If there's one thing the entertainment industry refuses to get enough of, it's rehashing what it's already done. This year alone, audiences will be receiving updated versions of everything from Beavis and Butthead to Sex And The City. Are they running out of ideas? Maybe. Do they know there is money in exploiting a readymade fanbase? For sure. Nostalgia sells, but it has to come with a modern twist.
This can be seen with Gossip Girl, one of the latest shows to undergo the reboot treatment. In the mid-noughties, the series defined an era of trashy drama with its portrayal of glamorous, upper-class teens being as horrible to each other as humanly possible. Created at the same time as a golden era of reality TV, its premise was just as ridiculous, winning it legions of viewers.
Fast forward to now, however, and the new version has added a surprise addition into the mix: a conscience. Showrunner Josh Safran has announced that the characters in the new generation of the show will "wrestle with their privilege", taking into account social movements like Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street. Needless to say, many fans are far from impressed with these changes, and they have taken to Twitter to express it. If the terrible rich people escapism formula ain't broke, don't fix it.
