Based on the bestselling book series by Cecily von Ziegesar, the drama came with a built-in audience and a look inside the rarefied world of Manhattan's wealthy youth. The upper-class teens contend with the angst of having too much too soon, amid luxurious debutante balls and high-fashion shopping. At the center of the drama is Serena, the former Queen Bee of her elite private school, who returned after a mysterious absence to find her throne occupied by her onetime BFF, Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), angry about her abrupt departure. Their catfight is avidly documented on the Gossip Girl blog, which breathlessly relates Serena's relationship with Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), a good boy from the wrong side of town (i.e., Brooklyn) and Blair's own romantic troubles.
The Hit That Isn't
The snippy teen drama 'Gossip Girls' is an Internet smash, and a conundrum for its network.
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For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, January 27, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 31 words Type of Material: Correction
'Gossip Girl': Today's Calendar article about "Gossip Girl" says that the show's target demographic is teenagers. Its network, the CW, sells to advertisers who seek viewers in the 18-to-34 age range.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, February 03, 2008 Home Edition Sunday Calendar Part E Page 2 Calendar Desk 1 inches; 31 words Type of Material: Correction
'Gossip Girl': Last Sunday's article about "Gossip Girl" said that the show's target demographic is teenagers. Its network, the CW, sells to advertisers who seek viewers in the 18-to-34 age range.
Some critics chided the program for its depictions of excess, including the copious amounts of underage drinking and casual sex, but others praised it as this season's best guilty pleasure.
When the show drew middling ratings, many in the industry were surprised. "Gossip Girl" was one of "the shows that we had higher hopes for that we really believed in," said Andy Donchin, director of national broadcast at the media firm Carat USA. "And we were just disappointed that it didn't do better."
One of the major hurdles the show faced was its Wednesday night competition: two of the most anticipated new shows of the new season, ABC's "Private Practice" and NBC's "Bionic Woman," along with CBS' highly rated "Criminal Minds."
Ostroff said she knew it would be tough to break out amid the fall offerings but felt that the CW had to launch "Gossip Girl" then to maintain the network's presence, and she has hopes it will grow in a second season. (The show got an early full-season order but has not yet been formally picked up for another year.) She noted that the program has been the No. 1 new broadcast show this season among female teens. And its audience -- with a median age of 26.2 -- is the youngest watching broadcast television.
Despite the low ratings, the high concentration of those hard-to-reach viewers has kept it appealing for advertisers; Verizon Wireless and Victoria's Secret have done product integration deals, and the movie "27 Dresses" recently advertised in a content wrap, a multi-part commercial that frames the drama.
