Fall TV preview: Gossip Girl

I never thought the first show I'd preview for this fall's TV lineup would be airing on the CW. But, the youngest of the networks also has the most new material, so I decided to start there. And boy am I glad I did. I was able to watch the pilot episode of "Gossip Girl" and I am quite certain that every Wednesday for the rest of the fall I'll be glued to my TV to see where it goes next.
I was talking to a girl at a party last night and she too had seen the pilot. She was asking everyone if they had seen it because she too, is hooked. And, trust me, it's hard not to be.
"Gossip Girl" is "The Hills" meet "The O.C." meets the best teen drama you've ever seen (p.s. OC creator Josh Schwartz is also responsible for this hit). The show is based on a best selling series of novels...so the good news is the material has already been proven to work. The show stars Blake Lively who is best known for her work in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants". She is a beautiful blonde whose on-screen presence captivates audiences. The only other member of the cast you may already know is Penn Badgley. If you don't already know of him you should get to and soon. I predict Penn will be the next Heath Ledger. He was "the other Tucker" in John Tucker must die, and held a lead in the short lived, now defunct WB series "The Bedford Diaries". His charm and rugged good looks will win the girls over. And he is just one of two hot lead males in the show.
The premise is rather simple... Serena (Lively) comes from money and up until this point has lived it up. Her world came crashing down, however, when her 16 year old brother attempted suicide, prompting her to run away to boarding school. Now Serena is back and is having to deal with all the friends and family that she left behind. This includes a crazy love triangle with her best friend and her boyfriend. Badgley's character is the down-to-earth "I'm not from money" character that balances out the social equation.
I'd explain more but you can just watch the pilot episode for free on the cwtv.com website. I just hope all my other reviews are as successful.