129 out of 200 people found the following comment useful :- Josh Schwartz might be a one-trick pony, 8 October 2007
Author:
TheWinterSolstice from US
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
Josh Schwartz, the brains behind "The OC" (which I loved even when it
went south in the 3rd season) seems to be in Orson Welles territory:
one great achievement, and the rest - just a rehash of that one great
success. Gossip Girl has all of his bad mannerisms without any of the
wit and warmth of The OC, not to mention that all the OC characters
appear in this show, only with different names. The 17-year old kids
all look 25, the parents look 30, all the bad people are rich, all the
poor people are good, the poor dad is a socialist and a saint (like
Sandy Cohen) who's idea of parenting is being buddies with his two
children, Serena is the beauty with the golden heart (like Marissa
Cooper), Dan is witty and chivalrous (imagine Ryan Atwood and Seth
Cohen in one body), Blair just wants to be loved (like the early
Taylor) etc etc. The kids drink alcohol while their parents are around,
they smoke pot in public places, almost everybody wakes up with a
hangover, and in every episode there is an event where everybody
dresses up and somebody gets punched. All the rich parents are cold,
unloving, and conniving, and the most "touching" scene occurs between
two 15-year olds (Dan's sister and Serena's brother) who act like
seasoned 35-year olds - kind of like Joey and Dawson all over again.
I'm sure that Mr. Schwartz feels like he is exposing the dark
underbelly of the rich and ritzy in New York, but the kids seem to be
having so much fun going to school with hangovers that I think his
message is getting lost among the 3500$ dresses, the bottles of
champagne, and the limousines. This show, with it's poor acting, poor
script, poor characters, and the borderline-noxious smart-alecky
voice-over of Kirsten Bell (Veronica Mars) should be put out of its
predictable misery; hopefully sooner than later.
198 out of 373 people found the following comment useful :- the show vs. the book, 9 November 2007
Author:
oca29 from Guatemala
I confess i did expected it to be similar to the book and was very
disappointed at first, but after the first couple episodes I resigned
my self and enjoyed the new drama. I think that for all the books fans
at first it'll be tragic but u just need to stop thinking and comparing
it to the book and it can actually be quite a fun way to kill and hour.
I do think though that this guy, don't know his name, is trying to make
this story look like the OC-NY but that's because i think he must have
read the first couple pages of a book and copied the names, he really
messed it up, jenny is nothing like she's described in the book, chuck!
he's the worst i think, and Dan and jenny's father, makes me sick! But
as u start thinking that this is not the same story, it's just based on
their names, you'll be fine
55 out of 88 people found the following comment useful :- Its just not great, 18 May 2008
Author:
kulababe182 from United Kingdom
For all the advertising and major hype surrounding this show, combined
with the skills of Josh Schwarz, I was expecting great things. Greater
than The OC type things. You've got beautiful people, you've got adults
that only look five years older than their kids, you've got the rich
elite, the struggling outsiders and a high school. Sadly however my
expectations weren't quite met. The storyline itself is watchable, but
everything happens far too fast. In one episode about five different
scenarios seem to go on, people get together and break up, fight and
make up, come out or get done for stealing, all at about ninety miles
an hour. GossipGirl covers some serious issues to show the flaws of NYs
elite, such as Blair's eating disorder, but its dealt with so quickly
that its barely noticed and not ever explained properly . Furthermore,
some of the characters really aren't that likable. Blair and Chuck for
instance really aren't very nice people, they are nasty, manipulative
and don't have many redeeming qualities. Yeah they rally around Serena
in her time of need, but they are harsh to everyone else who isn't on
their level in society. Also, if they are all such good friends with
Serena, why did they let her get into such a bad way in the past, what
kinda friends do that?! Few....
...Anyhoo, I wasn't expecting an OC remake, but I was expecting far
better.
102 out of 184 people found the following comment useful :- what do you expect?, 4 November 2007
Author:
jaytruth13 from United States
I don't think Gossip Girl is as bad as people make out to be,
especially compared to the other new shows this fall. I don't think
these shows are meant to last anymore. They're just a temporary fix
until the network can find another show (can't guarantee a better one)
that will hopefully keep its loyal viewers watching until they can
redeem themselves. I didn't start watching Gossip Girl expecting
greatness, i didn't expect anything, so i'm able to just sit down watch
it and be entertained, or find something better depending on the plot
that night. So far Gossip Girl has been good at just keeping me busy
for an hour. Maybe if we realize that it's not going to be just like
the books we'll enjoy all the silly drama.
115 out of 211 people found the following comment useful :- completely too hyped up., 5 March 2008
Author:
PshYeah5 from United States
I've read these books since the summer before my eighth grade year. and
I'm now a freshman. I love the books. and the TV show. is NOTHING like
them. the characters yes. but some complete changes. its the whole
family time TV thing. in the books Nate does drugs. on the show. nope.
in the books Eric is Serena's older brother partying off at college.
but in the show he is her younger brother and he tried to commit
suicide? and jenny got together with Nate..not sure if thats gonna
happen yet..but it might not. and there was never ANYTHING in the books
going on between Blair and chuck. the show is completely messing up
Cecily Von Ziegesar's series.
221 out of 423 people found the following comment useful :- one of the worst cases of butchuring a classic i've had in a long time. . ., 9 October 2007
Author:
greenrose222002 from United States
i didn't think it was possible to ruin such good books with such an
atrocious remdition of this wonderful book series. I suggest you read
the books then compare and contrast. You would think that with the
other copy cats out there like the O.C. and Laguna beach that you would
be able to achually put out a quality rich troubled kid show and make
it work. But this is just insulting. I don't suggest this for anyone
who knows what it is really like to be like them or really wants to
know what it is like to be like them. It's one of the worst remditions
i could think possible. But as gossip girl would say . . . i don't know
what she would say . . . but it would be something like i don't believe
that they would butcher my show this badly.
108 out of 198 people found the following comment useful :- A fabulous life in Upper East Side?, 17 March 2008
Author:
madame-nini64 from France
Well, to start with... mmm.. i would say this kind of a soap is just
irritating.. sorry if my language seems sort of prosaic, but could we
be really as lucky and happy as those students leaving high school
mystery for University? mmm... seems like a remake of a sex, city,
friends, drugs, alcohol, and wealth movie. Don't like it.
However, I would not tell the same about the books from which GOSSIP
GIRL is adapted on. The books are far better!! They author created
characters we're able to identify... the books (actually 12 books)
deserve to be read! So, forget about the screenplay, badly performed by
so young actress and actors... just go to your bookshop, get the first
book GOSSIP GIRL and it is just like: You're entertaining yourself.
Bye
191 out of 364 people found the following comment useful :- Bland, Empty, Boring..., 13 December 2007
Author:
terry from United States
These are some of the epithets that come to mind when one thinks of
"Gossip Girl".
Hyped up as the "next great hope" for the CW, this show has disappeared
in the ratings like pretty much everything on its network.
The reason? It's all about quality, or the lack thereof in the case of
"Gossip Girl".
When you aim a show at a really small slice of the population, you'd
better hit with all cylinder, but "Gossip Girl" doesn't. It sputters
with bad, boring scripts, unconvincing attempts at humor and of course
,that staple of the WB (now CW) a bunch of empty-eyes young actors
hired for the way their headshot looks rather than for their acting
ability.
The result is a show that's DOA and has done nothing to help the CW.
257 out of 496 people found the following comment useful :- Won't Last too Long..., 19 September 2007
Author:
tarickelbaba from Canada
After watching the first ten minutes of Gossip Girl, I knew that it was
going to be an OC remake. Having never read the books, I was unsure
what to expect, but was still interested none the less. There was zero
character development and the acting wasn't that great either. My
girlfriend, who is an advocate of the popular novel, believed the show
couldn't have been more inaccurate. I told myself I was finished
watching when more and more characters were introduced and other story
lines/backgrounds were thrown in without explanation. Those who have
not read the books might have a hard time understanding what is what
and who is who. Maybe the novel's millions of fans can keep the ratings
up, but I just don't see it being enough. Hopefully it picks up after
the pilot. Otherwise, RIP Gossip Girl.
50 out of 83 people found the following comment useful :- A Bad Show, No Matter How Much False Hype Is Lavished on It, 20 May 2008
Author:
Susan Nur from Puerto Rico
Reading the hype, you'd think Gossip Girl was some sort of phenomenally
good show.
Unfortunately, hype is all it is.
Gossip Girl is a superficial show that features bland and boring actors
playing bland and boring characters.
It's like The O.C., except even worse.
Why CW has staked its reputation and maybe its very existence on a show
that is so devoid of positive attribute may be a great example of what
is ailing the network TV business, ie. an over-reliance on supposed
"big names" like McG and Josh Schwartz who are really only good at
making disappointing shows and a blind belief that hype will make
people watch, when it's pretty clear that's not working.
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129 out of 200 people found the following comment useful :-

