Review: Rumors shape upper-class teens' lives in 'Gossip Girl'

Gossip Girl: Drama. 9 p.m. Wednesdays on the CW.

As prime time continues to get soapier - "Dirty Sexy Money," "Private Practice," "Cane" and others are all adult soaps coming this fall - it's no surprise that the youthful CW network would dive deep into the bubbles. And even less of a surprise that it would tap "The O.C." creator Josh Schwartz to bring that high-wire teen angst to the small screen.

There are less than a handful of producers who know how to write for this highly coveted and super-stylized demographic and Schwartz is right at the top. Although "The O.C." eventually lost its hip buzz - as almost all of these teen soaps do eventually, given the fleeting nature of trends and the demo's preoccupation with what's new - the series worked almost flawlessly. But the Orange County youth culture and the money and machinations of the parents were nothing compared with what Schwartz has dreamed up in "Gossip Girl."

He has switched coasts and set his sights on the wealthy trendsetters of New York's Upper East Side. This time it isn't just about money and status, though that is the giant through-line of "Gossip Girl." No, the conceit is that in the new media age, where texting has added high speed to old-school gossip, there's a chance to tell a story where the Greek chorus essentially has a blog. In "Gossip Girl," someone with that very name is writing about the sometimes scandalous doings of this ultra-in crowd. She - well, we're left to assume it's a she because the narrator is female (voiced by "Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell) - sees and tells everything. And everyone in "Gossip Girl" frequently checks in to find out the scoop.

Of course, spying for a blog and reporting on celebrity are very 2007, and so Schwartz and the CW have the zeitgeist angle nailed. But a series can't sustain itself by that alone (can it?). So the main action is pretty much standard soap fare. Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) used to be the much-admired (possibly feared) head of the clique. But as "Gossip Girl" opens tonight, we learn that she's been away at boarding school. Or, as some in her former circle might say, "boarding school." Something got her sent away for a year. The gossip is, of course, flying. There aren't a lot of facts, but that's the glory of gossip.

Into this social power vacuum stepped Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), who just reeks of cattiness, beauty, pedigree, jealousy and vindictiveness. She leads her pack of fawning girlfriends with the expected level of fear and smarts. With Serena gone, Blair is it, end of story. She's even lured former best friend forever, Serena's boy toy, Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), into her den - and bed (oh, yeah, this is a bit more racy than past teen soaps). Though Nate is a go-with-the-flow slacker (for a rich kid), his own best friend, Chuck (Ed Westwick), is pure upper-class evil. He's always at the center of any highly inappropriate behavior.

As expected in any good soap, drama ensues on "Gossip Girl" when Serena is spotted at Penn Station. She's baaaaaaaack. And now she's an outcast, since Blair has turned her posse against her in lieu of gouging Serena's eyes out. But for some reason, Serena doesn't care. She's changed. She even allows an outsider, Dan (Penn Badgley), the privilege of talking to her. Despite Dan's hatred of upper-crust kids (he's in the crowd through his dad's now-faded rock star success), he can't help but be drawn to Serena. Dan's little sister, Jenny (Taylor Momsen) is also eager to drop her outsider status and join Blair's group. Oh, and now that Serena is back, Nate wants her back.

If you can't glean drama from those soapy staples, you're just not doing your job. No doubt Schwartz and his writing team will get at least three years of backbiting and overwrought emotions out of these hot - and hot-wired - kids.

Though "Gossip Girl" might not be in your demographic wheelhouse, and so its stories may probably seem mundane and, well, soap-filled, this series nails what it sets out to do for the CW and a certain segment of the audience. It may not be weighty and important television, but it was never intended to be (and it does its job better than its older counterparts on other networks).

E-mail Tim Goodman at tgoodman@sfchronicle.com.