The year was 2007, and what a time to be alive. Internet blogging wasn’t quite what it is today, and teenagers could go to bars unsupervised.
At least, in the world of Gossip Girl they could. The series was an exercise in heightened reality, making it a cult classic that has stood the test of time. Now fans can revisit the antics thanks to one of the biggest streaming services. For some time it was included in the Warner Bros. collection of The CW series on HBO Max, but now Netflix fans can watch it as well.
Based on the hit young adult series by Cecily von Ziegesar, the series was adapted by the creators of the seminal teen show, The O.C. Gossip Girl follows the lives of Manhattan’s elite and the eponymous gossip blogger who airs everyone’s dirty laundry. Spanning six seasons from 2007 – 2012, the series catapulted Blake Lively, Penn Badgley, and Leighton Meester into worldwide fame. Even Sebastian Stan had an early role as Carter Baizen. But along with the pop culture footprint it left, Gossip Girl also had some of the best storylines on television.
Gossip Girl remains iconic
Part of the beauty of Gossip Girl is that it knows exactly what it is. Following the tumultuous friendship between Serena van der Woodsen (Lively) and Blair Waldorf (Meester), the series shows the crimes that teenage girls will commit against each other. Their battles mainly commence over the internet via Gossip Girl, a blogger who takes tips about everyone in their community.
Gossip Girl is a fictionalized perception of New York. One where private school students have all resources at their disposal and are more adult than their own parents. It was campy heaven, but was also grounded in a believable emotional world. Despite the ups and downs between Serena and Blair, they mean everything to each other. Relationships were the core of the series and led to heavy debate online.
From week to week, fans followed the fate of Blair’s love life with heavy interest. The main contender for her heart was her controversial partner in crime, Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick). Chuck was initially introduced as Nate Archibald’s (Chace Crawford) best friend and would go one to have far more longevity than perhaps intended. Nate was Blair’s boyfriend but could never give her what she needed. She bonds with Chuck because of their love of scheming and their experience in broken homes.
Chuck became divisive because of many toxic qualities but ultimately has the best character development in the series. His love for Blair makes him do horrible things only for him to come out better on the other side. He learns from his mistakes and discovers that he has the power to be selfless wither. While many fans were interested in the Dan (Badgley) and Blair dynamic, the core of Gossip Girl had always been Chuck and Blair.
Times may have changed, but the series will always remain relevant. Twitter has replaced blogging, no one wears Uggs anymore, and everyone has an iPhone. Regardless, Gossip Girl is still the greatest teen drama of all time. Viewers can watch all six seasons streaming on Netflix.