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''Gossip Girl'' is an American
teen drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
television series based on the novel series of the same name written by
Cecily von Ziegesar Cecily Brooke von Ziegesar ( ; born June 27, 1970) is an American author best known for the young adult ''Gossip Girl'' series of novels. Early life and education Cecily von Ziegesar was born in New York City into a German noble family. She i ...
. The series, developed for television by
Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Schwartz is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for ...
and
Stephanie Savage Stephanie Savage (born 1969) is a Canadian screenwriter and television producer. Savage is best known for developing The CW's teen drama series '' Gossip Girl'' (2007) from the novel series, and being an executive producer of the Fox series ' ...
, ran on
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
network for six seasons from September 19, 2007, to December 17, 2012. Narrated by the unknown, omniscient blogger "Gossip Girl" (voiced by
Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...
), the series revolves around the lives of privileged upper-class adolescents living in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
's
Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the we ...
(UES). The series begins with the return of Upper East Side teenage "
it girl An "it girl" is an attractive young woman, who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging. The expression ''it girl'' originated in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th century. ...
"
Serena van der Woodsen Serena Celia van der Woodsen is the fictional character and the protagonist in the ''Gossip Girl'' novel series and in its TV adaptation, in which she is portrayed by Blake Lively. Serena is featured on the blog of the series' mysterious narra ...
(
Blake Lively Blake Ellender Lively ( Brown; born August 25, 1987) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, Lively is the daughter of actor Ernie Lively, and made her professional debut in his directorial project ''Sandman'' (1998). She starred as Brid ...
) from a mysterious absence. She is reunited with her
frenemy "Frenemy" (also spelled "frienemy") is an oxymoron and a portmanteau of " friend" and " enemy" that refers to "a person with whom one is friendly, despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry" or "a person who combines the characteristics of a frie ...
Blair Waldorf (
Leighton Meester Leighton Marissa Meester (; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is best known for her starring role as the devious socialite Blair Waldorf on '' Gossip Girl'' on The CW (2007–2012). She has also appeared in fil ...
) and her mother Lily ( Kelly Rutherford), and she also meets
Dan Humphrey Daniel Randolph Humphrey is a fictional character in the bestselling ''Gossip Girl'' novel series. He is one of the central male characters in ''Gossip Girl'', where he is portrayed by Penn Badgley. Dan Humphrey is the son of Rufus Humphrey and ...
( Penn Badgley)—an aspiring writer from Brooklyn who is one of Serena's main love interests throughout the show. Other main characters include Nate Archibald (
Chace Crawford Christopher Chace Crawford (born July 18, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his television portrayals of Nate Archibald on The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012), and of The Deep in Amazon Prime Video original series ...
), Chuck Bass (
Ed Westwick Edward Jack Peter Westwick (born 27 June 1987) is an English actor and musician best known for his role as Chuck Bass on The CW's ''Gossip Girl'' as well as Vincent Swan in the TV series ''White Gold''. He made his feature film debut in ''Child ...
), Jenny Humphrey ( Taylor Momsen),
Vanessa Abrams Vanessa Abrams is a fictional character in the ''Gossip Girl'' novel series. She is portrayed by Jessica Szohr in the television adaptation. Vanessa was introduced on the first season as a recurring character, but became a series regular after ...
( Jessica Szohr), Rufus Humphrey (
Matthew Settle Jeffrey Matthew Settle (born September 17, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for playing Captain Ronald Speirs on the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'' and Rufus Humphrey on the CW teen drama series ''Gossip Girl''. Early life Settle ...
) and
Ivy Dickens Ivy Dickens (former alias: Charlotte "Charlie" Rhodes) is a fictional character who exclusively appears in the ''Gossip Girl'' television adaptation, portrayed by Kaylee DeFer. She first appears in " The Kids Stay in the Picture," initially appe ...
(
Kaylee DeFer Kaylee Anne DeFer (born September 23, 1986) is a former American actress. She was known for her portrayals of Hillary Gold in '' The War at Home'', and of Ivy Dickens in ''Gossip Girl''. Early life DeFer was born in Tucson, Arizona. In 2003, sh ...
). The success of ''Gossip Girl'' led to many adaptations outside the United States. The show received numerous award nominations and won 18
Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...
. The CW officially renewed ''Gossip Girl'' for a sixth and final season on May 11, 2012. The final season, consisting of 10 episodes, premiered on October 8, 2012, and ended on December 17, 2012. A sequel series, also titled '' Gossip Girl'' and headed by original executive producers Schwartz, Savage and Safran, premiered on July 8, 2021, on
HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...
. While set in the same continuity and retaining
Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...
as narrator, this series focuses on a new cast of characters from a different perspective in the same setting—likened to that of a
shared universe A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where more than one writer (or other artist) independently contributes a work that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, chara ...
.


Series overview

The show centers on the scandalous lives of attractive, privileged and very affluent teens who reside in Manhattan's
Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the we ...
(UES) and how they betray one another while being constantly observed by a vicious but well-known blogger.


