Buzz carried The CW’s “Gossip Girl” through a low-rated first season, assuring that when it came back for the season two premiere last year, it would be on the demographic’s radar. Sure enough, it opened rather strong and, combined with a huge bow for the “90210” remake, made things look promising for The CW.
Then, as the season went on, both shows quickly lost their luster–and audience. The “Gossip Girl” ratings sank even as key storylines were introduced, and the show that had become the face of the network was no longer a special performer.
The hope was that a summer of hype–and additional eyeballs on the network for “Melrose Place” and “Vampire Diaries”–would help rejuvenate the show for season three. It did not.
“Gossip Girl” premiered Monday to a low 1.7/3 rating; it averaged 2.5 million viewers overall. Below “One Tree Hill” in total viewers (the lead-in show did 2.6 million), it performed slightly better in adults 18-49 (1.3 vs. 1.2) and adults 18-34 (2.0 to 1.6).
And if the disappointing ratings for “Gossip Girl” and “One Tree Hill” were, in anyway, artificially bolstered by buzz for the new season (and lack of rival network competition), Monday is not looking strong for the network.