Based on the popular book series of the same name, this drama gives viewers a peek into the world of privileged teenagers on an elite private school in New York City. The story is written by The O.C.'s Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and directed by Mark Piznarski who has worked on series like Everwood and Veronica Mars.Gossip Girl revolves around the lives of socialite young adults growing up on New York's Upper East Side who attend elite academic institutions while dealing with sex, drugs, and other teenage issues. Featuring an ensemble cast, the series mainly centers around the lives of former best friends, Serena van der Woodsen played by Blake Lively and Blair Waldorf played by Leighton Meester, and their shared romantic interest, Nate Archibald played by Chave Crawford. As outsiders looking in, Dan and Jenny Humphrey do not run in the same social or financial circles as their peers but are drawn into their lives nonetheless. The series is narrated by a seemingly omniscient character, "Gossip Girl" voiced by Kristen Bell, who runs a blog about her fellow Upper East Siders — consequently stirring the pot and creating potential rivalries in this exclusive and vicious circle of friends.
The series first aired on September 18, 2007 in Canada on CTV before premiering in the U.S. a day later on September 19, 2007 on The CW, following America's Next Top Model. The premiere episode also became available on the iTunes Store as a free download on September 14 2007, four days before the series' debut. The show received the first full season order of 22 episodes of the 2007/2008 television season of the five major broadcast networks when The CW picked it up in October 2007.