Seasons


Cast and characters


Main

*
Blake Lively Blake Ellender Lively ( Brown; born August 25, 1987) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, Lively is the daughter of actor Ernie Lively, and made her professional debut in his directorial project ''Sandman'' (1998). She starred as Brid ...
as
Serena van der Woodsen Serena Celia van der Woodsen is the fictional character and the protagonist in the ''Gossip Girl'' novel series and in its TV adaptation, in which she is portrayed by Blake Lively. Serena is featured on the blog of the series' mysterious narra ...
, a student at the Constance Billard School for Girls. An ''
it girl An "it girl" is an attractive young woman, who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging. The expression ''it girl'' originated in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th century. ...
'' who frequently receives media attention. *
Leighton Meester Leighton Marissa Meester (; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is best known for her starring role as the devious socialite Blair Waldorf on '' Gossip Girl'' on The CW (2007–2012). She has also appeared in fil ...
as Blair Waldorf, the
Queen Bee A queen bee is typically an adult, mated female ( gyne) that lives in a colony or hive of honey bees. With fully developed reproductive organs, the queen is usually the mother of most, if not all, of the bees in the beehive. Queens are developed ...
of Constance Billard. Best friends with Serena and highly focused on status, wealth and academic achievement. Her relationship with Chuck is a key theme throughout all 6 seasons. * Penn Badgley as
Dan Humphrey Daniel Randolph Humphrey is a fictional character in the bestselling ''Gossip Girl'' novel series. He is one of the central male characters in ''Gossip Girl'', where he is portrayed by Penn Badgley. Dan Humphrey is the son of Rufus Humphrey and ...
, a student at St. Jude's School for Boys. Dan initially does not fit in with the Upper East Side teenagers as he lives in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
and is not a legacy student, but rather attends St. Jude's with a partial scholarship. Dan aspires to be a writer. *
Chace Crawford Christopher Chace Crawford (born July 18, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his television portrayals of Nate Archibald on The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012), and of The Deep in Amazon Prime Video original series ...
as Nate Archibald, a student at St. Jude's. Blair's childhood boyfriend and the UES golden boy. * Taylor Momsen as Jenny Humphrey (seasons 1–4; guest, season 6), a student at Constance Billard's and Dan's younger sister. Jenny dreams of becoming a fashion designer, who begins as one of Blair's minions in order to gain status. She later rejects the Upper East Side life and becomes rivals with Blair and sleeps with Chuck. *
Ed Westwick Edward Jack Peter Westwick (born 27 June 1987) is an English actor and musician best known for his role as Chuck Bass on The CW's ''Gossip Girl'' as well as Vincent Swan in the TV series ''White Gold''. He made his feature film debut in ''Child ...
as Chuck Bass, a student at St. Jude's. Son of one of New York's most successful real estate moguls. Decadent and amoral, Chuck is mainly interested in women and alcohol. Once his father dies in the second season, he inherits Bass Industries and becomes a young billionaire. He is romantically involved with Blair throughout the series but they do not start officially dating until the third season. Blair and Chuck's relationship is a key theme throughout all 6 seasons. * Kelly Rutherford as Lily van der Woodsen (née Rhodes), Serena's and Eric's mother and a three-time divorcée. A former photographer, Lily has become one of the UES's most influential socialites. Her and Serena often have a strained and rocky relationship. *
Matthew Settle Jeffrey Matthew Settle (born September 17, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for playing Captain Ronald Speirs on the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'' and Rufus Humphrey on the CW teen drama series ''Gossip Girl''. Early life Settle ...
as Rufus Humphrey, Dan and Jenny's father. Former rockstar as the lead singer for the band Lincoln Hawk, a 90s
one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...
, Rufus now owns a gallery in Brooklyn. Rufus shares a romantic history with Lily, whom he marries in season 3 but divorces in season 6. * Jessica Szohr as
Vanessa Abrams Vanessa Abrams is a fictional character in the ''Gossip Girl'' novel series. She is portrayed by Jessica Szohr in the television adaptation. Vanessa was introduced on the first season as a recurring character, but became a series regular after ...
(seasons 1–4; guest, season 6), Dan's childhood best friend who is home-schooled. Vanessa wants to become a documentary filmmaker. She has romantic interest in Nate, Dan and Chuck. *
Kaylee DeFer Kaylee Anne DeFer (born September 23, 1986) is a former American actress. She was known for her portrayals of Hillary Gold in '' The War at Home'', and of Ivy Dickens in ''Gossip Girl''. Early life DeFer was born in Tucson, Arizona. In 2003, sh ...
as Ivy Dickens (seasons 5–6; recurring, season 4), who is introduced to the Van der Woodsens as their cousin Charlie Rhodes. The series is narrated by
Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...
as the voice of "Gossip Girl", an online anonymous figure. Bell appears via voice-over in every episodes but is uncredited. She also appears in person as herself in the
series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...
.


Selected recurring

*
Connor Paolo Connor Paolo (born July 11, 1990) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Eric van der Woodsen on The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' and Declan Porter on the ABC drama series ''Revenge''. He has also appeared in two Oliver S ...
as Eric van der Woodsen, Serena's younger brother. Both Serena and Eric are children from Lily's first marriage to William van der Woodsen. * Zuzanna Szadkowski as Dorota Kishlovsky, the Waldorfs's Polish housekeeper and Blair's closest confidante. She is often shown as a mother figure to Blair as Eleanor has often been absent in Blair's life due to work. *
Margaret Colin Margaret Colin (born May 26, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Margo Hughes on '' As the World Turns'' and as Eleanor Waldorf-Rose on '' Gossip Girl''. Early life Margaret Colin was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and ...
and Wallace Shawn as Eleanor Waldorf and Cyrus Rose, Blair's mother, a successful fashion designer, and stepfather, an entertainment lawyer who regards Blair as his own daughter *
Michelle Trachtenberg Michelle Trachtenberg (; born October 11, 1985) is an American actress and model. Trachtenberg began her career at age three, appearing in a number of commercials, films, and television series as a child. Her starring role on the Nickelodeon tel ...
and Sebastian Stan as Georgina Sparks and Carter Baizen, old and troublesome acquaintances of the UES group *
Robert John Burke Robert John Burke (born September 12, 1960) is an American actor known for his roles in '' RoboCop 3'' (1993), '' Tombstone'' (1993), and '' Thinner'' (1996). During the 2000s Burke became well known for his portrayal of Mickey Gavin on '' Rescue ...
as Bartholomew Bass, Chuck's father, one of New York's most successful real estate moguls who is married to Lily. *
Amanda Setton Amanda Setton (born December 16, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for her recurring role as Penelope Shafai on The CW's teen drama ''Gossip Girl'' (2008–2012), for her role as Kimberly Andrews on the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Liv ...
, Nicole Fiscella, Nan Zhang, Dreama Walker,
Yin Chang Yin Chang (born April 23, 1989) is an American actress, known for her lead role as Mei Kwan in the 2011 film ''Prom'' and her recurring role as Nelly Yuki on The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl''. Chang has made guest appearances on the te ...
, and Alice Callahan as Penelope Shafai, Isabel Coates, Kati Farkas, Hazel Williams, Nelly Yuki, and Jessica Leitenberg, the clique of mean girl "minions" following Blair


Production


Development

The ''Gossip Girl'' book series was originally supposed to be adapted into a film starring
Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...
with head ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel ( Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flag ...
'' creator
Amy Sherman-Palladino Amy Sherman-Palladino (born January 17, 1966) is an American television writer, director, and producer. She is the creator of the comedy-drama series ''Gilmore Girls'', ''Bunheads'', and ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel''. Sherman-Palladino has rece ...
. When the film project did not get off the ground, Stephanie Savage and
Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Schwartz is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for ...
took over the project to create a television series. As of October 2006, Schwartz was working on the pilot. He said, "I was very skeptical. I don't want to do '' The O.C. NYC''. But I thought the books were smart. The characters are worldly in a way that Orange County kids aren't." The characteristics for each character in the pilot were based on the first ''Gossip Girl'' book. In January 2007, the show was given the green light by
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
.


