Gossip Girl
The Upper East Side's "it" girl, Serena van der Woodsen, is back from her mysterious stint at boarding school. Blair Waldorf is wondering why her best friend has been M.I.A. for so long. Blair's longtime boyfriend, Nate, is way too excited to see Serena again. And so is creepy Chuck. And so is shy guy Dan. But, most of all, so is Gossip Girl.

Narrated by a never-seen-but-always-heard blogger (voiced by "Veronica Mars" herself, Kristen Bell), the titular "Gossip Girl" knows all—and tells all. Every move they make, she notes, and every nasty little secret they're hiding, she spreads. And who doesn't love a generous gossip?

Who's that?: Blake Lively ("The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants") plays Serena van der Woodsen, Leighton Meester plays her BFF (sort of) Blair Waldorf and "The O.C." alum Kelly Rutherford re-teams with creator Josh Schwartz to play Serena's mom. Other stars include: Chase Crawford as Nate, Ed Westwick as Chuck, Penn Badgley as Dan, Taylor Momsen as Dan's little sister Jenny and Matthew Settle as their dad Rufus Humphrey.

Buzzed about: Being touted (for better or worse) as the "O.C." on the East Coast, there's just enough drama, deception and depravity here to satisfy even anti-"O.C"-ers.

The "ooh" factor: With stylish New York City as the backdrop and a soundtrack of the sexiest pop songs, the show feels much sleeker than anything else on network TV. And just when you think you've seen it all, another piece of the oh-so-naughty puzzle gets revealed.

The "eh" factor: At times, it's a little too dramatic, coming off as depressing rather than deliciously decadent.

The verdict: This is as guilty pleasure good as it gets.

"Gossip Girl" premieres Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 9 p.m./8c on The CW.