A Handy Guide To Selecting Your Midseason Gossip Girl Replacement

It’s the time of year for new starts, new resolutions and most importantly, new TV shows. Alas, there’s a gaping hole in my TV watching where Gossip Girl used to be. Fortunately, there are many new and returning shows to take its place on my DVR (but never in my heart). If you, too, are feeling the pain of losing what used to be the most attractive cast on television (before Dan’s hair got weird), allow me to make some suggestions:

If you loved Josh Schwartz or New York City…watch The Carrie Diaries. This show combines three things I love: Josh Schwartz, NYC, and Carrie Bradshaw, so it should be a slam dunk. A healthy does of 80’s fashion and high school drama certainly won’t hurt. (Premieres Monday, January 14 at 8, on the CW)

If you loved the other mean girls (Penelope and Hazel)…watch Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 and The Mindy Project.  I never loved Hazel, but I find Dreama Walker surprisingly charming in Apt. 23. I don’t even want to talk about Penelope’s horrible accent on The Mindy Project, but aside from that the show is great, so watch it anyway. (Both Tuesdays at 9:30, on ABC and Fox respectively)

If you loved Blair’s scheming…watch Revenge. Blair Waldorf has absolutely nothing on Emily Thorne. While Blair’s plots sometimes were to help out friends, they were just as often out of a pathological need to win. Emily’s quest, on the other hand, is to avenge her father’s conviction for a crime he didn’t commit. She manages just as much social intrigue as Blair, with occasional bouts of martial arts thrown in. Bonus:  Her best friend Nolan’s outfits are wacky-preppy enough to rival Chuck Bass’. (Sundays at 9 on ABC)

If you loved watching rich people be horrible…watch Deception. The show’s only one episode in, and everything that makes for a great nighttime soap is already in play – substance abuse, secret pregnancy, rich people with mysterious secrets, Victor Garber. Plus, this show features GG’s very own Lola Rhodes. (Mondays at 9 on NBC)

If you loved high schoolers getting texts from someone who knows all their secrets…watch Pretty Little Liars. Gossip Girl had, well, Gossip Girl, and the pretty little liars have “A” constantly harassing them with their dirtiest secrets. Three seasons in, the plot twists still have me on the edge of my seat, and I can’t wait to see what the newest episodes have in store for the girls of Rosewood. This show is also great if you just like watching attractive people wearing ridiculous outfits (I’m looking at you, Aria). (Tuesdays at 8 on ABC Family)

If you loved Georgina Sparks…watch The Lying Game. Georgina was one of the craziest characters on the show (drugs! Russian babies! Jesus camp!), and always a delightful villain to watch. She’s met her match in Sutton Mercer, a wealthy teenager who discovers she has a twin, and uses this information to wreak havoc on everyone in her life, twin sister included. I’m very excited that this show is coming back, as there were some serious cliffhangers at the end of last season I was afraid  would never be resolved. Also, if you miss the glamour of the traditional “climax of episode party” on GG, this show has them in spades. (Tuesdays at 9 on ABC Family)

If all else fails, you can just do what I’m eventually going to get around to doing – rewatch Gossip Girl from the beginning and see if the plot still holds up now that we know who GG really is. And if you have any more suggestions for trashy, soapy TV I can watch, leave them in the comments!

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