Josh Schwartz might be a one-trick pony, 8 October 2007
Author: TheWinterSolstice from US
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
Josh Schwartz, the brains behind "The OC" (which I loved even when it went south in the 3rd season) seems to be in Orson Welles territory: one great achievement, and the rest - just a rehash of that one great success. Gossip Girl has all of his bad mannerisms without any of the wit and warmth of The OC, not to mention that all the OC characters appear in this show, only with different names. The 17-year old kids all look 25, the parents look 30, all the bad people are rich, all the poor people are good, the poor dad is a socialist and a saint (like Sandy Cohen) who's idea of parenting is being buddies with his two children, Serena is the beauty with the golden heart (like Marissa Cooper), Dan is witty and chivalrous (imagine Ryan Atwood and Seth Cohen in one body), Blair just wants to be loved (like the early Taylor) etc etc. The kids drink alcohol while their parents are around, they smoke pot in public places, almost everybody wakes up with a hangover, and in every episode there is an event where everybody dresses up and somebody gets punched. All the rich parents are cold, unloving, and conniving, and the most "touching" scene occurs between two 15-year olds (Dan's sister and Serena's brother) who act like seasoned 35-year olds - kind of like Joey and Dawson all over again. I'm sure that Mr. Schwartz feels like he is exposing the dark underbelly of the rich and ritzy in New York, but the kids seem to be having so much fun going to school with hangovers that I think his message is getting lost among the 3500$ dresses, the bottles of champagne, and the limousines. This show, with it's poor acting, poor script, poor characters, and the borderline-noxious smart-alecky voice-over of Kirsten Bell (Veronica Mars) should be put out of its predictable misery; hopefully sooner than later.
198 out of 373 people found the following comment useful :-

