"Gossip Girl" does not live up to expectations but still draws in viewers

MARGARET GREGORY '10

“Gossip Girl” aired last year on September 19, 2007, and immediately became one of television’s hottest new shows. The teenage party scene in New York’s Upper East Side has everyone talking and people just can’t get enough. The television series is based on the award winning series written by Cecily von Ziegesar. “Gossip Girl” is incredibly entertaining and addicting.

The show has eight main characters, all with different backgrounds and agenda. Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) was a teenage party girl who was spiraling out of control when she left town suddenly without telling anyone. The show starts when she returns from her long break as a new, more responsible young woman. Serena’s best friend is Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester). Blair is a manipulating and conniving girl who is dating Nate (Chase Crawford). Nate is a fun and popular guy who drives his fictional cast mates and viewers alike insane with his charm and good looks. Nate, seemingly a simple socialite, displays his complex side when coping with his troublesome family life, causing an interesting twist.

The dramatic premiere upset many viewers because the characters and setting did not live up to the infamous novels. The writers took the liberty of adjusting the television story line, a necessary step to distance itself from a well-know plotline. The book’s characters are much more dramatic and the situations that they get themselves into are more extreme, living up to the shock value that American pop culture demands. Despite their discontent, most viewers voted that they still watch the show religiously

Sadly, the show has been on a hiatus since the start of the 2007 writers’ strike. “It’s been a very weird, surreal sad time. Both shows are going great and everyone loves working on them, so to have to step away from the shows is very painful,” said Josh Schwartz the creator of “Gossip Girl.” It is clear that shows that had just begun to air their first season (like “Gossip Girl”) are truly suffering as a result of the writers’ strike. They have had a downfall in viewers but are still doing well.

Don’t forget to check out: “Gossip Girl” reruns on Mondays at 9\8c!