Production team

''The O.C.'' creator Josh Schwartz and fellow writer Stephanie Savage served as the show's executive producers throughout the series' run, followed by Bob Levy and
Leslie Morgenstein Leslie Morgenstein is the president and chief executive of Alloy Entertainment. He has been credited with facilitating the adaptation of a number of book titles into television series. Examples include '' Gossip Girl'', '' The Vampire Diaries'', ...
of
Alloy Entertainment Alloy Entertainment (formerly Daniel Weiss Associates and 17th Street Productions) is a book packaging and television production unit of Warner Bros. Television Studios. It produces books, television series, and feature films. Alloy Entertainment ...
, who were assigned in aiding the adaptation of the novels into the series. Following the success of ''Gossip Girl'', ''Gilmore Girls'' co-producer, John Stephens was approached by Schwartz and Savage, having previously worked with him on ''The O.C.'', and hired him as an executive producer.
Joshua Safran Joshua Safran is an American television screenwriter and executive producer. Education Safran attended the Horace Mann School prior to graduating from NYU Tisch with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in playwriting. He has stated he is Jewish. C ...
, who started as a writer/consulting producer before becoming co-executive producer, was later added as an executive producer. On April 24, 2012, it was announced that he would leave the show at the end of the fifth season to be the new showrunner of
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's now-cancelled musical series '' Smash''. To fill in Safran's void, co-executive producer Sara Goodman was promoted to executive producer for the sixth season.
Alexandra Patsavas Alexandra Patsavas (born 1968) is Grammy and Emmy nominated American music supervisor, producer, & executive who has worked on over 100 films and television series, most notably '' The Twilight Saga'', '' The O.C.'', ''Grey's Anatomy'', ''Gossip ...
who worked with Schwartz on ''The O.C.'' was in charge of the music.
Eric Daman Eric Daman is a costume designer, fashion model, television personality, and author from New York City. Known for costume design and fashion styling on the American television series '' Sex and the City'' and '' Gossip Girl'' as well as design ...
was at the head of the costume department; he previously had assisted
Patricia Field Patricia Field (born February 12, 1942) is an American costume designer, stylist and fashion designer. Early life Field was born in 1942 in New York City to an Armenian father and a Greek mother, who emigrated from Plomari, Lesbos, Greece. ...
on ''
Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United Stat ...
''.