the show vs. the book, 9 November 2007
Author: oca29 from Guatemala
I confess i did expected it to be similar to the book and was very disappointed at first, but after the first couple episodes I resigned my self and enjoyed the new drama. I think that for all the books fans at first it'll be tragic but u just need to stop thinking and comparing it to the book and it can actually be quite a fun way to kill and hour. I do think though that this guy, don't know his name, is trying to make this story look like the OC-NY but that's because i think he must have read the first couple pages of a book and copied the names, he really messed it up, jenny is nothing like she's described in the book, chuck! he's the worst i think, and Dan and jenny's father, makes me sick! But as u start thinking that this is not the same story, it's just based on their names, you'll be fine
55 out of 88 people found the following comment useful :-

Its just not great, 18 May 2008
Author: kulababe182 from United Kingdom
For all the advertising and major hype surrounding this show, combined with the skills of Josh Schwarz, I was expecting great things. Greater than The OC type things. You've got beautiful people, you've got adults that only look five years older than their kids, you've got the rich elite, the struggling outsiders and a high school. Sadly however my expectations weren't quite met. The storyline itself is watchable, but everything happens far too fast. In one episode about five different scenarios seem to go on, people get together and break up, fight and make up, come out or get done for stealing, all at about ninety miles an hour. GossipGirl covers some serious issues to show the flaws of NYs elite, such as Blair's eating disorder, but its dealt with so quickly that its barely noticed and not ever explained properly . Furthermore, some of the characters really aren't that likable. Blair and Chuck for instance really aren't very nice people, they are nasty, manipulative and don't have many redeeming qualities. Yeah they rally around Serena in her time of need, but they are harsh to everyone else who isn't on their level in society. Also, if they are all such good friends with Serena, why did they let her get into such a bad way in the past, what kinda friends do that?! Few....
...Anyhoo, I wasn't expecting an OC remake, but I was expecting far better.
102 out of 184 people found the following comment useful :-

what do you expect?, 4 November 2007
Author: jaytruth13 from United States
I don't think Gossip Girl is as bad as people make out to be, especially compared to the other new shows this fall. I don't think these shows are meant to last anymore. They're just a temporary fix until the network can find another show (can't guarantee a better one) that will hopefully keep its loyal viewers watching until they can redeem themselves. I didn't start watching Gossip Girl expecting greatness, i didn't expect anything, so i'm able to just sit down watch it and be entertained, or find something better depending on the plot that night. So far Gossip Girl has been good at just keeping me busy for an hour. Maybe if we realize that it's not going to be just like the books we'll enjoy all the silly drama.
115 out of 211 people found the following comment useful :-

