When and Where Was Gossip Girl Filmed? Iconic Locations Revealed
- Gossip Girl is based on the eponymous novel series and follows the lives of a group of elite students.
- The show was actually filmed in iconic locations of New York and also some other places.
- HBO's Gossip Girl reboot was also mainly shot in New York like the original series.
Although Gossip Girl went off-air in 2012, it remains one of the most popular teen drama series to date. Based on the eponymous novel series by Cecily von Ziegesar, the series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage.
It follows an unidentifiable blogger known as ‘Gossip Girl,’ who exposes every move of a group of privileged teenagers residing in Manhattan’s Upper East Side as they navigate love, betrayal, and social rivalry. Besides the eye-catching fashion choices the characters make, the show is also well known for having been filmed in many popular locations.
Was Gossip Girl Really Filmed in New York?
Over the years, there have been many shows that have been set in New York but are actually filmed in other locations with only some exterior scenes from that area to keep it authentic. Even a show as popular as FRIENDS which was set in Manhattan was filmed in Burbank, California, at Warner Bros. Studios.
Many shows like How I Met Your Mother and Seinfeld are set in New York but were filmed in Los Angeles due to budget constraints or logistical reasons. Gossip Girl, however, is primarily filmed in New York, although the network was initially skeptical of doing so.
All six seasons of the show were filmed between 2007 and 2012. According to Alex Jessica Mills’ blog, some of the most iconic locations where it was filmed are the New York Palace Hotel, the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of the City, the Empire Hotel, the Grand Central Terminal, the Plaza Hotel’s Pulitzer Fountain, St. James Church, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum and Central Park Fountain.
In addition to these New York locations, some scenes or episodes were also filmed in other locations. The second season opens with the characters vacationing in the Hamptons. The fourth season sees Blair in Los Angeles for a summer internship, and also shows Blair and Serena spending the summer in Paris.
Where Was HBO’s Gossip Girl Reboot Filmed?
Almost a decade after the last season of the show aired, a reboot was made. Developed by Joshua Safran for HBO Max, the reboot is based on the original series. Kristen Bell reprised her role as the voice of Gossip Girl, an anonymous blogger.
The filming was supposed to begin in March 2020 but had to be delayed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It ultimately began on November 2, 2020 (via Deadline). The filming for the second season began on February 4, 2022 (via X). Most of the show is filmed in New York, and parts of it were also shot in Rome, Italy.
The series featured an ensemble cast consisting of Jordan Alexander, Whitney Peak, Tavi Gevinson, Eli Brown, Thomas Doherty, Emily Alyn Lind, Evan Mock, and several others. The first season was released to mixed critical reception. The show was canceled after two seasons.
Gossip Girl (2007-2012) is available for streaming on Netflix.
