The CW Cancels The ‘Gossip Girl’ Spin-Off Before It Begins?
Okay … now let’s take this with a grain of salt BUT gossip Nikki Finke is reporting that the much-ballyhooed Gossip Girl spin-off that The CW has been reportedly prepping for their Fall line-up has been killed … axed … is dunzo. Finke reports that her sources tell her that excitement over the show has waned to the point that the network has decided to kill the show before it even begins. HMMM. I’m not sure that I entirely believe this report but I would be remiss if I didn’t at least pass it along. Could the as-yet untitled Gossip Girl spin-off really be dunzo already?
OVERVIEW: Everyone laughs about The CW but its development is praised this season for being very targeted. The result is that 5 out of 6 of its pilots seemed to be real. But that’s already winnowed down to 3 because of the lack of slots. (And, no, The CW or its designated hitter won’t be programming Sundays next fall.)
MELROSE PLACE (CBS-Paramount) rebooted is a lock. The show is already hiring.
THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE (CBS-Paramount/Katalyst Films) looks very good to be picked up since The CW likes its relationship with Ashton Kutcher and this is a drama about models starring young and old babes like Mischa Barton and Elle McPherson. “It’s sexy and very Dawn Ostroff,” one source tells me.
VAMPIRE DIARIES (Warner Bros/Alloy Entertainment) is next in line with the most heat. It’s a drama based on the series of books about vampire brothers and their girlfriend. “It screened very well the other day.”
GOSSIP GIRL SPINOFF (Warner Bros/CBS-Paramount/Alloy Entertainment): As I reported at 2:45 PM today, put a fork in it. It’s done. Next Monday’s episode of Gossip Girl is a flashback that was supposed to be a tempting taste for next fall’s spinoff following the wild teen years of now mom Lily van der Woodsen (played by Brittany Snow) in Los Angeles in the 1980s. But even though I heard Peter Roth loved its yesteryear vibe, the show went from hot, to lukewarm, to “fading but wouldn’t count out”, to now dead, according to my insiders. I’m really surprised.
HMMM … Nikki Finke’s track record for getting these sorts of reports right is spotty at best … but she does get things very right sometimes. I would at least expect The CW to see how Monday’s flashback/setup episode Valley Girls goes before they’d make a decision like this but … who knows. What do you think? Could it really be that The CW would kill one of it’s most-talked about new series before one minute of it has been aired on TV?
[Source, thanks Justin]
Tags: 'Gossip Girl'
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May 8th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
I love GG, read the books, watch the show. That being said, this news isn’t heartbreaking in the least.
P.S., Vampire Diaries? Haven’t we had enough with all the Twilight hysteria. Please don’t tell me those vampires sparkle too.
May 8th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
The spin off seemed like it would be a flop IMO anyways.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
good its too soon for a spin off. and im pretty sure the seasons ratings have fallen so they gotta fix that before they think of any spin offs.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
I hope Vampire Diaries gets picked up! I just finished reading all the books and they are fantastic…and no these vampires don’t sparkle…they are nothing like Twilight!
May 8th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Is that Gia from Veronica Mars? It doesnt matter anyways, I wont watch a single CW show since they cancelled/ruined so many good shows in favor of reality trash.
May 8th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
My guess is that they cancelled it because a show set in the 80’s would cost more than the same plot lines in a current setting.
May 8th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
iono.. dont think they really canceled it… coz they’re playing promos for it all the time on the cw.
May 8th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Well if they cancelled it won’t bother me none because i love Gossip Girl and the spin off i think is stupid and would ruin it, i dont give a damn about lilys background, i just want more gossip girl!
May 8th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
I’m glad it isn’t happening. Brittany Snow was never going to be a convincing Lily Bass-Van der Woodsen. Lily is an aged beauty. Brittany just doesn’t strike me as one.
And Gossip Girl’s ratings don’t take into account how many people download it on iTunes (check iTunes after a new episode) and how many people TIVO/DVR it. I do that and I know LOTS of others do too. People talk about GG ALL THE TIME. If ratings were that bad, nobody would talk about it.
May 9th, 2009 at 1:24 am
thank goodness! the show would be terrible.
May 9th, 2009 at 1:54 am
@ Irma – true, and not true. I read somewhere about GG’s ratings that they have considerately dropped – big time! It’s because there’s only a new episode every once in awhile and it’s annoying, really. Yes, a lot of people do talk about it but watching it in its premiere time (when it really matters) is a complete different ordeal.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:01 am
thank god!
I wasn’t too interested in the spin off to begin with!
May 9th, 2009 at 7:11 am
Just so everyone knows. This spinoff was NEVER greenlit in the first place.
May 9th, 2009 at 9:43 am
@anna — true, but all the hype made it sound like a done deal.
May 9th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Thank god they’re not doing this ridiculous spin off.
i’m not interested in Lily’s life whatsoever, so i wouldn’t want to watch this spin off anyways.
Do the IT-girl and i’ll watch.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Britney Snow tweeted last night that it got cancelled but the pilot is still supposed to air in hopes that someone will pick it up.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Very true T… I know you don’t do your Recaps anymore but pretty pretty please with sugar and chocolate and a cherry on top- do a recap of this week’s GG flashback ep… just cuz you have been hyping it all up for us ;) ;)
<3<3<3
May 9th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
hmm, im not at all surprised. too soon for a spinoff, and honestly, the concept sounds a little boring. also, considering the ’sophistication’ of teens today, i dont see them really going for an 80s type show to be honest.
.
show good in theory, but i doubt it would be good in execution.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:29 am
and yet we still have to watch the stupid episode tonight. :(