completely too hyped up., 5 March 2008
Author: PshYeah5 from United States
I've read these books since the summer before my eighth grade year. and I'm now a freshman. I love the books. and the TV show. is NOTHING like them. the characters yes. but some complete changes. its the whole family time TV thing. in the books Nate does drugs. on the show. nope. in the books Eric is Serena's older brother partying off at college. but in the show he is her younger brother and he tried to commit suicide? and jenny got together with Nate..not sure if thats gonna happen yet..but it might not. and there was never ANYTHING in the books going on between Blair and chuck. the show is completely messing up Cecily Von Ziegesar's series.
221 out of 423 people found the following comment useful :-

one of the worst cases of butchuring a classic i've had in a long time. . ., 9 October 2007
Author: greenrose222002 from United States
i didn't think it was possible to ruin such good books with such an atrocious remdition of this wonderful book series. I suggest you read the books then compare and contrast. You would think that with the other copy cats out there like the O.C. and Laguna beach that you would be able to achually put out a quality rich troubled kid show and make it work. But this is just insulting. I don't suggest this for anyone who knows what it is really like to be like them or really wants to know what it is like to be like them. It's one of the worst remditions i could think possible. But as gossip girl would say . . . i don't know what she would say . . . but it would be something like i don't believe that they would butcher my show this badly.
108 out of 198 people found the following comment useful :-

A fabulous life in Upper East Side?, 17 March 2008
Author: madame-nini64 from France
Well, to start with... mmm.. i would say this kind of a soap is just irritating.. sorry if my language seems sort of prosaic, but could we be really as lucky and happy as those students leaving high school mystery for University? mmm... seems like a remake of a sex, city, friends, drugs, alcohol, and wealth movie. Don't like it.
However, I would not tell the same about the books from which GOSSIP GIRL is adapted on. The books are far better!! They author created characters we're able to identify... the books (actually 12 books) deserve to be read! So, forget about the screenplay, badly performed by so young actress and actors... just go to your bookshop, get the first book GOSSIP GIRL and it is just like: You're entertaining yourself.
Bye
191 out of 364 people found the following comment useful :-

Bland, Empty, Boring..., 13 December 2007
Author: terry from United States
These are some of the epithets that come to mind when one thinks of "Gossip Girl".
Hyped up as the "next great hope" for the CW, this show has disappeared in the ratings like pretty much everything on its network.
The reason? It's all about quality, or the lack thereof in the case of "Gossip Girl".
When you aim a show at a really small slice of the population, you'd better hit with all cylinder, but "Gossip Girl" doesn't. It sputters with bad, boring scripts, unconvincing attempts at humor and of course ,that staple of the WB (now CW) a bunch of empty-eyes young actors hired for the way their headshot looks rather than for their acting ability.
The result is a show that's DOA and has done nothing to help the CW.
257 out of 496 people found the following comment useful :-

Won't Last too Long..., 19 September 2007
Author: tarickelbaba from Canada
After watching the first ten minutes of Gossip Girl, I knew that it was going to be an OC remake. Having never read the books, I was unsure what to expect, but was still interested none the less. There was zero character development and the acting wasn't that great either. My girlfriend, who is an advocate of the popular novel, believed the show couldn't have been more inaccurate. I told myself I was finished watching when more and more characters were introduced and other story lines/backgrounds were thrown in without explanation. Those who have not read the books might have a hard time understanding what is what and who is who. Maybe the novel's millions of fans can keep the ratings up, but I just don't see it being enough. Hopefully it picks up after the pilot. Otherwise, RIP Gossip Girl.
50 out of 83 people found the following comment useful :-

A Bad Show, No Matter How Much False Hype Is Lavished on It, 20 May 2008
Author: Susan Nur from Puerto Rico
Reading the hype, you'd think Gossip Girl was some sort of phenomenally good show.
Unfortunately, hype is all it is.
Gossip Girl is a superficial show that features bland and boring actors playing bland and boring characters.
It's like The O.C., except even worse.
Why CW has staked its reputation and maybe its very existence on a show that is so devoid of positive attribute may be a great example of what is ailing the network TV business, ie. an over-reliance on supposed "big names" like McG and Josh Schwartz who are really only good at making disappointing shows and a blind belief that hype will make people watch, when it's pretty clear that's not working.
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