Watching the premiere of Gossip Girl last night inspired me to divulge in an insider secret of my own. Ready? Here I present to you the CW network’s formula for success:
(Emo Boy + Brooding Dark Horse + Beauty with Big, Mysterious Problems + Rich A–hole + Drugs + Money) x Lotsa Sex = Trash TV Gold
Q.E.D! Wait, I’m not talking about the O.C., I’m talking about Gossip Girl. If the comparisons are endless, you can thank executive producer/writer Josh Schwartz (and O.C. creator) for that. This East coast edition is even more lecherous, juicy, and ADD-friendly than its predecessor. Technology practically plays a seventh character: MySpace! Texting 24-7! Blogging! Spying tipsters like Melanie91! News travels in Manhattan’s Upper East Side faster than you can say: No she dih-dint.
Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively, pictured, right, in a similar role to the one she played in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) returns to the UES after a short stay at boarding school; why she left (pregnancy?), and who she’s left behind (B.F.F. Blair Waldorf, played by Leighton Meester, left, and a suicidal younger brother with an uncanny resesmblance to Aaron Carter) are the crux of Gossip Girl’s blogs. Blair’s become queen bee at their elite prep school in Serena’s absence, and no way is she going to let S. waltz back into her life and friends. Lovelorn Nate Archibald mopes around like a neglected puppy. Meanwhile, friend/antagonist Chuck Bass’ (Ed Westwick) main mission in life seems to be to smoke weed and try to "tap that a–" at all times. It’d almost be funny, if he didn’t look so creepy while doing it.
For those of you who have read the books, what did you think about the addition of the parents? To me, they seemed one-note — and boring ones at that. Blair’s mother was dressed exactly like Carolina Herrera during the recent Fashion Week, and former rocker Rufus Humphrey looked young enough to date Serena, not her mother. Also, the parental units are weirdly wrapped up in their own lives. Do you think they should stay in the show? Do you even care about them?
High school was hard enough, as I recall. These socialite kids are probably — OK, are — everythingI wanted to be growing up: Smart, rich, and beautiful. Middle-classbrother and sister Jenny and Dan Humphrey, who are so artsy thatthey’ve been relegated to Brooklyn, would agree. It’s like that page inUS Weekly — They’re Just Like Us! But not. We can relate to thesesilver-spooned lemmings, but are envious of their extra, inaccessiblepanache. They drink dirty martinis — at the Palace. They face collegedilemmas like the other seniors — but between schools like UCLAand Dartmouth. Grilled cheese? Sounds good — but only with truffle oil.
And that is why we laugh, and why we watch. Schadenfreude — which explains why TMZ and Gawker are open on my desktop right now — isaddictive, as the thousands of people who read these sites and leavecomments daily prove. So what if it’s shamelessly shallow? When I’msitting in my cramped Manhattan apartment, eating the previous night’s takeout,and basically wishing I were far, far away, Gossip Girl is a perfect one-hour escape to my otherwise plebeian existence.
Pop Watchers, what did you think? Do you love it or hate it? Is ittrue to the books? Did anyone else notice that our gals’ preferrednicknames — "B." and "S." — form a not-so-nice abbreviation? Do you thinkthere are too many drugs? What’s up with the token minoritygirlfriends — will they ever speak? And who’s the fairest guy of themall? My money’s on the hipster Dan (alas, I could never say no to arock star, even if he’s only the son of a forgotten one.) And, of course, make sure to check the magazine for our critic’s official take on the show.
Comments (1-30) of 79 Add your comment
QED in a Popwatch post = awesome. Although that’s not so much a proof you have there.
I liked this show better than I thought, I total guilty pleasure though. But I just didn’t have any desire to see kids race around wheel barrels or Grey’s Anatomy spin-off. I hope that GS stays on if it’s as hilarious and ludicrous as it was last night!!
it’s 1 oh freakin clock. where’s the top chef love?!
That’s exactly the way I feel about The OC, and even more so with Gossip Girl. Who cares if it’s shallow? It’s so fun. C;
@–>–>–
LOVED it.
on the CW, the only thing i watch is ANTM, and I plan to keep it that way.
tv watch this show
As a 30 something that lives in the UES, I loved it much more then I’d like to admit. Over dressed, openly drinking, too-old-looking girls might seem unrealistic to some, but when you see it every day, it makes GG that much better. Such a guilty pleasure. I will be secretly watching it with the blinds drawn every week. Love it!!
This show had some awesome background music. I watched because “Veronica Mars” is the Gossip Girl, and Kristen Bell does snarky well.
Chuck = James Spader in Pretty In Pink! Or is it just me? And I totally noticed that “B” and “S” moment.
