Gossip Girl

Let‘s see, where do I start? “Gossip Girl“ made its way on to the scene back in 2007 and quickly became a success, establishing a solid fan base with viewers religiously tuning in every week. It doesn’t offer anything new in the realm of teen-soaps except for the setting, which unlike “One Tree Hill” and “Smallville,” takes place in a more urban environment, New York City.

The show is based on a book series and since I haven’t read any of them, I’m not sure how closely the writers follow the source material. I can say that “Gossip Girl” is risky. It seems to have few boundaries and someone, somewhere is always trying to get it banned from television. Again, I don’t know if it’s the writers remaining true to the books or if they’re merely trying to draw attention to the show, but either way, it has absolutely no problem making headlines for being inappropriate.

The third season of “Gossip Girl” is the first and only season I’ve seen thus I’m not sure how fair this review will be. I’m aware the first two seasons centered on the characters in high school and this season focuses on their lives after graduation. That’s always a hard transition to make with any series. In fact, most shows begin to fail at this point. “Gossip Girl” seems to struggle and while it takes a few episodes for the show to find its footing, the end result is the true definition of entertainment.

Though I’m not a Lady Gaga fan, those who are will eat one particular episode up. She has a terrific cameo and we even get a music video constructed around her appearance. This comes toward the end of the season. Again, the first portion of the third season is the show struggling to make the transition after high school. After some establishing episodes and the disembodied voice of the ‘Gossip Girl’ (Yes, Kristen Bell is back to dish out more juiciness) doing some explaining on her own, the season really takes off and paves a nice road for a fourth season.

In closing, “Gossip Girl” remains a guilty pleasure. Like any show, it has its lows, but the highs really do make for a drama-filled, back-stabbing addition in the series. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Getting past the pilot of a brand new series is always the most difficult task. This is undoubtedly the case with “Gossip Girl”, the new teen-soap from “The OC” scribe Josh Schwartz. At first glance, it’s merely another trashy concept telling the story of a group of ‘have’ and ‘have nots’ with lots of smooching, brooding and back-stabbing to make ends meet. Stick around awhile, however, and there’s more to be discovered in this likely hit drama.

Omniscient, anonymous Gossip Girl (voiced by Kristen Bell of “Veronica Mars”) narrates each episode, giving viewers the juicy details behind the latest relationships, betrayals and everything else you’d expect to exist in the lives of a group of privileged teenagers living in the wealthy Upper East side of New York.

The casting is fair, but like any teen-drama in the history of television, there’s not an ugly face to be scene. Even the extras are drop-dead gorgeous from their flashy apparel to their sparkling automobiles. Nevertheless, the talent is plausible and realism never becomes a concern.

While “Gossip Girl” isn’t immediately as likeable as “The OC”, it’s still a compelling blend of adolescent behavior thus Schwartz’s latest is sure to rack up a nice group of followers.