Casting

Featuring nine regular speaking roles, the majority of the
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast t ...
was assembled from February to April 2007.
Leighton Meester Leighton Marissa Meester (; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is best known for her starring role as the devious socialite Blair Waldorf on '' Gossip Girl'' on The CW (2007–2012). She has also appeared in fil ...
and
Blake Lively Blake Ellender Lively ( Brown; born August 25, 1987) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, Lively is the daughter of actor Ernie Lively, and made her professional debut in his directorial project ''Sandman'' (1998). She starred as Brid ...
–who started auditioning in December 2006–were the first two actresses to be chosen in February for the lead roles of Blair Waldorf and
Serena van der Woodsen Serena Celia van der Woodsen is the fictional character and the protagonist in the ''Gossip Girl'' novel series and in its TV adaptation, in which she is portrayed by Blake Lively. Serena is featured on the blog of the series' mysterious narra ...
, respectively. Penn Badgley, who had previously worked with
Stephanie Savage Stephanie Savage (born 1969) is a Canadian screenwriter and television producer. Savage is best known for developing The CW's teen drama series '' Gossip Girl'' (2007) from the novel series, and being an executive producer of the Fox series ' ...
on '' The Mountain'', Taylor Momsen,
Chace Crawford Christopher Chace Crawford (born July 18, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his television portrayals of Nate Archibald on The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012), and of The Deep in Amazon Prime Video original series ...
, Kelly Rutherford, and
Connor Paolo Connor Paolo (born July 11, 1990) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Eric van der Woodsen on The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' and Declan Porter on the ABC drama series ''Revenge''. He has also appeared in two Oliver S ...
also auditioned successfully and landed roles in the series in March, as did
Florencia Lozano Florencia Lozano (born December 16, 1969) is an American actress. She starred as Téa Delgado on the daytime series ''One Life to Live''. Lozano has guest-starred in several primetime television shows, as well as films. Early life Florencia L ...
who appeared only in the pilot, and was later replaced by
Margaret Colin Margaret Colin (born May 26, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Margo Hughes on '' As the World Turns'' and as Eleanor Waldorf-Rose on '' Gossip Girl''. Early life Margaret Colin was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and ...
. Badgley at first turned down the part of Dan, as did Lively—who planned to attend college—for the role of Serena. Actors for the roles of Chuck Bass and
Rufus Humphrey The following is a list of characters for The CW teen television drama series, ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012) and its standalone sequel series of the same name (2021–present). The series is based on the popular book series of the same name writt ...
were found in April when English actor
Ed Westwick Edward Jack Peter Westwick (born 27 June 1987) is an English actor and musician best known for his role as Chuck Bass on The CW's ''Gossip Girl'' as well as Vincent Swan in the TV series ''White Gold''. He made his feature film debut in ''Child ...
, and
Matthew Settle Jeffrey Matthew Settle (born September 17, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for playing Captain Ronald Speirs on the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'' and Rufus Humphrey on the CW teen drama series ''Gossip Girl''. Early life Settle ...
were cast. Westwick first read for the role of Nate but was then asked to try Chuck. As rumors swirled about the impending cancellation of ''
Veronica Mars ''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series pr ...
'', it was revealed at The CW's 2007 Upfronts on May 17, 2007, that Kristen Bell had narrated the pilot, thus making her the title character of another show on the network. Of the casting, Bell said: Jessica Szohr was signed on to portray the recurring role of
Vanessa Abrams Vanessa Abrams is a fictional character in the ''Gossip Girl'' novel series. She is portrayed by Jessica Szohr in the television adaptation. Vanessa was introduced on the first season as a recurring character, but became a series regular after ...
and received regular status during the fourteenth episode of the first season.
Kaylee DeFer Kaylee Anne DeFer (born September 23, 1986) is a former American actress. She was known for her portrayals of Hillary Gold in '' The War at Home'', and of Ivy Dickens in ''Gossip Girl''. Early life DeFer was born in Tucson, Arizona. In 2003, sh ...
joined the series in the eighteenth episode of the fourth season and was promoted to series regular for the show's fifth season. At the conclusion of the fourth season, Momsen, who went on an indefinite hiatus during the season while retaining regular billing, and Jessica Szohr both left the show. Throughout the series' run,
Connor Paolo Connor Paolo (born July 11, 1990) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Eric van der Woodsen on The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' and Declan Porter on the ABC drama series ''Revenge''. He has also appeared in two Oliver S ...
consistently declined to elevate his recurring role of Eric van der Woodsen to regular status, citing personal reasons for his decision. After becoming a regular on the ABC series ''
Revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." P ...
'', Paolo confirmed his departure from ''Gossip Girl'' in August 2011. As the show progressed, numerous recurring guest stars appeared in the show.
Michelle Trachtenberg Michelle Trachtenberg (; born October 11, 1985) is an American actress and model. Trachtenberg began her career at age three, appearing in a number of commercials, films, and television series as a child. Her starring role on the Nickelodeon tel ...
signed on to portray Georgina Sparks. The role had previously been offered to
Mischa Barton Mischa Anne Marsden Barton (born 24 January 1986) is a British-American film, television, and stage actress. She began her career on the stage, appearing in Tony Kushner's '' Slavs!'' and took the lead in James Lapine's ''Twelve Dreams'' at Ne ...
who declined the role.
Francie Swift Francie Swift is an American actress best known for her role as Cynthia in ''Thoroughbreds'' and her recurring roles as Haylie Grimes on '' Outsiders'' and Anne Vanderbilt Archibald on ''Gossip Girl''. Life and career Swift was born in Amarill ...
and
Sam Robards Samuel Prideaux Robards (born December 16, 1961) is an American actor, best known for his role as Henry Swinton in the film ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence''. Early life and education Robards was born in New York City, the son of actor Jason Roba ...
took the parental roles of Anne and Howard Archibald, respectively.
Caroline Lagerfelt Caroline Eugenie Lagerfelt (born September 23, 1947) is a Paris-born American actress, long based in the United States, recognized for her roles on '' Sweet Magnolias'', ''Gossip Girl'', '' Six Degrees', Dirty Sexy Money', Nash Bridges'' and ' ...
portrayed Celia "CeCe" Rhodes, Serena and Eric's grandmother and Lily's mother. Sebastian Stan made several appearances as Carter Baizen throughout the show's first three seasons.


Filming locations

Primarily filming in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, ''Gossip Girl'' has been declared by ''
New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...
'' as the "Most Restauranty Show Since ''
Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United Stat ...
''", citing the
pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in television in the United States, United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a te ...
filming locales such as the Japanese restaurant Geisha, the Campbell Apartment where Nate and Serena were filmed having sex, and the New York Palace Hotel bar Gilt. Other
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
landmarks and well-known establishments were filmed throughout the first season. ''Victor/Victrola'' filmed the fictional infamous Chuck Bass burlesque club, Victrola, at The Box Manhattan, a sister club to
The Box Soho The Box Soho is a cabaret nightclub located at 11-12 Walker's Court in Soho, London, on the premises formerly occupied by the Raymond Revuebar. Opening and ownership Opened on 9 February 2011, it bills itself as a "theatre of varieties" and is a ...
in London. The fictional Constance Billard-St.Judes School, based on novel writer Cecily Von Ziegesar's alma mater, Nightingale-Bamford used external shots of the
Museum of the City of New York A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
. The second season premiered at
the Hamptons The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one o ...
and began filming in mid-June. The season premiere opening montage showed a scene at Cooper's Beach that was instead filmed in Rockaway Beach followed by an elaborate white party. For the sixth episode of the season,
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
was used to film the Yale campus, an episode that followed disappointment from Yale fans due to its erroneous portrayal of the admissions process and reliance on Ivy League university stereotypes. During the season's seventh episode, the Brooklyn Inn was integrated into the show. Remaining true to its New York locations, the show filmed at the
Russian Tea Room The Russian Tea Room is an Art Deco Russo-Continental restaurant, located at 150 West 57th Street (between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue), between Carnegie Hall Tower and Metropolitan Tower, in the New York City borough of Manhatta ...
. The fourth season premiered on September 13, 2010, with the first two episodes filmed in Paris.''Gossip Girl'' Begins Filming Season 4 In Paris, France
Retrieved June 22, 2010.
''
New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...
'' revealed several locations shot at the French University,
La Sorbonne The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revolution ...
in the Latin District (or Quartier Latin) of Paris on July 5. Other locations include the
Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) ( en, Orsay Museum) is a museum in Paris, France, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French a ...
, the
Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed ...
, the
Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (; English: ''station of the North'' or ''Northern Station''), officially Paris-Nord, is one of the six large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station accommodates the trains that run between the capital ...
,
Avenue Montaigne Avenue Montaigne () is a street in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Origin of the name Avenue Montaigne was originally called the Allée des Veuves (widows' alley) because women in mourning gathered there, but the street has changed muc ...
. and
Saint-Germain-des-Prés Saint-Germain-des-Prés () is one of the four administrative quarters of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Its official borders are the River Seine on the no ...
. Columbia University became the primary filming location for the first few episodes of the season following the Paris story arc. The fifth season premiered on September 26, 2011, with the first two episodes filmed in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. Because of its location in New York, executive producer Stephanie Savage said, "We were quickly told it would be too expensive, too complicated" at the beginning of the series. She said that it had been proposed to shoot in a Los Angeles studio that would recreate
Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
, but they eventually filmed the series in New York. Savage explained their choice to film there, "There's no New York City on TV, or there wasn't when we started making the pilot, except what you could see in the background behind the dead bodies on cop shows. We've never seen the city from the point of view of teenagers. It felt like a world with high stakes for young people." Schwartz added, "What's funny about these teenagers is they grew up watching ''Sex and the City'', even though it wasn't about them. And I think they've probably incorporated that into how they mythologize New York. I fought really hard to shoot the show in New York because we want New York to be a character in the show." Many scenes were filmed in the Empire Hotel on the Upper West Side.


