
It's a fish-out-of-water story that explores class and materialism through Ryan's experiences as an outsider and the lives of the entire Cohen family, who are less shallow and self-centered than their close-minded neighbors.
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Best known for its rapid ascent in the pop culture history books - and introducing a lot of people to the musical stylings of Death Cab for Cutie - the series stars Ben McKenzie as Ryan Atwood, a troubled teen from a broken home who is taken in by his public defender Sandy Cohen ( Peter Gallagher) and his wealthy wife Kirsten ( Kelly Rowan). is the show that paved the way for Gossip Girl to be a success. WB/Everett CollectionĬreated by Gossip Girl creator and executive producer Josh Schwartz and set against the sunny skies and fancy pool houses of the wealthy elite of Newport, California, The O.C. And while the mystery is the backbone of the series, it allows the show to explore more familiar issues of coming of age, like how far one might go to fit in, struggling with being gay in a conservative household, or the pitfalls that come with living in the age of social media.Īdam Brody, Rachel Bilson, Ben McKenzie, and Mischa Barton, The O.C.

Making effective use of flash-forwards, the show reveals how the teens' ambitions and desires eventually lead to the murder of one student and the disappearance of another, making the show a compelling entry into the teen drama genre while also adding a mystery twist to it. The division along class lines that formed the backdrop of The CW drama is also explored in the Spanish series, which is set at an exclusive private school and follows the lives of several students, including those who attend the school on scholarship, much like Dan did on Gossip Girl. It has the constant flow of high drama you're looking for, interconnected characters all stuck in a tangled web, and a lot of orchestral covers of pop songs.Įlite is one of the few teen-centric dramas of the last five years that could rival Gossip Girl for soap, but that's not the only connection the two shows have. She ends up in a complicated not-relationship with the famously commitment-averse Duke of Hastings ( Regé-Jean Page) who agrees to pretend to court her in order to help her find a real husband and secure his own bachelordom. Bridgerton, which is produced by Shonda Rhimes, is set in Regency-era London and centers around the goings-on of the wealthy Bridgerton family, whose eldest daughter Daphne ( Phoebe Dynevor) is entering her first social season to look for a suitable husband. The inspiration Bridgerton took from Gossip Girl becomes clear within the first moments of the first episode: the show has a similarly omnipotent, all-knowing narrator who is constantly in the romantic business of the show's characters, only in this case her name is Lady Whistledown, and Julie Andrews provides her voice. Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page, Bridgerton Liam Daniel/Netflix Either way, if you like Gossip Girl, these are the shows you should watch next.

Some of them feature a division between the haves and have-nots and continue to explore wealth and all that comes with it. But if you've had your fill of Gossip Girl and want to watch something similar but different, check out the shows on this list. The original Gossip Girl remains one of the most rewatchable teen soaps around, thanks to its satirical sense of humor and cast of actors, almost all of whom went on to be stars on their own, like Blake Lively and Penn Badgley. It was enough of a sensation to spawn a sequel series on HBO Max, also called Gossip Girl, which will return for Season 2 sometime in the (hopefully) near future.Īs entertaining as the reboot is - and it is - it can't fill the original's Christian Louboutin pumps.


The teen drama, which followed the messy inner lives of a group of rich Upper East Side students and the ruthless, anonymous blogger who reported on their every move, ran from 2007-2012, and there have been plenty of shows since that have drawn inspiration from its brand of sexy melodrama. The cultural impact of Gossip Girl cannot be overstated.
