Dirty Rotten Scandals
| Company type | Television season |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment, Television |
| Founded | October 8, 2012 |
| Defunct | December 17, 2012 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Sara Goodman |
| Products | Television series episodes |
Number of employees | Cast and crew (number not specified) |
The sixth and concluding season of the American teen drama series Gossip Girl debuted on The CW on October 8, 2012, and wrapped up on December 17, 2012, with a total of 10 episodes. Due to a decline in audience numbers in earlier seasons, the episode count was shortened to efficiently conclude the narrative. Adapted from the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar, the television adaptation was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. The CW announced the renewal for this final installment on May 11, 2012. Prior to the finale, a special retrospective aired featuring interviews with cast members and production staff.
Plot
As the characters transition into their twenties, they confront significant uncertainties about their paths ahead. Serena van der Woodsen embarks on a new chapter by dating Steven Spence, an older man whose 17-year-old daughter secretly dates Nate Archibald. Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass each strive to achieve success in their respective careers. Financial difficulties at The Spectator lead Nate to contemplate a political future. Dan Humphrey forms an unexpected alliance with Georgina Sparks as she assists him with his forthcoming novel. After five years marked by turmoil, Gossip Girl delivers her most astonishing revelation yet: her true identity.
Main
- Blake Lively as Serena van der Woodsen
- Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf
- Penn Badgley as Dan Humphrey
- Chace Crawford as Nate Archibald
- Ed Westwick as Chuck Bass
- Kaylee DeFer as Ivy Dickens
- Kelly Rutherford as Lily van der Woodsen
- Matthew Settle as Rufus Humphrey
- Kristen Bell provides the voice of Gossip Girl (uncredited)
Recurring
- Sofia Black-D'Elia portrays Sage Spence
- Robert John Burke appears as Bart Bass
- Barry Watson plays Steven Spence
- Michelle Trachtenberg returns as Georgina Sparks
- Yin Chang acts as Nelly Yuki
- Tamara Feldman portrays Poppy Lifton
- Zuzanna Szadkowski appears as Dorota Kishlovsky
- Alice Callahan plays Jessica Leitenberg
- Nan Zhang is Kati Farkas
- Margaret Colin acts as Eleanor Waldorf
- William Baldwin plays William van der Woodsen
- Sam Robards appears as Howard Archibald
- Desmond Harrington portrays Jack Bass
- Wallace Shawn acts as Cyrus Rose
Special guests
- Connor Paolo returns as Eric van der Woodsen
- Taylor Momsen reprises role of Jenny Humphrey
- Alexa Chung appears as herself
- Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg features as himself
- Singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb appears as herself
- Ella Rae Peck portrays Lola Rhodes (uncredited)
- Jessica Szohr returns as Vanessa Abrams (uncredited)
- Katie Cassidy reappears as Juliet Sharp (uncredited)
- Willa Holland features as Agnes Andrews (uncredited)
- Actress Rachel Bilson makes an uncredited appearance as herself
Episodes
Production
The series was officially renewed for a brief sixth and concluding season on May 11, 2012, which aired from October through December 17 of the same year. When The CW unveiled its 2012–13 lineup on May 17, Gossip Girl retained its Monday night slot, shifting to the 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central time immediately following the fifth season of 90210. This final installment consisted of a total of 10 episodes.
On April 25, 2012, Joshua Safran, who had served as showrunner and executive producer, left the series to take on the role of showrunner for NBC's Smash. Subsequently, Sara Goodman was elevated to executive producer on May 11, 2012.
The fourth episode of the concluding season, titled "Portrait of a Lady Alexander," experienced a scheduling delay, moving from its original October 29 air date to November 5 due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy.
Filming was predominantly conducted throughout New York City, showcasing prominent landmarks such as Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, The Empire Hotel, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Cast
Returning as main cast members were Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, Kaylee DeFer, Kelly Rutherford, and Matthew Settle. Michelle Trachtenberg was upgraded to guest star status, while former recurring performers Desmond Harrington and Robert John Burke also appeared as guest stars.
On July 7, 2012, Andrea Gabriel, recognized from Lost, joined the cast portraying a businesswoman based in Dubai. Additionally, Barry Watson, known for his role in 7th Heaven, guest-starred as Steven Spence, a young entrepreneur romantically linked to Serena.
British model Alexa Chung made a cameo appearance as herself within a storyline centered around Blair’s fashion enterprise. Former Skins actress Sofia Black-D'Elia portrayed Sage Spence, the daughter of Steven Spence. Previous guest stars Tamara Feldman and Yin Chang reprised their roles as Poppy Lifton and Nelly Yuki respectively. For the series finale, Taylor Momsen and Connor Paolo returned as Jenny Humphrey and Eric van der Woodsen.
The finale also featured cameo appearances by Kristen Bell, Rachel Bilson, Katie Cassidy, Ella Rae Peck, Willa Holland, singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Jessica Szohr. These appearances took place following the revelation of Gossip Girl’s true identity in the last episode.
Ratings
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) |
Viewers (million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Gone Maybe Gone" | October 8, 2012 | 0.4/1 | 0.78 |
| 2 | "High Infidelity" | October 15, 2012 | 0.4/1 | 0.78 |
| 3 | "Dirty Rotten Scandals" | October 22, 2012 | 0.4/1 | 0.95 |
| 4 | "Portrait of a Lady Alexander" | November 5, 2012 | 0.3/1 | 0.66 |
| 5 | "Monstrous Ball" | November 12, 2012 | 0.4/1 | 0.73 |
| 6 | "Where the Vile Things Are" | November 19, 2012 | 0.4/1 | 0.72 |
| 7 | "Save the Last Chance" | November 26, 2012 | 0.4/1 | 0.84 |
| 8 | "It's Really Complicated" | December 3, 2012 | 0.3/1 | 0.79 |
| 9 | "The Revengers" | December 10, 2012 | 0.6/1 | 1.06 |
| 10 | "New York, I Love You XOXO" | December 17, 2012 | 0.8/2 | 1.55 |
Reception
The sixth season received a 60% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on a total of five critiques, with an average rating of 5.3 out of 10.
DVD release
style="text-align:center;"| Gossip Girl: Complete Sixth and Final Season | |||||||
| Package Information | Bonus Content | ||||||
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| Release Schedule | |||||||
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 3 | Region 4 | ||||
| February 12, 2013 | February 18, 2013 | July 19, 2013 | February 27, 2013 | ||||
External links
- Compilation of Gossip Girl season six episodes listed on IMDb