Spotted: A teen drama on The CW causing a social media frenzy.
No, we're not talking about Gossip Girl, we're talking about Riverdale, but you'd be forgiven for mixing up the two. While Gossip Girl premiered ten years ago today (!), it's still very much part of our TV landscape and pop culture conversation, and Riverdale, which kicks off its second season on Oct. 11, is THE "it" show ATM (at the moment, duh).
But their respective popularity isn't the only similarity between the two glossy teen soaps. In fact, Gossip Girl and Riverdale have quite a lot in common we discovered...
Co-star Confidential: In the early days of GG, fans freaked out over who was dating who, especially Blake Lively and Penn Badgley, who took S and Lonely Boy's romance off the screen for three years. (Leighton Meester also dated recurring guest star Sebastian Stan.)
On Riverdale, Bughead fans are losing their minds on Tumblr (and every other social media platform) over Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart's real-life romance.
Unexpected 'Ship: Speaking of Bughead, it was a relationship no one really saw coming on the show (Jughead is a-sexual in the comics). Ditto Chuck and Blair's epic romance, which started off as a drunken hookup in the back of a limo and went on to become one of the series' focal points.
Bromance Alert: Confession: we're mildly obsessed with KJ Apa and Cole's friendship (please never stop Instagram-trolling each other, please!)…which definitely reminds us of Ed Westwick and Chace Crawford's bromance in the early seasons, with the guys even living together.
Season 2 Surge: Gossip Girl really started picking up steam in the mainstream media toward the end of season two, with the show really blowing up ahead of season two, with the cast landing the cover of Entertainment Weekly, a first for The CW at the time.
And guess which cast just landed on the cover of the very same magazine ahead of its second season? Yep, Riverdale.
It Girls: While all of the cast members became household (or at least dormroom) names, Gossip Girl really turned its two leading ladies, Blake and Leighton, into it girls. They landed fashion and beauty campaigns, and now, Lili and Camila Mendes are being courted, with the co-stars recently being named the new faces of Bongo jeans for their #BongoBFFs campaign.
Blonde vs. Brunette: OK, we know technically Betty and Veronica came first, but for a certain generation, B and S represent the classic hair color clash stereotype. But, we have to admit, Riverdale's take on Betty and Veronica's friendship has impressed and surprised us, and we're hoping they continue to add layers to it, something that fell by the wayside on GG in the name of romance in later seasons. (Chair, Dair, Derena, oh my!)
Passion for Fashion: It's clear that Veronica is the successor to Blair's wicked b—ch of the UES style throne, bringing her city chic vibe to Riverdale. (Never forget that black cape!) And we'd love to raid Cheryl's (Madeleine Petsch) closet right now, please and thank you.
Source Material: Riverdale is based on the Archie Comics, but uses them as a loose outline rather than a strict road map. Ditto Gossip Girl, based on the hit YA series by Cecily Von Ziegesar, with the show making some major changes--including the identity of Gossip Girl.
Musically Inclined: Both of the show's have cast members who can sing and/or play an instrument. Taylor Momsen (Oh, Lil J!) began fronting the band Pretty Reckless during the show's run, while Leighton Meester and Penn Badgley have also released music. (Plus, Rufus was a former rocker, giving Matthew Settle some time to shine.) Music is a huge part of Riverdale, with Ashleigh Murray fronting Josie and the Pussycats, often collaborating with Archie. Veronica gets in on the singing action, too.
Star-crossed Parents: Serena and Dan's romance hit a speedbump early on when they found out her mom and his dad were each other's first loves. Awkward! Turns out, it's not THAT uncommon, as Archie's dad and Veronica's mom were also high school sweethearts. And in both cases, each lady chose the shady businessman…at least when they were younger.
The CW's Crown Jewel: After the merger of The WB and UPN in 2006, the pressure was on for The CW to prove it could launch its own successful hit series. Enter: Gossip Girl, which became the network's first smash success.
Now, 10 years later, Riverdale seems to have become the new "face" of the network, generating massive online buzz and impressive streaming numbers. And to bring it all full-circle: Riverdale will help launch Dynasty this fall, the network's revival of the iconic soap, which is helmed by Gossip Girl's Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage.
You know you love it.