A story of gorgeous young people living impossibly glamorous lives, Gossip Girl was based on Cecily von Ziegesar’s series of teen novels of the same name. The show’s prime mover and shaker was sultry sixteen-year-old Serena van der Woodson (Blake Lively).
To the viewer, she was an empathetic, if privileged, teen. To fellow characters, she was a transcendent, unapproachable “It” girl, who inspired both awe and jealousy. While Serena wanted to have fun and be “normal,” she was scrutinised for everything she did, said, and especially wore.
The teen drama series began with Serena’s return to her Upper East Side prep school (Constance Billard) after a lengthy and mysterious absence. Where had she been? Why had she left in the first place?
And, most importantly, would Serena’s return derail the Machiavellian social machinations of her BFF – Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester)?
No matter how tough things got with guys, grades, or gowns, Serena and Blair’s charm anchored the show, and the rest of the cast were no less likeable. Despite their privileges, the girls resolved their problems with decency, making the show heartwarming.
The titular Gossip Girl was, of course, the show’s overarching mystery. She was a manipulative, anonymous character (voiced perfectly by Kristen Bell) who served as a viewer substitute, judging, envying, and enjoying the characters’ glorious antics, tracking and exposing their secrets via mass text messages and blog posts.
The most shocking moment of the series finale revealed that Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) was actually Gossip Girl.
He created the blog to “write himself” into the lives of the Upper East Side elite. As an outsider from Brooklyn, he realised that in their world, being talked about – even negatively – was the only way to be relevant.
Guest appearances and cameos (often uncredited) included Elizabeth Hurley, Lady Gaga, Cyndi Lauper, Gwen Stefani, Dick Cavett, Jimmy Fallon, Florence and the Machine and Ivanka Trump.
A 2021 HBO reboot is a standalone sequel set in the same universe but focused on a new generation of Manhattan elite.
Serena van der Woodsen
Blake Lively Blair Waldorf
Leighton Meester Dan Humphrey
Penn Badgley Nate Archibald
Chace Crawford Chuck Bass
Ed Westwick Lily van der Woodsen
Kelly Rutherford Rufus Humphrey
Matthew Settle Jenny Humphrey
Taylor Momsen Vanessa Abrams
Jessica Szohr Dorota Kishlovsky
Zuzanna Szadkowski Eric van der Woodsen
Connor Paolo Eleanor Waldorf
Margaret Colin Gossip Girl
Kristen Bell
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The titular Gossip Girl was, of course, the show’s overarching mystery. She was a manipulative, anonymous character (voiced perfectly by Kristen Bell) who served as a viewer substitute, judging, envying, and enjoying the characters’ glorious antics, tracking and exposing their secrets via mass text messages and blog posts.
