Gossip Girl is an American teen drama series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007. Narrated by the omniscient yet unseen blogger "Gossip Girl", voiced by Kristen Bell, the series revolves around the lives of privileged young adults on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York City.
The series begins with the return of Upper East Side "It" girl, Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) from a mysterious stay at a boarding school in Cornwall, Connecticut. Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), whom creators describe as the queen at the center of their chess game, is a longtime friend and occasional rival of Serena's, and the Queen Bee of Constance Billard School's social scene. The story also follows Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), the bad boy of the Upper East Side; "Golden boy" Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), Chuck's best friend and Blair's ex; and other characters of the turbulent Manhattan scene: Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), Nate's friend and Serena's on-again, off-again ex; Vanessa Abrams (Jessica Szohr), Dan's best friend; and Dan's sister, Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen).

Production

Executive producers

The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz and fellow writer Stephanie Savage have served as the show's executive producers throughout the series' run, followed by Bob Levy and Leslie Morgenstein of Alloy Entertainment, who were assigned in aiding the adaptation of the novels into the series.Following the success of Gossip Girl, Gilmore Girls co-producer, John Stephens was approached by Schwartz and Savage, having previously worked with him in The O.C, and hired him as an executive producer.

Casting

Featuring nine regular speaking roles, the majority of the ensemble cast was assembled from February to April 2007. Blake Lively and Leighton Meester were the first two actresses to be chosen in February for the lead roles of Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf, respectively. Penn Badgley, Taylor Momsen, Chace Crawford Kelly Rutherford, Connor Paolo and Florencia Lozano (appeared in pilot only; replaced by Margaret Colin) also auditioned successfully and landed roles in the series in March. Actors for the roles of Chuck Bass and Rufus Humphrey were found in April when English actor Ed Westwick and Matthew Settle were cast. As rumors swirled about the impending cancellation of Veronica Mars, it was revealed at The CW's 2007 Upfronts on May 17, 2007 that Kristen Bell had narrated the pilot, thus making her the title character of another show on the network. Jessica Szohr was signed on to portray the recurring role of Vanessa Abrams and received regular status during the fourteenth episode of the first season. Throughout the series' run, Connor Paolo consistently declined to elevate his recurring role of Eric van der Woodsen to regular status, citing personal reasons for his decision. Jenny Humphrey, portrayed by Taylor Momsen, went on an indefinite hiatus during the series' fourth season but retained regular billing.