The first episode of the series was released on HBO Max on July 8, featuring plenty of Easter eggs and references to the original show.
Karolina Wojtasik/HBO Max
HBO Max; The CW
On the continuation series, a teacher at Constance Billard named Kate Keller (played by former-blogger-turned-actress Tavi Gevinson) is seen on a train passing through Brooklyn.
On the original show, the premiere opened with Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) on a train arriving at Grand Central Station.
A shot of Kate looking through the window during her commute is reminiscent of Serena doing the same thing in the original pilot.HBO Max; The CW
The context for the two moments differs, though. Kate is en route to Constance Billard for the first day of the new school year.
On the original show, Serena made a return to NYC after attending a boarding school.
Kate's outfit bears a resemblance to Serena's.HBO Max; The CW
Both characters are seen wearing striped shirts, tan jackets, and printed scarves around their necks.
The Calloway home has a table that includes an MTV Video Music Awards moon-person statue and four Grammy awards.HBO Max
The trophies belong to Julien Calloway's (Jordan Alexander) dad named Davis, who works in the music industry.
Zoya Lott (Whitney Peak) is an artist, as indicated by the "art not war" sign that can be seen in her room as she gets ready for her first day at Constance.HBO Max
The decor of Zoya's room also indicates that she lives a less opulent life than the other characters.
A table in Zoya's room has a stack of books from prolific authors, like Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.HBO Max
The pile includes Morrison's "The Bluest Eye," Baldwin's "Notes on a Native Son," and a literary magazine called the Paris Review.
Zoya's wearing a headband for her first day of high school, a hallmark accessory on the original series.HBO Max; The CW
On the new show, it's technically a scarf that Zoya wears on her head. Julien's friend Monet de Haan (Savannah Lee Smith) scoffs at Zoya's fashion choice later on in the episode, implying that headbands are no longer as fashionable as they used to be.
Zoya's uniform looks similar to the one worn by Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen) on the original series.HBO Max; The CW
Both characters are doe-eyed and naive when they arrive at Constance Billard.
Julien lives in a penthouse in Tribeca and Zoya resides in an apartment on the Upper West Side.HBO Max
This is revealed when viewers see Julien ordering a metallic dress from Alice + Olivia online. She lists Zoya's address as the shipping address but has the purchase billed to herself at 400 Duane St., Penthouse 55, New York, NY 10013.
Kate says the school produced "great people," including Caroline Kennedy, Coulson Whitehead, and Nate Archibald.The CW
Kate's mention of the original GG character Nate (Chace Crawford) suggests that he became a notable figure in the years since he was last seen on the prior show.
Although, a teacher named Rebecca Sherman (Sarah Baskin) reminds Kate that Nate didn't have a squeaky clean image when he was a student at St. Jude's.
Rebecca pulls up the Gossip Girl site and reminds everyone that Dan Humphrey was the blogger.The CW
"People thought it was me, but it was actually one of my classmates, Dan Humphrey," she says as she explains to her colleagues how GG kept the students in line and made them accountable for their actions.
It's unclear what Dan (Penn Badgley) has been up to since he came clean about his identity on the finale of the original series. But Kate refers to him as a "novelist," which means he's still a writer.
Rebecca's mention of people thinking she was GG at one point is a subtle callback to the original show.HBO Max
Showrunner Joshua Safran told The Wrap that the comment was "a very deep Easter egg" inspired by a plot from the original show.
"Rebecca Sherman is the name of the character at the end of Season 2 that they briefly think could be Gossip Girl before they think that it is Eric's boyfriend," he said.
The last GG blog post is from December 17, 2012. Coincidentally, that's the exact day that the original series aired its finale.HBO Max
The new show is set in 2021, nine years after the blog went dark. The series also takes place post-pandemic.
Kate calls out Blair Waldorf's (Leighton Meester) and Chuck Bass' (Ed Westwick) toxic relationship.HBO Max; The
As Kate scrolls through the GG blog, she says: "This Chuck and Blair thing is out of control. Definitely pre-cancel culture."