Episode format

Each episode begins with the home page of the Gossip Girl website and Serena's picture from the pilot episode. Afterward, a recap of events relevant to the upcoming narrative is shown, which ends again with the home page of the website, only this time with a picture from other character(s) with a text about a recent event connected with the picture. The narrator is Gossip Girl, voiced by actress Kristen Bell. She begins the recap with the sentence, "Gossip Girl here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite," and ends the recap with whispered voices saying "Where has she been?" and "Serena." Then, the voice of Gossip Girl says, "And who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell! You know you love me... XOXO, Gossip Girl." During each episode, there is always a social event taking place, whether small or large. Joshua Safran explained, "We structure it
he show He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
so that every week, the episode leads to an event. I feel like it is much like a procedural."


Episode titles

All of the episodes' titles are based on the name of a film or a novel. For example, episode "The Wild Brunch" evokes western film ''
The Wild Bunch ''The Wild Bunch'' is a 1969 American epic Revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Ben Johnson and Warren Oates. The plot concerns an aging outlaw ga ...
'' and "Seventeen Candles" ''
Sixteen Candles ''Sixteen Candles'' is a 1984 American coming-of-age comedy film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, and Anthony Michael Hall. Written and directed by John Hughes in his directorial debut, it was the first in a string of films Hughes ...
''. Episode "All About My Brother" refers to
Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; (often known simply as Almodóvar) born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish filmmaker. His films are marked by melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular culture, and complex narra ...
's ''
All About My Mother ''All About My Mother'' ( es, link=no, Todo sobre mi madre) is a 1999 comedy-drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, and starring Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Peña, Antonia San Juan, Penélope Cruz and Rosa Maria Sardà. ...
'' while "Pret-a-Poor-J" came from '' Prêt-à-Porter''. "There Might Be Blood" took its title from 2007 film ''
There Will Be Blood ''There Will Be Blood'' is a 2007 American period drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, loosely based on the 1927 novel '' Oil!'' by Upton Sinclair. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, a silver miner turned oilm ...
''. "The Serena Also Rises" was titled after novel ''
The Sun Also Rises ''The Sun Also Rises'' is a 1926 novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, his first, that portrays American and British expatriates who travel from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and the bu ...
''. The fifth-season episode "The Big Sleep No More" was named for the film ''
The Big Sleep ''The Big Sleep'' (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angel ...
'' and the New York-based production '' Sleep No More''. Episode "Easy J" was titled after Emma Stone's hit movie ''
Easy A ''Easy A'' (stylized as ''easy A'') is a 2010 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Will Gluck, written by Bert V. Royal, starring Emma Stone, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Haden Church, Dan Byrd, Amanda Bynes, Penn Bad ...
''. Episode "The Age of Dissonance", which was titled after
Edith Wharton Edith Wharton (; born Edith Newbold Jones; January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and interior designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray ...
's novel ''
The Age of Innocence ''The Age of Innocence'' is a 1920 novel by American author Edith Wharton. It was her twelfth novel, and was initially serialized in 1920 in four parts, in the magazine '' Pictorial Review''. Later that year, it was released as a book by D. App ...
'', saw a high school production of the novel taking place, and "The Blair Bitch Project" was named after ''
The Blair Witch Project ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a 1999 American supernatural horror film written, directed and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. It is a fictional story of three student filmmakers—Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Josh ...
. "''Victor, Victrola" is named after the British-American musical comedy ''
Victor/Victoria ''Victor/Victoria'' is a 1982 musical comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards and starring Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren, Alex Karras, and John Rhys-Davies. The film was produced by Tony Adams and sco ...
.'' "Bad News Blair" was named after the 1976 movie '' The Bad News Bears.'' Joshua Safran said, "we draw from classic works like '' Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' and ''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby ...
'' as much as we do from pop culture."


Product placement

''Gossip Girl'' is known for its
product placement Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of th ...
. The show had a contract with
Verizon Wireless Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the div ...
for its first five seasons; all the characters were seen with phones chosen by the brand until the deal ended by the sixth season. During their contract, Verizon Wireless offered exclusive ''Gossip Girl'' content and created a website where ringtones of the songs featured on the show could be downloaded. Barbra Robin, The CW's senior vice president of Integrated Marketing, stated: "It was really about showing features on a device. ..Initially, it was just a wireless phone, but eventually that became a smartphone, a tablet, all these other types of technology that took them through their day and showed how they used it to get from one place to the next." In mid-2008, executives of
VitaminWater Energy Brands, also doing business as Glacéau, is a privately owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company based in Whitestone, Queens, New York, that manufactures and distributes various lines of drinks marketed as enhanced water. Founded in May ...
approached The CW for a placement deal. During the second season, the drinks were mentioned several times in dialogues. The partnership helped pay the costs of shooting on location in the Hamptons. An HP TouchPad was prominently displayed in an episode of the sixth season. According to OneNewsNow.com, other sponsors have included
Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer he ...
, L'Oreal,
Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
and
Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...
, which allowed the series to earn $28.2million in advertising revenue in 2007.


