Oh to be young, rich, and good-looking. Whether it's in Regency-era England or Manhattan's Upper East Side circa 2010, life and all its travails are better in fancy duds and well-appointed homes.
Both shows are based on novels and set in a world of debutantes and deb wanna-bes. The characters have highfalutin surnames: Bridgerton, Featherington, Van der Woodsen, and Waldorf. There are mother issues, father issues, and lots of rich people problems. And although both shows have an anonymous source exposing everyone's scandalous secrets, each has its own way of coming out on top in certain areas of the storytelling.
Bridgerton: Better Diversity
Producer Shonda Rhimes practiced colorblind casting when choosing actors of different ethnicities which held no bearing to the fact that in this period of history all the Downtown Abbey-type upstairs residents would have been caucasian. In fact, the show was accused of being too diverse - as though that actually could be a thing.
Yes, GG had Dan's friend/Nate's love interest Vanessa who was biracial, and for a brief moment there was scion Raina Thorpe and her business titan father Russell who toyed with Bass Industries, but for the most part, the core cast was white, cisgender and heterosexual.
Gossip Girl: Better Fashion
Although Bridgerton's style is floral, colorful, and opulent enough for balls, the formal dining room, or a walk in the sculpted garden, and sure to inspire next season's designer collections, it's more natural to relate to Gossip Girl's contemporary clothing - which are of course is easier to duplicate in stores.
Also, the choices were more varied, with head-banded Blair (Leighton Meester) erring on the side of prepdom and Serena (Blake Lively) going all boho. There was also Jenny's rock 'n' roll cool, Vanessa's hipster sartorial choices, and Lily's high-fashion designer chic.
Bridgerton: Better Love Scenes
Gossip Girl was full of romantic entanglements: Blair and Nate, Nate and Serena, Blair and Chuck, Chuck and many, many women. Their activity unfolded on beds with 600-count sheets, in the back of limos, and even on the bars of New York hot spots. But none of these intertwined beautiful couples could compare to Simon (Regé-Jean Page) and Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor).
Whether it was their first time in their marital bed, in the library up against a wall of books, or on the stairs of their mansion, these two were the epitome of passion.
Gossip Girl: Better Blonde Leading Lady
With all due respect to the lovely and talented Phoebe Dynevor, who has starred in Dickensian and the TV Land favorite Younger as the mother of Josh's child, no one holds a candle to Gossip Girl's queen, Blake Lively.
Mrs. Ryan Reynold's started out as a movie star (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and other films) and continued to act on the big screen (The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, The Town, Green Lantern) while portraying Serena as well as after (A Simple Favor, The Rhythm Section, The Age of Adaline.)
Bridgerton: Better Leading Man
Dan (Penn Badgley), Nate (Chase Crawford), and Chuck (Ed Westwick) not to mention Rufus (Matthew Settle) and Eric (Connor Paolo) were indeed the hottest guys on the Upper East Side and it's no shock that they were magnets for the show's equally sought-after women. None, however, ever generated the heat of new It Guy, Regé-Jean Page.
Rhimes first cast him as a lawyer in For The People and he appeared in the remake of Roots, but it's Bridgerton that has made him the talk of the town and a candidate to embody James Bond.
Gossip Girl: Better Mean Girls
Georgina Sparks (Michelle Trachtenberg), Juliet Sharp (Katie Cassidy), Ivy Dickens (Kaylee DeFer) - they put the bad in badass. Daphne Bridgerton may have cooked up a scheme to attract more suitors and Penelope Featherington might have blabbed surreptitiously about everyone's biz, and Cressida Cowper may be able to throw shade like a boss, yet they don't compare to their contemporary counterparts.
Their storylines were what cream puffs are to chewing tobacco compared to goth-looking Georgina pretending Milo was Dan's baby, vengeful Juliet recruiting Vanessa and Jenny to take down golden girl Serena, and struggling actress Ivy passing herself off as Lily's niece to snag an inheritance.
Bridgerton: Better Meet-Cute
On Gossip Girl, the gang knew each other in high school. Bridgerton's bunch was so much more interesting. The charming and angelic Daphne is presented to society, yet the men are not lining up for her hand.
Told by her brother that disinterest on her part brings about interest from suitors and another man's attention will make her more desirable leads her to strike a deal with the Duke of Hastings - a man who's vowed never to marry or procreate - that they pretend they're involved.
Gossip Girl: Better Adult Doyenne
Is there anyone more sophisticated, regal, or cooler than Lily Van der Woodson? Oh no. Always impeccably dressed, she floats through life; and what a life it's been. Before she took NYC by storm, the stunning blonde was a rocker chick and singer/songwriter Rufus's muse.
Brigderton's matriarchs are not far behind though. Lady Danbury is loved by all. Lady Bridgerton loves her children and only wants what's best for them. Queen Charlotte, King George III's wife, is well, the queen.
Bridgerton: Better Anonymous Writer Reveal
Fans listened to lovable Kristen Bell voice GG, but ultimately found out it was the lonely boy from Brooklyn, Dan, giving TMI about the Upper East Side group. It kind of came out of nowhere, but everyone - cast and audience alike - accepted the betrayal of trust and moved on.
Having it revealed that the Regency gossip was Penelope really was a surprise. Not lithe nor sporting silky, flaxen hair, the girl who couldn't get the guy seemed not confident or savvy enough to pull off such a societal coup.
Gossip Girl: Better Outcome For The Anonymous Writer
We have to wait until Season 2 of Bridgerton to find out the fate of Penelope. The most she had on her side in the last episode was a self-satisfied smirk.
Dan on the other hand got a book deal. He was always a writer, competing with Blair as an intern at W Magazine, and, in fact, was published in "The New Yorker" in high school! This is a feat seasoned scribes still have trouble accomplishing. In the end, he was celebrated by his friends who he sold out. A forgiving bunch indeed.