Sophia Michaels
Next week’s season finale of HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot will instead potentially serve as a series finale after the streaming service announced Thursday that it had canceled the series ahead of Season three.
A reboot of the cult CW series, the new Gossip Girl served as one of the centerpieces of the then-just announced HBO Max, which greenlit the new series in 2019, nearly a full year before the streaming service officially launched.
While the first season generated the best ratings for a TV show for the streaming service up to that point and quickly garnered a second-season renewal, Gossip Girl ultimately didn’t live up to the lofty expectations of both critics and fans of the original series, which ran for six seasons from 2007 to 2012.
“We are very grateful to showrunner/executive producer Joshua Safran, and executive producers Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz for bringing us back to the Upper East Side and all the scandals at Constance Billard,” HBO Max said in a statement (via Variety). “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.”
While HBO Max canceled the series — which is something the streaming service has done a lot of in recent months — showrunner Safran said in a post on Instagram that he was hopeful (but realistic) about finding a home for Gossip Girl’s third season.
“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,” Safran wrote. “We are currently looking for another home, but in this climate, that might prove an uphill battle, and so if this is the end, at least we went out on the highest of highs. Thank you for watching, and I hope you’ll tune into the finale next Thursday to see how it all comes together.”