Distribution and release

''Gossip Girl'' aired on The CW on Mondays. In addition to the television broadcast of the show, episodes of ''Gossip Girl'' have also been released on the Internet. In October 2011, The CW signed a deal allowing all ''Gossip Girl'' episodes to be streamed on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
. The same month, the network signed a deal with
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...
. Both CWTV.com and Hulu streamed episodes for free, but only the five most recent installments were available for viewing. All seasons of ''Gossip Girl'' are also available through the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
and
Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...
where each episode can be purchased separately or in complete season sets. As of 2012, the series was broadcast in 197 countries. On January 1, 2021, ''Gossip Girl'' moved from
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
to parent company
WarnerMedia Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...
's streaming service
HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...
.


Syndication

On July 25, 2012,
Style Network Esquire Network was an American pay television network that was a 50/50 joint venture between NBCUniversal and the Hearst Corporation. The network carried programs aimed at a metrosexual audience centering on travel, cooking, sports and fas ...
announced that it had acquired the off-network rights to ''Gossip Girl'' and started airing repeats of the show on August 15, 2012.


Home media

The DVD sets of each season were released in various regions after their television broadcast. ''Notes'': *In Australia there is alternative cover art for the first season. There are also three different versions of the second season (the standard edition, a special 8-disc edition, and an alternative cover art—which is the same cover art used for part two of the second season in the UK). *The second season was first released in two parts in Region 2. Part one was released on April 13, 2009, and part two was released on August 10, 2009, while the complete season was released later, on September 28, 2009.


Reception


Critical response

''Gossip Girl'' initially received positive reviews. Due to the show's pedigree as an adaptation of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' best-selling novel series, the show was considered to be one of the more anticipated new shows of the 2007–2008 television season. An August 2007 survey by OTX, a global media research and consulting firm, placed the show on the list of top ten new shows that viewers were aware of. Though the pilot was the recipient of many positive reviews from publications such as ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'', ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pa ...
'' and the ''
Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Gl ...
'', other reviewers described it as a guilty pleasure rather than an hour's worth of must-watch television.
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
gave it a score of 59, based on the reviews of 40 different publications. Toward the conclusion of the first season, Janet Malcolm of ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' criticized the show for its deviations from the novels. She has stated that the series was "related to the original only in the names and outlines of the characters". She further asserted that, "Without von Ziegesar's fast, mocking commentary to propel them, the TV episodes are sluggish and crass—a move from Barneys to Kmart." However, author
Cecily von Ziegesar Cecily Brooke von Ziegesar ( ; born June 27, 1970) is an American author best known for the young adult ''Gossip Girl'' series of novels. Early life and education Cecily von Ziegesar was born in New York City into a German noble family. She i ...
has expressed support for the show, noting that all of her major plot points were present in the pilot. As the show continued its first season, the response became considerably more positive, and by the second season critical response was favorable.
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
gave the new season an improved score of 71. "Summer's been good to this girl," claimed ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
'', who awarded the series its highest grade of "A". ''
The New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in t ...
'' claimed the show had found its footing by stating "It knows exactly what it wants and needs its new hybrid product to be. The hockey fights video of teen romance drama." ''Gossip Girl'' was designated the "Greatest Teen Drama of All Time" by ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
'' magazine. The magazine wrote, "the show has resurrected the potential for scripted dramas to be effective social satire—to present a world more accurately than a 'reality' program can. ''Gossip Girl'' presents a wealth-eye view of the city, but because it is a cartoon we can laugh along with the conspicuousness of the consumption." The Christian
Parents Television Council The Parents Television and Media Council (PTMC), formerly the Parents Television Council (PTC), is an American media advocacy group founded by conservative Christian activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995, which advocates for what it considers ...
has shown particular criticism of the series, especially with its "
OMFG OMFG may refer to: * OpenMFG, a business software package * Oh My Fucking God, an exclamation abbreviated as ''OMFG'' in SMS language * "OMFG", a song by Deluka * "OMFG", a song by Lil Peep from ''Hellboy'', 2016 See also * OMG (disambiguatio ...
" ad campaign from April 2008. It also named the episode "Victor/Victrola" the worst television program of the week in which the episode originally was broadcast. Quotes from the Parents Television Council review, as well as negative quotes from the ''
San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...
'', ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...
'' and the ''
Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Puli ...
'', were used on various advertisements for the second season. The ''
Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...
'' chronicled a variety of negative responses to the ads. The ads included quotes like "Every Parent's Nightmare", "Mind-Blowingly Inappropriate" and "A Nasty Piece of Work" in what appears to be an effort to continue the "rebellious teen" style of the show. With the approach of the fifth season, ''New York'' magazine reviewed the life expectancy of the show, noting its waning cultural relevancy despite the growing prominence of its actors, and the loss of its status as The CW's number-one show, having been beaten out in terms of ratings by other shows of the network like ''
Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
'' and '' 90210''. "The series itself hasn't quite kept up, even if its plotting is as juicy and lunatic as ever." and that "The cast would all rather be making movies, while the showrunners are focusing on launching new projects via their nascent Fake Empire production company (including CW newcomer ''
Hart of Dixie ''Hart of Dixie'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on The CW from September 26, 2011, to March 27, 2015. The series, created by Leila Gerstein, stars Rachel Bilson as Dr. Zoe Hart, a New Yorker who, after her dreams of ...
''). Barring an unexpected brand reboot or another stab at a spinoff, we're afraid the end is near. XOXO."
AOL TV AOL TV was the name of both a thin client which uses a television for display (rather than a monitor), and the online service that supports it, both of which were launched in June 2000 to compete with WebTV. The product and service were develo ...
ranked ''Gossip Girl'' the 20th Best School Show of All Time and the 4th TV's Biggest Guilty Pleasure. The show was declared the tenth highest-rated show for the first ten years of IMDb.com Pro (2002–2012). There was much controversy around Dan being revealed as Gossip Girl in the season finale. Dan had always struggled to be an insider among the Upper East Side and had supposedly created Gossip Girl to gain more power and had been the one "pulling the strings the whole time," as mentioned by Serena in the finale. However, there was much speculation and controversy regarding this decision. Penn Badgley, who played Dan, stated in an interview that he himself found it funny that the writers had decided to make him be Gossip Girl and that he did not know about the reveal before shooting the series finale. Badgley cited the numerous instances of Dan appearing to be shocked by a Gossip Girl blast while alone, which would not make sense if Dan had been the one posting on Gossip Girl.


