“Hello, Upper East Siders! Gossip Girl is here to give you an insight into the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite.” Wake me up at the wee hour of the night and ask me to say this out loud and I’d do so with perfect ease. Come on! Try me!
Am I obsessed? Please! That would be an understatement.
I’m in a phase of “uber-obsession” because, why not? After all, this American teenage flick features the most amazing star-cast that one could ever dream of watching in a single frame.
The show begins with the entry of Serena Van Der Woodsen a.k.a the “oh-so-lively” Blake Lively who goes missing for a year, claiming she was in the “boarding school(?)”. Manhattan’s “It-girl” can’t go unnoticed from the witty eyes of Gossip Girl, can she?
The fashion-filled show takes you on a long ride of twists and turns and the turmoil that comes along the way in the life of the Upper East Siders.
The series consists of a total of 6 Seasons with 21-24 episodes each. I could watch Blair Waldorf (played by Leighton Meester) forever. If looking overly beautiful were a sin, she’d be guilty of it. Oh, my word! How can someone have all the good genes? Girls, jealous much? You can be! I, secretly am, too.
You’ll never get enough of watching the heir to the Archibald Empire, Nate Archibald. “Stay away from Jenny Humphrey, Nate!” That was what I kept saying whilst I was watching the series. Also, can we take some moment to talk about Chuck Bass?
Talk about a British bloke faking an American accent. Can you even imagine how sexy his voice would sound? That’s Chuck Bass a.k.a Ed Westwick for you! Chuck Bass isn’t much of an ass. I obviously am head over heels for him because he is the “dog’s -bollocks”. Oops! There, I said it!
I don’t like the Humphreys much, especially Dan Humphrey! Watch it (if you haven’t already) and you’ll know where I’m coming from.
Enough with the Gossip Girl rigmarole for now! In case you just finished watching Gossip Girl and can’t wait to watch a series having a similar story-line, consider yourself lucky.
Here is the compilation of my most-preferred top 10 Series that I would want you to try out and relive the Gossip Girl vibe again and again, and again!
“I know you love me. XOXO! Gossip Girl”!
Table of Contents (Quick Navigation)
1. One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill is an American television drama series set in the fictional town of Tree Hill in North Carolina. It originally follows the lives of two half-brothers, Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty). They compete for their position in the school’s basketball team.
We all must have done something noble in our lives that God blessed the world with Nathan and Lucas and put them together in the same series. Both of them meet the typical definition of an “eye-candy”. Trick or treat? A delightful treat, indeed!
I landed onto watching One Tree Hill to see what the hype was all about. Believe the hype, readers!
Every character comes with a story that you’d have never thought of. The direction, the script and the cinematography are perfectly aligned. Kudos to the script-writers! Best script and the best soundtracks that a series could ever feature. Hands-down!
Each episode begins with Gavin DeGraw’s single, “I don’t want to be”. This is officially known as the “One-Tree Hill song.” Watch the series and take a listen!
A former high-school “jerk”, Nathan Scott, drools over for a nerdish girl, Hayley James, way out of everyone’s imagination. Two half-brothers separated by fate and by the devilish intent of their father, Dan Scott, start “bromancing” half-way through the series.
Brooke Davis (played by Sophia Bush) is just another version of the “Mean Girls” and Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girl, combined. Everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, would fall for her sooner or later as the series progresses! If not, there’s something wrong with you! Duh!
I could connect to the blonde of the series, Payton Sawyer (played by Hilary Burton) on all levels. Overly fascinated with music, she reminded me of Scarlett Johannsson. She shares an uncanny resemblance with Scarlett, don’t you think?
Let me jump straightaway to my most favorite character of the entire series- James Lucas Scott! You wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation to father/mother a kid like him. Consider yourself blessed, Nathan and Hayley. Can I have him for a day or two? How about forever?
Grab a bowl of popcorn or binge on brownies or whatever your favorite cuisine is! I finished a can of Pringles while watching an episode. No exaggeration!
Seriously, I insist. Watch it folks! TRUST ME! You’ll LOVE it.
Thank me later!
2. The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural drama television series based on the popular book series of the same name.
