Gossip Girl is more than just a rewatchable teen drama. It’s a cultural phenomenon. The show is still one of the most influential shows in recent TV history, launching Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Chace Crawford, and Penn Badgley‘s careers and changing the genre forever.
The show follows the messy and fabulous lives of young people living in New York as they navigate relationships, friendships, and family drama. It’s a juicy piece of fiction that keeps viewers on their toes for every episode. Luckily for all fans, there are many other similar shows to relax with. Here are the ten best TV shows to watch if you liked Gossip Girl.
1. Bridgerton
One of the newest Netflix releases that come very close to Gossip Girl‘s style is Bridgerton. It’s an extravagant period piece set in 1800s Britain that follows the lives of high-society characters filled with wealth, lust, and betrayal. The show also has a similarly omnipotent and anonymous narrator who shares scandalous gossip about the privileged elite, but this time is not a mysterious blogger but the renowned writer of a social pamphlet, Lady Whistledown. From tangled family dynamics to captivating romantic tropes, the show is a perfect treat for Gossip Girl fans.
2. Euphoria
If you’re looking for a more realistic but equally entertaining show to watch, Euphoria might be a great choice. It’s a teenage drama centered around one main character with drug problems, but her story is intertwined with other problematic and troubled teenagers around her. The show is much darker than Gossip Girl, that’s for sure, so it’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s not sensational or fabulous whatsoever, but it offers some of the rawest and most authentic character analyses in recent TV history.
3. The O.C.
The O.C. walked so that Gossip Girl could run. The 2000s show is also created by the creator and executive producer of Gossip Girl, Josh Schwartz, so there are naturally many parallels between the two shows. The O.C. is another soapy teen drama focused on wealthy and privileged people but through the eyes of an outsider. The series explores class and materialism in the upper-class neighborhood of Orange County, California. Their lives are, of course, filled with drama, betrayal, and rivalry, so it’s a perfect series for fans looking for a TV show like Gossip Girl.
4. Elite
If you take Gossip Girl, add some mystery, and make it Spanish, you get Elite. This binge-worthy teen drama lures viewers in from the very first scene as it’s a perfect combination of scandalous and mysterious. The show looks quite similar to Gossip Girl, from toxic high school dynamics and queen bees to wealthy families and insane lifestyles. Aside from the murder element that Elite brings to the table, the show is also much more steamy and kinkier than its predecessor Gossip Girl. One of the main differences between the two is that Elite is much more progressive and liberal.
5. Pretty Little Liars
For fans who like a good old teen drama filled with creepy elements, Pretty Little Liars is a win-win. It follows four closest friends whose best friend mysteriously goes missing one normal night. After her disappearance, their lives get turned upside down as they start getting haunted by a mysterious person named “A.” The show offers a lot of thrilling moments and spooky scenes, but it’s also filled with typical teenage drama and romantic tropes.
6. The 100
The 100 might not look similar to Gossip Girl at first glance, but the two shows actually have many things in common. It’s a futuristic sci-fi drama about a group of teenagers who are the sole survivors on Earth. They are obliged to form their own society, norms, and relations, causing endless drifts between them and making them fight to survive. The show is filled with betrayal, drama, and mystery, so it’s a perfect show to unwind to.
7. Skins
Skins is a British teen comedy revolving around teenagers living in Bristol. The show was truly ahead of its time as it explores many important topics like dysfunctional families, depression, eating disorders, sexuality, PTSD, bullying, and many more. Skins is a must-watch TV show like Gossip Girl perfect for fans who are looking for a teenage drama but more realistic and authentic.
8. One Tree Hill
Another show that paved the way for Gossip Girl is One Tree Hill. It starts out similarly to Gossip Girl, exploring the lives of high schoolers and their family drama. But because of One Tree Hill‘s longevity, it expands into adulthood and follows different coming-of-age stories. There’s a good reason why OTH stands the test of time; it’s got everything you want in a soap drama – teenage love, complexities of growing up, and dysfunctional families.
9. You
If you loved the fact that Dan was behind the mysterious blog Gossip Girl, then you should see Penn Badgley‘s newest show, You. As many fans describe it, it’s Dan Humphrey‘s post-Gossip Girl era. The show follows a charming but insanely obsessive guy going to extreme measures to quite literally conquer his love interests. You is creepy to watch, but also incredibly entertaining and engaging.
10. Revenge
Another show for Gossip Girl fans is Revenge. It’s another story of wealthy and privileged people who live in the Hamptons, but this one has a dark twist because the main character is not who she says she is. She is actually pretending to be one of Hampton’s high society but is secretly on a mission to take revenge against those who wronged her father.
