“Gossip Girl” Season 1 (2007-08, CW) – Sure, these Upper East Siders’ personal dramas are small compared to the world’s. But in their world, prep school power struggles and cash-driven courtships are everything – and uber-blogger Gossip Girl knows it.
To stay sane while viewing, latch onto Dan Humphrey, a solid fellow who hails from the real world. Throw in Vanessa (Dan’s buddy before he moved to Snobville), Rufus (Dan’s dad) and Serena (Dan’s girlfriend), and we have “Gossip Girl’s” Good Guys.
The Bad Guys are wicked prankster Chuck (Serena’s stepbrother), conniving Blair (Serena’s frienemy) and utterly nasty Georgina (Serena’s enemy).
The characters orbit each other with the gravitational tug of planets, with Michelle Trachtenberg’s Georgina as a rogue asteroid. After awhile, I couldn’t resist twists such as Serena’s confession to Blair that she killed someone. Soap operas are all about momentum, and – after struggling with “The O.C.” – creator Josh Schwartz has found it.
– John Hansen, State of Television Address, Brainerd Dispatch, May 22, 2008