The series is based in the imaginary town of Mystic Falls, a town having a supernatural history ever since its settlement of migrants from New England in the 19th century. You can see the Salvatores, the Gilberts, the Fells, the Forbes, and the Lockwoods in the series.
It focuses on the life of Elena Gilbert ( played by Nina Dobrev), a teenager, who lost both parents in a car accident, as she eventually falls in love with a vampire, Stefan Salvatore ( played by Paul Wesley).
Their relationship transforms into a complicated tapestry as Stefan’s “troublemaker” brother Damon Salvatore ( played by Ian Somerhalder) reappears out of the blue, with a plan to bring back their past lover Katherine Pierce, a vampire who happens to be Elena’s doppelganger.
Although Damon portrays the role of a villain initially and holds a fierce grudge against Stefan for compelling him to become a vampire, he later sorts out the differences with Stefan and falls in love with Elena, creating a love triangle amongst the three.
Both brothers protect Elena as numerous supernatural beings threaten the town of Mystic Falls, including werewolves, witches, hybrids, ghosts and Katherine. The history of the Salvatore brothers and the town’s mythology are revealed through flashbacks as the series proceeds further.
Apart from the protagonists, the additional storyline revolves around the life of Elena’s younger brother Jeremy Gilbert (Steven R. McQueen), her best friends Bonnie Bennett, (Kat Graham), and Caroline Forbes (Candice King), their mutual friends Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino), and Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig), and their history teacher, the vampire hunter, Alaric (Matthew Davis).
I have great friends who recommend some great series to me and I get one more excuse to procrastinate. Relatable, right?
I was so obsessed initially that I had come into believing that Stefan, Elena, Damon, Bonnie and everyone else in the series were my only friends. I used to feel slightly anxious and paranoid when I couldn’t see them around. Cons of watching the same people over and over again for 42 minutes multiplied by the number of episodes I binged on, maybe? (LOL!)
But whatever it be, it’s worth the watch. With the Season Finale of Season 8 approaching close, I’m utterly disappointed and disheartened. I hope they don’t take the show down. I also can’t wait for Elena to make a comeback. Come out of your hiding place, Dobrev!
What would you do when the show ends? Well, enjoy it while you have it. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Turn it on!
3. Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is an American comedy-drama television series that ran for a total of 7 seasons and ended the run on mid-2007.
It is one of the critically acclaimed series that is based on the life of a single mother, Lorelai Gilmore (played by Lauren Graham) and her daughter with the same name, but who prefers to be called Rory ( played by Alexis Bledel). The storyline revolves around the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
The series hovers around the diverse issues of family, friendship and romance and social class. Ambition, family lives and the quest for being a part of a sophisticated social class constitute some of the series’ core concerns.
The show portrays Lorelai’s difficult relationship with her wealthy, “narcissistic” parents, Emily and Richard Gilmore, and in Rory’s conversations with the students at the Chilton Academy, and later, at the Yale University.
You have to watch the entire Series of 7 Seasons in order to enjoy the roller-coaster of the dramatic events in the life of Rory and the people in her “montrage”.
Although Netflix streamed a miniseries titled “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” in the year 2016, you won’t have half the joy that you would do if you watched the full series.
Well, as I am entitled to have an opinion, and so do my acquaintances, we were utterly disappointed when we watched the Netflix Series as it was full of the “Netflix without chill” episodes. Interpret it literally though and not in the conceited Urban-Dictionary version!
So, should I tell you who Rory ends up with? Uh huh! I won’t, as I stick to the “Non-Spoilers” policy! Watch it to find it!
4. Pretty Little Liars
Here’s another fascinating American Teen-Drama for you! We all love drama, some more than the others, don’t we?
Pretty Little Liars is an American teen drama, mystery–thriller television series based on the popular book series of the same title.
The series was promptly extended beyond the book version because of the successful ratings of the first 10 episodes.
Based in the suburban town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania , the series revolves around the lives of five sorority girls: Spencer Hastings ( Troin Bellisario) , Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale), Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson), Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse) and Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell), whose clique falls apart after the mysterious and “alleged” murder of their former “Queen Bee”, Alison DiLaurentis.