Cultural influence

CW executive
Dawn Ostroff Dawn Ostroff is an American businesswoman. She is the chief content officer and advertising business officer of Spotify, and the former president of entertainment of The CW and former president of Condé Nast Entertainment. Early life and educ ...
later compared ''Gossip Girl''s role as the show that defined its network to ''
House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structu ...
'' for
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
. Its television audience was never very large, but the show was influential on culture; Savage recalled that the crew likened working on it to working for a
lifestyle magazine Lifestyle journalism is the field of journalism that provides news and opinion, often in an entertaining tone, regarding goods and services used by consumers in their everyday life. Lifestyle journalism covers travel, fashion, fitness, leisure, fo ...
. Bell stated, " chwartz and Savagewere spearheading: 'What if the Internet is just a place to judge people? What if that's what it turns into?' And they turned out to be Nostradamus." A hairstylist for the show compared media interest in Lively's hair to that for
Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...
's "
The Rachel The Rachel haircut, commonly known as simply "The Rachel", is an eponymous hairstyle popularized by American actress Jennifer Aniston. Named after Rachel Green, the character she played on the American sitcom ''Friends'' (1994-2004), Aniston debu ...
". In 2008, ''The New York Times'' reported the show has had a profound impact on retail, saying ''Gossip Girl'' is probably "the first howto have been conceived, in part, as a fashion marketing vehicle". While it has had middling success in terms of ratings, it "may well be the biggest influence in the youth culture market", said a trendspotter. However, for Maheen Humayun of The Tempest, the show emphasized toxic cultural traits, like rape culture, that "messed up a whole generation." According to Zoe Fox of
Mashable Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...
, the show popularized social media networks and mobile communication, becoming "a pioneer in its use of mobile". In 2008, ''
New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...
'' named the series as "Best Show Ever". In 2009, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' named the series as "TV's Hottest Show". On January 26, 2012, in honor of the series' 100th episode, New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a c ...
visited the set and proclaimed the date ''Gossip Girl Day,'' citing the show's cultural influence and impact on the economy of the city. "''Gossip Girl'' has made New York a central character. While ''Gossip Girl'' is drawing fans in with its plot twists, the show also attracts many of them to visit New York, contributing to our incredible 50.5million visitors last year. In fact, the economic impact of ''Gossip Girl'' and other television shows and films that are made in New York really can be felt directly in all five boroughs. The 100th episode of ''Gossip Girl'' is a real landmark, and I want to congratulate the show's cast and crew," he stated. The popularity of the series was also indirectly responsible for the creation of the reality series '' NYC Prep'', which ran for one season on Bravo. The series has been referenced in films such as ''
Fired Up! ''Fired Up!'' is a 2009 American teen sex comedy film directed by Will Gluck (in his directorial debut) who is also credited with writing the film under the pseudonym Freedom Jones. The film's plot revolves around two popular high school foo ...
'', ''
Get Him To The Greek ''Get Him to the Greek'' is a 2010 American comedy film written, produced and directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring Russell Brand and Jonah Hill. Released on June 4, 2010, the film is a spin-off sequel of Stoller's 2008 film '' Forgetting S ...
'', ''
Vampires Suck ''Vampires Suck'' is a 2010 American parody vampire film written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. It stars Jenn Proske, Matt Lanter, Christopher N. Riggi, Ken Jeong, Anneliese van der Pol, and Arielle Kebbel. The film is a ...
'', ''
Easy A ''Easy A'' (stylized as ''easy A'') is a 2010 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Will Gluck, written by Bert V. Royal, starring Emma Stone, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Haden Church, Dan Byrd, Amanda Bynes, Penn Bad ...
'', ''
Just Go With It ''Just Go with It'' is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Allan Loeb and Timothy Dowling, and produced by Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo, and Heather Parry. It is a remake of the 1969 film '' Cactus Flower ...
'' and ''
Horrible Bosses ''Horrible Bosses'' is a 2011 American black comedy film directed by Seth Gordon, written by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan Goldstein, from a story by Markowitz. It stars Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jenn ...
'', and TV series such as '' Royal Pains'', ''
Entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...
'', ''
Parks and Recreation ''Parks and Recreation'' (also known as ''Parks and Rec'') is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 ...
'', '' Skam'', ''
30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', tak ...
'', '' Skins'', and '' Shameless'', among others. Popular among teenagers and young adults, the ''Gossip Girl'' cast has posed on the cover of numerous mainstream magazines, including ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', ''
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Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
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Ratings

The series premiere was watched by 3.50 million viewers and achieved a 1.6 Adults 18–49, coming in last place in its 9:00 pm timeslot on Wednesday nights. However, the show was noted to have held the best audience retention of ''America's Next Top Model''. Benefiting from the network rerunning the show during the 2008 WGA strike, the season ended with 3.00 million viewers. The second season premiered with 3.43 million viewers. The second season ended with 2.23 million viewers.Top CW Primetime Shows, May 18–24, 2009
. Tv by the Numbers. May 27, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
The third season premiered with 2.55 million viewers. The third season ended with 1.96 million viewers. The fourth season premiered to 1.83 million viewers and a 1.0 for adults 18–49. Episode 4.04 hit season highs in all categories with a 2.8 rating in The CW's target of Women 18–34, a 1.7 in Adults 18–34 and 1.1 in Adults 18–49. The fourth season ended with 1.36 million viewers. The fifth season premiered with 1.37 million viewers. The fifth season ended with 1.44 million viewers. Despite this, throughout the fifth season, ''Gossip Girl'' continued to see a decrease in viewers. The sixth season premiered to 0.78million viewers, making it not only the least viewed season premiere for the series, but also the least viewed episode in show's six-year run. The following episode saw a decrease to 0.76million viewers, which once again marked a new series low in terms of viewers. The series finale was watched by 1.55million viewers, the highest viewed episode since season four.


