According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Discovery's HBO Max has canceled its Gossip Girl reboot after two seasons. The news comes as the penultimate episode of the second season was released.
“So here’s the goss: it is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce Gossip Girl will not be continuing on HBO Max,” showrunner Josh Safran posted on social media. “The EPs and I will forever be grateful to the network and studio for their faith and support; the writers for their devious brains and dexterous talent; the superstar cast for being the greatest of collaborators and friends; and the crew for their hard work, dedication and love for the project. This was honestly the greatest set I ever worked on, top to bottom. We are currently looking for another home, but in this climate, that might prove an uphill battle, so if this is the end, at least we went out on the highest of highs. Thank you all for watching, and I hope you’ll tune into the finale next Thursday to see how it all comes together. xoxo”
HBO Max also released a statement, saying "We are very grateful to Josh Safran, Stephanie Savage, and Josh Schwartz for bringing us back to the Upper East Side and all the scandals at Constance Billard. Although we are not moving forward with a third season of Gossip Girl, we thank them for the enticing love triangles, calculated backstabbing, and impeccable fashion this series brought to a new audience."
The cancellation comes at a time when HBO Max, under WBD CEO David Zaslav, has been in cost-cutting mode. According to Deadline, the cancellation of Gossip Girl is not believed to be a financial decision, but a result of the show's inability to make a splash. Season one premiered in July 2021 and had the best debut for a Max original at the time, according to HBO Max.
"Gossip Girl returns to the Upper East Side with a new generation of elite private school teens and a fresh look at the impact of social media and the changing landscape of New York City. The cast includes Jordan Alexander, Eli Brown, Thomas Doherty, Tavi Gevinson, Emily Alyn Lind, Evan Mock, Zion Moreno, Whitney Peak, Savannah Lee Smith, Johnathan Fernandez, Adam Chanler-Berat, Todd Almond, Laura Benanti, Grace Duah and Megan Ferguson, with original series narrator Kristen Bell returning to guide viewers through the new scandal-ridden landscape. The series was created by the creators of the original CW series, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Josh Safran was showrunner.
