How nostalgia trumps our culture’s demand for progressive narratives
As the saying goes, times are a-changing, and that includes our media. Yet some things do not change, such as our love for Gossip Girl (2007) and Sex and the City (1998). In 2020, there was a major resurgence of interest in social justice issues that were prominent in the 20th century, such as racial equality, gender equality, and sexual liberation. 2020 saw the rise of anti-Asian hate, the murder of George Floyd, and greater awareness of Truth and Reconciliation.
During the lockdown, television provided a window into life as we knew it. We binged old shows like Sex and The City (1998) and Gossip Girl (2007) as a means of escapism. The economy was in a precarious limbo and online streaming services saw record-breaking profits. Producers began to reboot shows like And Just Like That… (2021) and Gossip Girl (2021), as they thought they could easily take advantage of the popularity of established shows.
Despite diversifying our classics, they quickly plummeted off the charts. According to Forbes, And Just Like That… (2021) had a 59% drop off in viewership between the first and second seasons, while HBO discontinued Gossip Girl (2021) after two seasons in January 2023. The lack of viewership was not due to the reboots falling short of their promises to deliver progressive narratives and casting, but because they went too far.
In And Just Like That… (2021), Miranda, played by Cynthia Nixon, leaves her marriage from Sex and The City (2007) to explore her sexual identity and begins a relationship with Che Diaz, a nonbinary character played by Sara Ramirez. Despite the major strides in sexual diversity, the show falls short due to its two-dimensional portrayal of Ramirez’s character, who was used as a plot device for Miranda’s sexual exploration. Chris Murphy describes Che as “a divisive and often confounding figure.” Tokenising characters who are Queer and Trans People of Colour is more harmful than no representation at all, as it relies on stereotypes to convey their identity on television. In having no defining character traits, Che is used as a ‘two for one’ diversity deal for producers to market their show to modern audiences as progressive.
Gossip Girl (2021) also received backlash for its attempts at diversity. Many of the Upper East Side characters, including the protagonist Julien Calloway, were played by a racially diverse cast. Many critics had qualms with a Black actress being cast as Julien Calloway—an attitude that manifests from misogynoir. This response speaks to our society’s unwillingness to detach from storylines that centre white female protagonists. Unlike Ramirez’s character in And Just Like That… (2021), Julien Calloway is given interests, character traits, and story arcs that are separate from her racial identity. Despite this, viewers found the show to be highly performative through its leveraging of political issues when convenient to give ‘humanity’ to the unsavoury characters. Sarah Rahman puts it perfectly: “Something about seeing flagrant displays of wealth … then seeing that same character talk down to the audience about ethics doesn’t sit right with me.”
So, what gives? How come these reboots that try, albeit poorly, to cater to our desire for representation backfire whereas their originals, with outright outdated narratives and non-inclusive casting, pass the test of time? The answer is very simple: we just tend to be more forgiving when it comes to nostalgia. The social ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as isolation, phone addiction, and the rise of the loneliness epidemic, caused a romanticisation of the past. This makes nostalgia a more valued ideal than ‘political correctness’ in TV.
COVID-19 may have forced us to consume media that centred cis, straight, white, able-bodied people, but it also made us more nostalgic for simpler times. Shows like Sex and the City (1998) and Gossip Girl (2007) gave us a means of escapism. Unlike their respective reboots, they did not take themselves seriously. They are both light-hearted and easy to follow, which brought comfort in a time of great uncertainty. That is what made these shows so attractive; they were unapologetically and wholeheartedly unserious. Frivolous entertainment was exactly what we needed when the world felt too serious.
The rise of streaming platforms made shows more accessible by offering on-demand services and eliminating ads. Alongside social media’s use of short-form content and personalised algorithms, these media platforms have completely rewired our brains to crave instant gratification. When the pandemic hit, this issue became exacerbated as technology became our only source of stimulation. This dependency created the climate for binge culture, and with shows like Sex and the City (1998) and Gossip Girl (2007) having multiple seasons and episodes that are easy to follow, these old classics were able to climb the charts.
Though the COVID-19 pandemic may be over, another looms over us: the loneliness epidemic. COVID-19 effectively changed the way our society is run. Work is more commonly done remotely, it is more convenient to use Uber Eats or shop online instead of going to a store, and social media, such as TikTok and Instagram Reels, has become the new go-to for entertainment and news. Along with the rise in inflation and the lack of third spaces, spaces that are neither home nor work, there are fewer opportunities for socialisation.
We want an easy escape from the modern issues of chronic loneliness and phone addiction. Shows like Sex and the City (1998) and Gossip Girl (2007) let us into a distant world of reckless Saturday nights, non-addictive flip phone usage, and affordable bottomless mimosa brunches. Their world is young enough to elicit nostalgia, yet old enough to disconnect us from our reality. Along with their unserious storylines, they create a romanticised illusion of ‘simpler times,’ which is extremely comforting in the complex and ever-changing modern social climate. That is why when reboots like And Just Like That… (2021) and Gossip Girl (2021) weaponise modern-day issues and tokenise diverse characters, they do not pass the test of time.