Awards and accolades


DVR ratings

*2007 *2008 *2009 *2010 *2011


Online ratings

The series was the 5th most-binged TV series on Subscription Video-on-Demand (SVOD) Services; derived from NPD's VideoWatch Digital, consumer tracker based on data from 313,866 SVOD TV transactions across 26,176 SVOD subscribers that were completed between January 2012 and January 2013.


Merchandise


Soundtrack

The first soundtrack of the TV series, ''OMFGG – Original Music Featured On Gossip Girl, No. 1'' was released digitally on September 2, 2008, and in stores on October 28, 2008.


Fashion

''Gossip Girl'' was very influential on fashion for teenage and young adult women. The show was intended in part as a way for fashion companies to market their products. Some brands paid a fee, and the show's Web site provided referral links so viewers could purchase items they saw on television. In 2009,
Anna Sui Anna Sui (; born August 4, 1964) is an American fashion designer. She was named one of the "Top 5 Fashion Icons of the Decade", and in 2009 earned the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America ( ...
created a line inspired by ''Gossip Girl''. Daman, who based his costumes on what Manhattan private-school students wore,, said that by the sixth season the show was "getting one-of-a-kind couture from Paris", because "they wanted their wares on Blake Lively". On September 16, 2011, it was announced that Warner Bros. and label Romeo & Juliet Couture had partnered to create ''Gossip Girl''s official clothing line inspired by lead characters Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf. The launch of the fashion line took place on September 26, 2011, the same day as the premiere of the fifth season. Cosmetics online retailer Birchbox and ''Gossip Girl'' have teamed up to create a special Birchbox edition filled with beauty products inspired by the show. The products were chosen by ''Gossip Girl'' makeup department head, Amy Tagliamonti, and hair department head, Jennifer Johnson.


International adaptations

''Gossip Girl'' spawned several adaptations in other countries. The Turkish adaptation is known as '' Little Secrets'' (). ''Little Secrets'' contains numerous differences from the original TV series. "Gossip Girl" role is main role "Ayşegül" and her identity isn't secret. Chuck has been rewritten, with Serena and later Ayşegül, being love interests. Blair has been rewritten, Serena's loser friend and obsessed lover to Nate. On March 5, 2012, it was reported that
Warner Bros. International Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...
and Metan Development Group would produce a Chinese teen drama series called ''China Girl'' inspired by ''Gossip Girl''. Production was set to start in June 2012 with the show airing in November. The show was to follow the lives of students at a university instead of a high school. No news of the actual broadcast followed. A Mexican version of the series was produced by Mexican producer Pedro Torres as '' Gossip Girl: Acapulco''. The show stars
Sofía Sisniega Sofía Sisniega (born 7 June 1989) is a Mexican actress, best known for her role as ''Sofia López-Haro'' in the 2013 Mexican adaptation, '' Gossip Girl: Acapulco''. Early life Sisniega was born in Cuernavaca, Mexico. She began acting in local c ...
,
Oka Giner Okairy Alejandra Giner Arredondo (born November 30, 1992 in Santa Rosalía de Camargo, Camargo, Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua, Mexico), better known as Oka Giner, is a Mexican actress who gained popularity for her debut role as Bárbara Fuenmayor ...
, Jon Ecker,
Vadhir Derbez Vadhir Derbez Alejandro González Torres Prince (born 18 February 1991), better known as Vadhir Derbez, is a Mexican actor and singer who has worked for Televisa, Univision, Warner Brothers, Netflix, TV Azteca and Telemundo. Personal life D ...
,
Diego Amozurrutia Diego Amozurrutia Torres Landa (born August 31, 1990 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal Mexico) is a Mexican actor and model. Biography Diego Amozurrutia appeared in the CEA of Televisa. Presentations throughout the republic with the musical g ...
, and
Macarena Achaga Macarena Achaga Figueroa (; born March 5, 1992), known professionally as Macarena Achaga, is an Argentinian model, actress, singer, and television hostess. In 2012, she debuted as an actress on the Mexican television series '' Miss XV'' and was a ...
. Filming of the Mexican adaptation began in January 2013 and the series aired on July 5, 2013, on
Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...
. The show also aired in the United States on
Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and include ...
in 2014. It was not renewed for a second season. Another version of ''Gossip Girl'' aired in Thailand on Channel 3 beginning July 16, 2015, dubbed as '' Gossip Girl: Thailand''. An Indonesian adaptation of the show known as '' Gossip Girl Indonesia'', has been announced during the launch of GoPlay, a video-on-demand service by the country's popular ridesharing app, Gojek, with
Nia Dinata Nurkurniati Aisyah Dewi (born 4 March 1970 in Jakarta, Indonesia), better known as Nia Dinata, is an Indonesian film director. Her movies are known for tackling subjects controversial or "risky" in Indonesia such as homosexuality, migrant workers ...
as its showrunner, premiered on the platform on February 14, 2020.


Sequel

A sequel to the series was released on
WarnerMedia Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...
's streaming service
HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...
. The new series received an initial 10-episode order and picks up nine years after the original Gossip Girl site went dark, as a new generation of private school teens are introduced to the watchful eye of Gossip Girl. These new characters also attend the Upper East Side prep school Constance Billard, as did the characters of the original series. Josh Schwartz confirmed the new series would be a continuation rather than a reboot. Leighton Meester, the actress who played Blair Waldorf, confirmed on ''
Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. ...
'' that she would not be a part of the sequel. When asked, Meester answered, "I was not asked to be on it, so no." Chace Crawford also confirmed that he had not been asked to be a part of the sequel; however, he noted he would be open to making an appearance. In November 2019, it was announced Kristen Bell would be returning as the voice of Gossip Girl in the new series.


References


External links

* * * * {{Authority control 2000s American high school television series 2000s American teen drama television series 2007 American television series debuts 2010s American high school television series 2010s American teen drama television series 2012 American television series endings Coming-of-age television shows The CW original programming English-language television shows Fashion-themed television series Mass media portrayals of the upper class Serial drama television series Television series about bullying Television series about teenagers Television series by Alloy Entertainment Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows based on American novels Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television shows filmed in New York City Television shows set in Manhattan