Best Shows(?) Ever

Ever since Gossip Girl premiered last year, there have been rumors and speculations that a spin-off could be possible if the show were successful. Well, as GG has become quite the cultural phenomenon and has proven to be the CW's flagship series, talk of a spin-off has become more and more palpable of late.

Initial rumors stemmed from the Gossip Girl books from which a Little J-centered spin-off was spawned called The It Girl series. I have never read any of the books from either series (like I read books, honestly), so I'm not exactly the oracle here, but from what I hear, Little J's spinoff centered around her and had little interaction with characters from the original series.

Of course, I also hear that in the books, Chuck traveled around with a monkey that would ride on his shoulder, so saints be praised that not all aspects of the book have been translated to the screen. So let it be with Jenny (ooh, 10 points for whoever knows to which classic work that line was alluding). Word on the street is that the CW does NOT plan to spin Jenny off, but rather plans to branch out a different character, although I haven't heard anything on which character that might be.

As unenthused as I would be by a Little J spinoff, her character really is the best suited to take on a new series. Oh, no, not because she's a solid actress who could anchor a show (certainly not), but because she is younger than the other characters, won't be going to college next year with the rest of them, and has her little fashion empire to build. Logically, a show centered around Jenny could quite easily spin her off into some fashion house with a new cast of characters and it wouldn't affect the original series in any substantive way.

But alas, several of the reports I've come across have said that Jenny isn't going anywhere. I'm guessing this is because the network, like myself, doesn't think she can anchor a show. And they'd be correct. Not that I wouldn't tune in or anything, but I doubt it would be very successful.

Anyway, the tentative plan is to introduce the idea of a new show using a backdoor pilot. For those who aren't quite as pathetically familiar with TV terms as I am, a backdoor pilot is one in which a current show has an episode (often an extended episode) which could serve as the premiere for a new series. This is a rather effective means of starting off a new show because it: 1) capitalizes on the established audience for the current show, 2) is able to gauge viewer response for a spin-off before it is actually spun off, and 3) is a much cheaper way to produce a pilot, in that most of the funds that are used have already been allocated to the current series. This is how Private Practice was unleashed on the world. You remember that episode of Grey's Anatomy where Addison went to LA and spent the whole episode with those new people and that talking elevator? That was the backdoor pilot.

Here's hoping a GG spin-off will be much less crappy. But what does a possible spin-off mean for Gossip Girl proper, you ask? Other than the exit of a current character, probably not much. It all kind of depends on who they spin off. And no, I can't imagine it would be Chuck or Blair, so I think we're safe on that end. According to a source for Gossip Girl Insider, "Chuck and Blair aren't just the Gossip Girl couple of the moment. They are the core Gossip Girl couple of the series. So you definitely will see much, much more of them in the days to come. The dance has just begun." So yeah, the primary reason I watch the show will stay intact. Yay!

Well, what do we think? Is a spin-off a good idea? Who do you think might be spun-off? Anyone you'd like to see spun-off? Premise ideas?

Maybe the new show could be an island where the characters I don't like get marooned... You know, Vanessa and Aaron can start a new society together. An incredibly annoying society where tights can be worn as pants and the unwashed, unshaved look lands you a hot blonde socialite...