One year later, the erstwhile friends reunite as they receive threatening messages from a villain named “A”, who tortures them for the mistakes they have made during and after the lifetime of Alison.
At first, they think it’s Alison herself, but after her “body” is found, the girls come to know that someone else is planning on destroying their lives. Following the fifth season of the series, the girls are trying to balance as Alison comes back to life once again. Very dramatic, right?
I wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world unless the sky fell over my rooftop. And neither should you!
5. New Girl
Presenting another American Series that you could use for an innocent means of passing time!
I’d got a 100 Million Reasons to stop watching it. Call it work or academics but as John decides to sleep when he has a lot of things to do, I decided to watch a comedy series and skip the deadline. <#SorryNotSorry >
The principal cast of New Girl includes Zooey Deschanel as Jessica (Jess), Jack Johnson as Nick, Max Greenfield as Schmidt, Damon Wayans Jr. as Coach, Hannah Simone as Cecelia and Lamorne Morris as Winston.
The show portrays Jess as a bubbly young woman who teaches at a LA middle
school. One random day, she comes home only to find her boyfriend, Spencer, in the arms of another woman and dumps him immediately.
She then looks for some other place to live in, during which she answers an ad for a new roommate on Craigslist, and moves in with three men: Nick, Schmidt, and Coach.
As the pilot episode comes to a halt, Winston, who had previously lived in the apartment with Nick and Schmidt, replaces Coach because he moves in with his girlfriend, Malia.
Cece, Jessica’s childhood best friend and a successful fashion model, also appears in various episodes in the storyline.
Coach makes a comeback in Season 3 after revealing that he had broken up with Malia.
There’s drama, there’s aggression, budding love, friendship, humor, “an alpha male aggression”, a classic rom-com story! What else do you want? Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys? Forget about it! He’s mine!
Watch it and laugh out loud!
6. The Carrie Diaries
Who doesn’t love reading someone else’s diary? How about watching a series made out of it? Sounds perfect!
The Carrie Diaries is my next go-to American series for enjoying a dramatic ride of the journey in the life of a quintessential American teen.
It aired for two seasons, from Jan 2013-2014. A prequel to the HBO television series “Sex and The City”, it is based on the book of the same name.
The first season of the show focuses on the life of Carrie, the protagonist, played by AnnaSophia Robb during her junior year of high-school as she explores life in New York while interning at a fashion magazine. Remember Jenny Humphrey’s internship at the Waldorfs’?
On the other hand, the second season highlights the events that happen while she expands her life in New York and connects with the people there, thus forming a social circle.
The show also features Austin Butler Ellen Wong, Katie Findlay, Stefania Owen, Brendan Dooling, Chloe Bridges, Freema Agyeman, Matt Letscher, Lindsey Gort among others.
I think the pilot show is great. The soundtracks are incredibly good . There are contradictory opinions amongst the viewers about this series as most of them often compare it with “Sex and The City” but I loved it, regardless. The characters are adorable too. The beginning of the show tells how everything starts and where everything gets into place.
Viewers out there should really give this show a chance to blossom. Let Carrie mature from being a child to an adult and let her experience all the bodily changes. As she blossoms, the show shall progress into resembling Sex and the City.
Be patient and watch it! You’ll not have to wait for the time to pass by!
7. The Oc
OC is an abbreviation of “Orange County” in California. It is a teen American drama series running a total of 4 seasons.
It centers on Ryan Atwood, a troubled yet tough young man from a broken home who is adopted by the wealthy and philanthropic Sandy and Kristen. Ryan and his foster brother Seth, a socially awkward yet quick-witted teenager, deal with life as outsiders in the world of Newport Beach.
Ryan and Seth spend much time navigating their relationships with girl-next-door, Marissa Cooper, Seth’s childhood crush, Summer Roberts, and the ever lonely Taylor Townsend.
The storylines majorly deal with the clash of culture and idealism of the Cohen family and the conservative community in which they reside.
The series includes elements of postmodernism, and functions as a mixture of melodrama and humor.
It was widely referred to as a pop cultural phenomenon and received positive response from the critics.
