It’s been a little over four years since one of our favourite shows, Gossip Girl, finished out its last season and left us wanting more. We miss the days of never-ending drama between Blair and Serena and the episodes when we all thought Gossip Girl was really Vanessa or Georgina. Years later, Gossip Girl is a distant dream. In an age of ever-changing culture and technology, it feels like we’re losing touch with Gossip Girl as it gets more and more outdated. But have no fear, Riverdale is here, and it’s dishing us an updated Gossip Girl world à la 2017.
Riverdale, set in the realm of the Archie comics, revolves around teens Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, and Veronica Lodge, as school starts up again following a fellow student’s mysterious death. The show introduces us to a crew of East Coast high school students with dramatic lives, dark pasts, and dirty secrets. It sounds pretty enticing, huh? We've seen CW nail teen dramas time and time again, so it's not shocking that this show is already successfully at drawing us in.
Although Gossip Girl never gave us such dark vibes quite so early on in the series as Riverdale, there are some undeniable similarities between the two shows that leaving us wondering: Is Riverdale the new Gossip Girl?
The blonde and brunette.
Betty and Veronica remind us a lot of another iconic blonde and brunette duo (cough cough, Serena and Blair). It seems like their friendship is already off to a rocky start, just like how Blair and Serena started out in Gossip Girl season 1 after Serena’s sudden return to New York.
Photo Courtesy of CW.
The Manhattan wardrobe.
We can’t help but notice that Veronica has a very Blair-esque aesthetic going on with her prim and proper Jackie Onassis style. We have yet to see a headband yet, but our fingers are crossed.
Photo Courtesy of CW.
The mogul mum.
While we’re at it, Veronica’s mother, Hermione Lodge, reminds us of a certain fashion mogul mother from Gossip Girl. Although she doesn’t own a famous clothing line like Eleanor Waldorf, Hermione is a newly minted single mom used to the lavish life.
Photo Courtesy of CW.
The lusted-after prep.
Is Archie our new Nate Archibald? Besides the obvious similarity between Archie’s first name and Nate’s last name, both Betty and Veronica seem to be pining for his attention at the same time, just like Serena and Blair’s never-ending fight over Nate. Additionally, Archie definitely has that all-star prep look going on.
Photo Courtesy of CW.
The diarist.
Jughead is clearly 2017’s version of lonely boy. Just like Dan Humphrey, Jughead is already painted as the moody, tortured writer who has an interesting past with the main characters. He’s also interestingly the narrator of the show so far, which is giving us major Gossip Girl vibes (XOXO).
Photo Courtesy of CW.
The older women.
We’ve already talked about how tired we are of the “hot teacher” trope, but it looks like Archie’s in trouble. Archie’s relationship with Miss Grundy reminds us a lot of Gossip Girl. Remember Dan’s inappropriate affair with Constance teacher Rachel Carr and Nate’s promiscuous relationship with Diana Payne?
Photo Courtesy of CW.
The well-meaning dad.
Archie’s relationship with his dad is very similar to that of Nate’s in Gossip Girl season 1. Whereas Archie’s dad does seem more grounded than Captain Archibald (no signs point to a drug addiction so far), Mr. Andrews has high hopes for his son to follow in his footsteps and take over the family business one day.
Photo Courtesy of CW.
The scandalous frenemy.
Cheryl Blossom, sister of the late Jason Blossom, gives off major Georgina Sparks flashbacks. This character’s story arc is dark, and she’s clearly up to no good. Just like Georgina’s scandalous friendship with Serena on Gossip Girl, there’s clearly some sort of history between Cheryl and Betty, and we’re intrigued to find out more. If this character is anything like Georgina, there’s only a matter of time before shit goes down.
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