Gossip Girl

Dan and Jenny Humphrey (Penn Badgley and Taylor Momsen) are middle-class kids, but their ex-rock star dad insists on putting them in the very best school money can buy. And so these nice, normal kids are inserted in a private school on NYC's Upper East Side populated with spoiled super-rich kids who spend their days shopping, having sex, and reading trashy blog items about themselves. Sounds like a nice premise, except that our underdogs take a back seat to the ludicrous triumphs and tragedies of the aforementioned rich brats, including the backstabbing Blair and date-rapist Chuck. Where there are underdog kids (as well as a sympathetic deposed Queen Bee played with style by Blake Lively), there's hope -- but judging by the "Gossip Girl" pilot episode, this show is much more obsessed with the characters you'll hate than the small collection you might actually like. (However, if you'd like to witness what a teenager's fantasy world -- complete with bartenders who think nothing of serving mixed drinks to 16-year-old girls -- looks like, this ridiculous show's got you covered.)

The Pitch:	It's "The O.C." moved to the East Coast, where the teenagers drink like Hemingway and screw like Jenna Jameson, apparently. Based on the popular series of books for people who hate reading.
When It’s On	Wednesdays at 9 PT/ET, CW
When It Starts	Wed 9/19
What It’s Up Against	Private Practice (ABC), Criminal Minds (CBS), Bionic Woman (NBC), Kitchen Nightmares (Fox)
Starring...	Blake Lively, Penn Badgley, voice of Kristen Bell
Cliche-o-Meter	Rich Folks Forbidden Former Love Guys named Chuck Fish out of Water Annoying Narrator
Fandom Factor	Lukewarm
Do Not Adjust Your Set:	That's Veronica Mars her own bad self providing the insipid voice-overs for the series. This is what we call a come-down.
Why It Will Be First To Go:	Well, it's perhaps the crappiest of the new fall shows. That still ought to count for something.
Why It Won't:	Never underestimate the power of "Gossip Girl's'" target demographic of teenagers to take something stupid and love it so fervently, you consider asking Congress to intervene.
Odds of Failure:	2-1
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