This is a nod to one of the most problematic and polarizing couples on the original show.
The other teachers also mention far-fetched, unrealistic plots from the original series, like Blair being the Princess of Monaco for six months or high-school senior Dan getting published in the New Yorker.
Julien name-drops celebrity tattoo artist Dr. Woo.HBO Max
This moment happens when Julien and Zoya meet in the bathroom and reveal the matching tattoos they got. Julien getting inked by a famous artist further highlights her wealth and social status.
Julien and her crew gather at the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a staple from the original show.Emily V. Aragones/HBO Max; The CW
The Met was a common spot for the characters of the original series to eat lunch and gossip about their peers.
Audrey Hope (Emily Alyn Lind) reads "Ornament and Silence: Essays on Women's Lives" by Kennedy Fraser while sitting on the steps.HBO Max
The essays were published in 1996 and discuss the dynamics of women in affairs, friendships, and families. It could be a hint at what fans can expect from Audrey's storylines this season.
Obie (Eli Brown) drinks from a compostable, disposable cup.HBO Max
This is a nod to his character being environmentally and socially conscious. In the same episode, Julien calls him "guilty rich."
The series premiere references Chuck being heartbroken during season one of the original show.HBO Max; The CW
On the HBO show, the teachers read a post that says, "Spotted: Chuck Bass losing something no one knew he had. His heart."
The same phrase was uttered by GG on season one, episode 10 ("Hi, Society") when Chuck became jealous after seeing Blair and Nate kissing.
On episode two, Zoya carries a tote bag supporting Black-owned businesses.HBO Max
The show's costume designer, Eric Daman, told InStyle that Zoya's status as an outsider informs her accessories.
"She has aspirations that are socio-political and is an activist," he said. "We integrate that and what that means to how she dresses with vintage and incorporating Black-owned businesses with school totes that she uses or sweatshirts."
Audrey reads "Black Swans: Stories" by Eve Babitz on episode two.HBO Max
The book is a collection of nine short stories centered on the 1980s and early 1990s. Babitz addresses everything from sex and drugs to youth culture and politics.
The most recent photo on Max Wolfe's Instagram, which shows him with his dads during episode four, is captioned "Wolfe Pack."HBO Max
The image was taken at the start of the evening, at the opening night of Jeremy O. Harris' off-Broadway play before Max's plan went terribly wrong.
Fans are reintroduced to original GG character Georgina Sparks' (Michelle Trachtenberg) son named Milo on episode four.HBO Max
On the episode, he refers to himself as Milo Sparks — though fans of the original series will recall that his surname used to Humphrey because Dan Humphrey is legally his father. Milo's biological father is a Russian man named Serge, who was married and had an affair with Georgina.
Milo was born at the start of season four of the original show.
On the new iteration, Milo tells Zoya that he's a 10-year-old boy in the eighth grade at St. Jude's, with a knack for problem-solving.
Milo's home features framed photos of Georgina posing with famous people. There's also a photo of Blair Waldorf on the wall.HBO Max
Zoya reluctantly accepts Milo's help in her ongoing feud with Julien. At the house, the camera pans to images of Georgina with Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin, Elon Musk, and Ed Sheeran.
Audrey reads another book of essays on episode five.HBO Max
She carries iconic writer Joan Didion's 1979 book "The White Album," which examines American life in the '60s.
Zoya carries the book "Looking for Lorraine" on the bus.HBO Max
The biography was written by Imani Perry and centered on late playwright Lorraine Hansberry, known for the play "A Raisin in the Sun."
Considering Zoya's love for theater, her book choice makes sense. But instead of reading it, Zoya finds herself obsessively scrolling through Gossip Girl's Instagram posts.
Original "GG" character Nelly Yuki, played by Yin Chang, returns on the new series.HBO Max; The CW
She was first introduced as Blair's academic rival on season one of "Gossip Girl" and recurred on the series. On the final season, Nelly returned as a reporter from Women's Wear Daily.
On the new series, Nelly appears at a Halloween party dressed as editor Eva Chen. It's revealed that she now works at New York Magazine.
