a remake, isn’t a reboot. It truly is just years after the original," he explained to Us Weekly in December 2019. "I kind of look at it as sort of what Marvel does or the DC Universe. You’re just looking at a different angle inside the universe." He didn't rule out the possibility of the OG cast coming back for a cameo or two, but many of the actors — including Penn Badgley, Blake Lively, Leighton Meester and Chace Crawford — are busy with other TV shows and films. Still, season 1 contained plenty of references to Serena van der Woodsen, Blair Waldorf and the gang, as well as the return of several minor characters, including Nelly Yuki (Yin Chang). In the original series, Nelly was a frenemy and academic rival of Blair's who eventually turned on Queen B. When she returned in the new show's first season, Nelly had established herself as a powerful magazine editor; the students run into her at a Halloween party. In June 2022, Gossip Girl's social media accounts teased a season 2 cameo from a major player in the original series: Georgina Sparks, who was portrayed by Michelle Trachtenberg. "It only takes one spark ... to start a fire," read the text over a video that showed Georgina sitting in an auditorium and clapping. HBO Max didn't confirm the casting news at the time, but Safran tweeted: “The cat has escaped the bag — thank Jesus!” Despite the return of the Upper East Side's most notorious socialite, Gossip Girl viewers likely shouldn't get their hopes up for a Blair or Nate appearance. "We made a decision early on — and I was nervous about this decision, but definitely came to believe it was right — that the audience would never accept these characters if they were in the shadow of the original characters," Safran told The Daily Beast in July 2021. "They’re already in the shadow of the original characters, but if the original characters were there with them in some way, why would you want to briefly get to know Zoya if you suddenly can see Nate?” Keep scrolling for everything to know about Gossip Girl season 2. [podcast_block]

Credit: HBO Max

Where Did Season 1 Leave Off?

After a rocky start to the Gossip Girl blog, Kate (Tavi Gevinson) entered into a strange arrangement with Julien (Jordan Alexander). Julien promised to send in all the dirt on her friends, though she claimed that she wouldn't always tell the truth, and she vowed to keep trying to uncover Gossip Girl's true identity.

Max (Thomas Doherty) agreed to be part of a throuple with Aki (Evan Mock) and Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), while Obie (Eli Brown) moved on with a state senator's daughter named Grace (Anna van Patten). Obie also encouraged Julien to let him go.

Zoya (Whitney Peak) got to stay in New York City with her dad, Nick (Johnathan Fernandez), after Julien's dad, Davis (Luke Kirby), gave them money to maintain their apartment. Kate criticized Nick for compromising his principles, but he told her to stay away from him. Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) decided to plot a coup against Julien, while Luna (Zión Moreno) declined to make her relationship official with her upstate boy toy.

In October 2021, Safran confirmed that season 2 will take place in the second semester of the same school year covered by season 1, running from January to May in the characters' timeline. This period will include a prom episode.  

Credit: HBO Max

When Does Season 2 Premiere?

Production on the new episodes began in February 2022, and four months later, Safran tweeted that the cast and crew were about 75 percent finished with the season. The new episodes drop on December 1, 2022.

Credit: HBO Max

Who's Coming Back?

Alexander, Peak, Doherty, Brown, Mock, Lind, Moreno, Smith and Gevinson are all set to return. Original narrator Kristen Bell will also be back as the voice of Gossip Girl.

Credit: Stewart Cook/Shutterstock

What About OG Cameos?

Trachtenberg is the only confirmed cameo as of July 2022. The first season included appearances from original characters Eleanor Waldorf (Margaret Colin), Cyrus Rose (Wallace Shawn), Dorota (Zuzanna Szadkowski) and Vanya (Aaron Schwartz). Georgina's son, Milo, also popped up, though he was played by a different actor (Azhy Robertson) than he was during the show's original run.

Credit: MEGA

Are They Staying in New York?

Alexander, Mock, Brown, Peak and Lind were spotted filming for an upcoming episode in Rome, Italy, in August 2022.

Credit: Karolina Wojtasik/HBO Max

Is There a Trailer for ‘Gossip Girl’ Season 2?

The official teaser for season 2 dropped in November 2022, teasing even more secrets and schemes for the Constance/St. Jude students plus a VIP cameo.

“Did you know you have four weak points of entry and a very pliable super?” Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Georgina on the OG series, quipped in the clip to a shocked Kate (Gevinson).