The CW Source

The basics: It’s a TV adaptation of the hugely successful book series. An anonymous blogger, Gossip Girl (narrated by Veronica Mars’ Kristen Bell), keeps watch over Manhattan’s elite Upper East Side teens. Josh Schwartz of The O.C. fame is behind this show, so we have high hopes for it (it may have gone downhill later, but Season One of The O.C. is fantastic television. Don’t try and argue with us on that one). Will Gossip Girl create the same kind of cult frenzy?

Full disclosure: Though we are familiar with the books and we’ve read a couple, we haven’t read the whole Gossip Girl series, so we’re not going to address the differences between the books and the show (hey, if the cast hasn’t even read all the books, you can’t fault us too much!). We’ve heard from you guys that there are some major differences. But for now, we’re just going to talk strictly TV show and assess the premiere’s pros and cons independent of the book series. Feel free to hash out book-related beefs/raves in the comments, though.

What we loved: The pilot shows a lot of potential. We loved the building tension between Blair (Leighton Meester) and Serena (Blake Lively), who face off over betrayals and boyfriends. Dan (Penn Badgley) and Jenny (Taylor Momsen) Humphrey, who are so on the wrong side of the tracks that they live in Brooklyn (gasp!) with their hippie dad, serve as the moral center of the show. The outsider siblings observe the pot-smoking, martini-swilling, hotel-living (yes, Serena’s crashing at a hotel in the pilot… just go with it) teens from what’s both literally and figuratively pretty far away. We're partial to Penn Badgley's portrayal of Dan; he's one of the most likable characters in the pilot, and pretty darn cute to boot.

Oh, and it was also great to at least hear Kristen Bell, even if we don't get to see her. Her narration oozes with saucy charm, and we liked getting the outside perspective of a voiceover that's NOT from a main character (unlike Grey's, Men In Trees, Scrubs, and just about every other show on TV right now).

What we’re unsure about: The character of Chuck, played by Ed Westwick. We like the actor, but he smarms it up in this episode a bit too much -- he might as well have a sign over his head that says BAD BOY. Westwick milks the role of Chuck for all it’s worth, sneering and scheming his way through the upper echelons. But at times, we just wanted him to simmer down a bit, especially given the rest of the cast’s more chill performances. Also, Chace Crawford didn't do much for us as Nate. For a guy who’s supposed to be such a hot commodity that he divides best friends, he came off as kind of bland -- but maybe that's because Serena and Blair's feud is way more compelling. Here's hoping Nate'll have more to do in future episodes.

The verdict: Believe the hype; Gossip Girl is good stuff. Shows that are just starting out have a tough job on their hands -- they need to create enough exposition so we understand everyone's relationships, but the plot has to move forward somewhat or there's no point in watching the show. Oh, and we have to care about the characters -- and hopefully like them. The premiere episode juggles those challenges admirably. We were totally into the drama from minute one. And even the characters we don't particularly care for still kept us riveted, just because we couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

Bottom line: Backstabbing and boyfriend-stealing make for great TV when they're served up with a hot cast, a backdrop of Manhattan pedigree, and a dirty martini on the side. We can't wait for the next episode. How about you?