Unfortunately, the ratings declined as the show went on. The low ratings led to its cancellation in early 2007, even after an online petition that gained over 700,000 signatures. Whoa!
8. Privileged
Don’t you feel privileged to have gotten a chance to read a review of Privileged before watching Privileged? Ahhohh, was that too lame?
Just so you know, Privileged is an American teen-centered drama series based on a book “How to teach filthy rich girls” by Zoey Dean. The name of the show was previously announced to be “Surviving the Filthy Rich” but was later changed to “Privileged” for good, I guess?
The show features JoAnna Garcia as Megan Smith, Lucy Kate Hale as Rose Baker, Ashley Newbrough as Sage Baker, Michael Cassidy as Charlie Hogan, Allan Louis as Marco Giordani, Brian Hallisay as Will Davis, Kristina Apgar as Lily Smith and Anne Archer as Laurel Limoges.
A 20-something-year-old Megan Smith plans on conquering the entire world of journalism with her Yale education despite being slaved away at a tabloid rag.
Megan’s plan is blown off-guard one day when she gets fired, and then meets the cosmetics mogul Laurel Limoges (Anne Archer), and becomes the live-in tutor for Laurel’s twin teen granddaughters in the heady Palm Beach, Florida, a world of wealth and power.
The girls, Rose (Lucy Kate Hale) and Sage (Ashley Newbrough), are beautiful, rebellious, and less-than-thrilled with their new tutor but Megan is committed to win them over and enjoy the dazzling luxury of the posh place at the same time.
Megan quickly catches the eye of Will (Brian Hallisay), the wealthy and attractive dilettante who lives next door and just happens to be dating Megan’s estranged sister, Lily (Kristina Apgar).
Completing this romantic quadrangle is Megan’s best friend, Charlie (Michael Cassidy), who is covertly in love with her. Despite having complicated romantic and family relationships, Megan is determined to making a difference in the lives of her two rebellious charges as she navigates the treacherous waters of high society in Palm Beach.
Remember that this is not just another story of a love quadrangle. There’s much more to it. How much more? Watch and evaluate!
9. Beverly Hills 90210
Tell me what you’d like. Do you want to know about another drama based on the life of the American teenagers?
I know what you can watch next and it’s quite simple. Hush Hush! You don’t need to rush.
Did you see it coming though? Because, I did.
And It’s called Beverly Hills 90210.
“90210” originally follows the lives of Brandon and Brenda Walsh, who both eventually leave the show, and their friends through high school and college into adulthood.
In addition to making sideburns momentarily cool again, the show deals with a steady love triangles and other romantic affairs, and also, occasionally touches on more serious issues as well.
The star-cast includes Shannen Doherty (Brenda), Jennie Garth (Kelly), Tori Spelling(Donna), Jason Priestley (Brandon) and Luke Perry(Dylan).
Should I even mention that they look gorgeous? Isn’t that obvious already?
If you’re unsure of it, watch it and see it for yourself, smarty-pants!
10. Heroes
We’ve finally come to the last pick of the series. Time flies, “innit”?
But don’t loosen the buckle, for this is the first psychological thriller in my list of top-10 most amazing series.
This critically acclaimed series is an American psychological science fiction television drama series that tells the stories of the ordinary people who discover about having the supernatural abilities and how these abilities effect their lives as they work together to prevent some unforeseen catastrophes.
The series centers around the lives of Milo Ventimiglia as Peter Petrelli, a hospice nurse with the ability to mimic abilities of other people; Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennet, a high-school cheerleader who can spontaneously regenerate, Adrian Pasdar as Nathan Petrelli, a congressional candidate with the ability to fly.
It also features Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura, an office worker who can manipulate space-time and Greg Grunberg as LAPD police officer Matt Parkman, who can read people’s minds.
Honestly, this does not have a lot in common with Gossip Girl, but it is still worth watching as it is a perfect blend of fantasy, superheroes and young adult drama that is enjoyable to watch.
Conclusion:
Are you ready to get wooed by the series and fall in love with the characters? Sure.
Find your pick and binge on it.
I hope you have a jolly good time. Happy Binging!!