Its pretty good, although all of that texting cr*p might get old fast…
LOVED the show. It has filled the void The OC left in my life! Please do a TV Watch on this show every week! It’s definitely my guilty pleasure.
I Loved the show…I just thought that Jenny was not casted as well as she could have, but she was still a good actress. Dan is HOTT! I can’t wait until next week for the second episode.
Seems like an interesting show and Blake Lively showed promise in the very underrated “The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants” .
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Dan and Serena together. I liked their whole happy family actually. I’ll keep watching.
30 minutes? Was this episode special (60 mins) or was that just a typo?
I thought the parents added an interesting dimention. In the cases where they were flitty or just plain bad at parenting, the kids were obviously affected by that. Rockstar Dad seemed to be the only one who was any good to his kids, and his son and daughter appeared the most “normal,” as in, the least screwed-up. So not my kind of show, but it was interesting and will get me to watch next week.
I agree, you should TV watch this!
PLEASE TV Watch this show!!!!
I was really surprised at how much I liked the show when I had previously made fun of it after just hearing the premise. I agree with the person asking what else is on at that time though.
Am I the only one who found it incredibly irresponsible to be flaunting underage drinking in such an overt way? What 17 yo girl drinks dirty martinis in a hotel lobby?? Granted the actress playing her LOOKS 26, but come on! In other shows, underage drinking usually has a moral consequence (eg. Mischa Barton’s character having all her problems on the OC). I think its fine for adults to get a guilty pleasure out of this, but we all know there are 13 yo’s out there watching this, just waiting until they can be “cool” like that. I don’t know why – it just rubbed me the wrong way on this show.
Bad acting, bad writing, cliched plots, annoying characters…and I *loved* it. Though once Dirty Sexy Money comes on, this might get the boot. I don’t think I can handle two trashy guilty pleasures in a season.
as a Kristen Bell devotee, I think I’d watch this show just to hear her voice.
and I totally agree with you,Kay, Bell’s premium brand of snarky is perfect in representing GG
it’s like a tiny snippet of veronica mars to ease my grieving soul.
the suicidal brother…looks more like that weirdo Chris Crocker from youtube. But the Chris Crocker that I knew so many years ago before this weird internet fame he has now LOL
naylo- I”m pretty sure there are going to be some consequences to her drinking. I think that is part of the reason why she left town. However, I don’t think there should any 13-year-olds watching this show anyway. Not one, but two attempted rapes last night?
oh yeah, am i the only one that thinks that chuck guy looks like a gross/creepy jummy fallon??
As a 24 year old man, i didn’t expect to enjoy GG as much as I did. But I loved it. Can’t wait for more. The only reason I tuned in was to hear Kristen Bell’s snarky comments and did they deliver. Also did anyone notice the longing look that Eric gave Jenny? Hope it makes it all season.
LOVED IT! This is my new favorite show. Chuck is awesome, although not yet as much fun as the Chuck in the books. Penn Badgley as Dan is hot — he and Blake/Serena have crazy chemistry. However, Chase Crawford as a sweaty, scruffy (post-run) Nate is way HOT. The bitchy repartee between S & B is great. I adore’s Kristin Bell’s waspy, know-it-all voiceover and the constant texting. I’m keeping an open mind about the parents because Schwartz did such a great job with the older characters on the O.C.. The only disappointment was Jenny. In the books, the character has a secret romance with Nate — so I’m hoping she becomes more interesting than just a damsel in distress. The books are so funny and tongue-in-cheek so I am hoping that this show doesn’t take itself too seriously.
just goes to show you that Logan Huntzberger is the most believable fictional trust-fund baby..no one on this show is believable as a snotty rich kid.
Totally addictive TV! Love it and I don’t think it’s that off base. As for young un’s watching it, that’s what parents are for! Of course, as shown on the show, if your parents suck at their jobs then you’ll be exposed to these things to one degree or other.
I loved this show. I didn’t like The OC with its horrible acting by Mischa Barton, so I wasn’t sure about this, but I was very impressed. The only problem was, I kept hearing “Veronica Mars” over and over and longing for a “V” and “L” hookup, rather than the action onscreen. Also, Blair reminded me of Alexis Bledel, so I missed Gilmore Girls, and overall I hated the CW for cancelling the two best programs ever on TV… ONCE I got past that, I realized Blake Lively was adorable (LOVED her in Accepted with the equally adorable Justin Long) and that at least hearing a Veronica-style voiceover is juicy fun. I think they could’ve cast a better looking kid for Dan, which is mean to say, but he’s distractingly pale and I hate the shaved head. Love his dad and sister. I’d love to see Nate and Serena hookup again. Never read the books but loved the style and classy glitz of the show. Can’t wait til next week. Berhaps Ms. Bell will someday appear as Gossip Girl! YES!!!