The Kids Stay in the Picture
| Company type | Television season |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | September 13, 2010 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage (creators) |
| Products | Television series |
The fourth installment of the American teen drama Gossip Girl debuted on The CW network on September 13, 2010, and wrapped up on May 16, 2011, comprising 22 episodes. Adapted from the novel series authored by Cecily von Ziegesar, the television adaptation was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. On February 16, 2010, The CW confirmed a full renewal for this fourth season. Returning as principal cast members were Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen, Ed Westwick, Jessica Szohr, Kelly Rutherford, and Matthew Settle.
The show retained its Monday night timeslot at 9:00 p.m., following the series 90210. The season’s premiere achieved a 1.0 rating among Adults aged 18–49 with an audience of 1.84 million viewers. The highest rating of the season, a 1.1, was recorded during the fourth episode, while episode eleven attracted the largest viewership at 2.06 million. The finale drew in 1.36 million live viewers. Critical reception was generally favorable, with the season earning a Metacritic score of 75 out of 100.
Synopsis
Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass strive to conclude their volatile relationship but encounter interference from new international romantic interests. Dan Humphrey suddenly finds himself a father when Georgina Sparks unexpectedly leaves her son Milo in his care. Blair and Serena van der Woodsen begin their studies at Columbia University, facing fresh obstacles. Nate Archibald enters a relationship with Juliet Sharp, who conceals a secret grudge against Serena and Lily van der Woodsen. Lily attempts to sell Bass Industries but meets resistance upon the arrival of her old foe Russell Thorpe and his daughter Raina. Legal complications arise for Serena due to actions taken by Lily; Lily is placed under house arrest after forging Serena’s signature on a legal document. Charlie Rhodes, Serena and Eric’s secret cousin, arrives in Manhattan with her true identity shrouded in mystery. Blair becomes engaged to Prince Louis Grimaldi, moving closer to her ambition of royalty.
Main
- Blake Lively as Serena van der Woodsen
- Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf
- Penn Badgley as Dan Humphrey
- Chace Crawford as Nate Archibald
- Taylor Momsen as Jenny Humphrey
- Ed Westwick as Chuck Bass
- Jessica Szohr as Vanessa Abrams
- Kelly Rutherford as Lily van der Woodsen
- Matthew Settle as Rufus Humphrey
- Kristen Bell providing the voice of Gossip Girl (uncredited)
Recurring
- Hugo Becker portraying Prince Louis Grimaldi
- Katie Cassidy as Juliet Sharp
- Margaret Colin in the role of Eleanor Waldorf
- Clémence Poésy as Eva Coupeau
- Michelle Trachtenberg returning as Georgina Sparks
- David Call playing Ben Donovan
- Connor Paolo as Eric van der Woodsen
- Amanda Setton portraying Penelope Shafai
- Zuzanna Szadkowski as Dorota Kishlovsky
- Alice Callahan appearing as Jessica Leitenberg
- Sam Page in the role of Colin Forrester
- Sam Robards playing Howard Archibald
- Aaron Schwartz as Vanya
- Francie Swift portraying Anne Archibald
- Kevin Zegers as Damien Dalgaard
- Michael Boatman cast as Russell Thorpe
- Tika Sumpter playing Raina Thorpe
- William Baldwin in the role of William van der Woodsen
- Kaylee DeFer appearing as both Ivy Dickens and Charlie Rhodes
- Nicole Fiscella portraying Isabel Coates
- Nan Zhang as Kati Farkas
- Melissa Fumero in the role of Zoe
Guest
- Lou Doillon portraying herself
- Jayne Atkinson as Dean Reuther
- Marlyne Barrett in the role of Martha Chamberlain
- Tim Gunn appearing as himself
- Robyn performing as herself
- Luke Kleintank cast as Elliot Garfield
- Caitlin FitzGerald playing Epperly Lawrence
- Florence and the Machine featured as themselves
- Sheila Kelley taking on the character Carol Rhodes
- Caroline Lagerfelt portraying CeCe Rhodes
- Joanne Whalley as Princess Sophie Grimaldi
- Desmond Harrington returning as Jack Bass
- Wallace Shawn in the role of Cyrus Rose
- Jan Maxwell reprising Headmistress Queller
Episodes
{{Episode table |background=#B40411 |overall=5 |season=5 |title=28 |director=14 |writer=25 |airdate=14 |viewers=9 |country=U.S. |episodes=
Production
On February 16, 2010, the series was officially renewed for a fourth season. It maintained its Monday 9/8c timeslot, airing immediately after 90210, with the season premiere debuting on September 13, 2010.
Filming for this season commenced in Paris on July 5, 2010, featuring Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Ed Westwick, and Clémence Poésy. Although initially reported to miss several episodes, Jessica Szohr resumed filming earlier than anticipated on July 9, 2010, appearing in the season opener. Taylor Momsen began shooting on August 30, 2010; she appeared in a single episode titled "Easy J" which aired October 25, 2010, before rejoining as a main cast member for the latter half of the season. An episode directed by Tate Donovan, who had previously worked with creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage on The O.C., was broadcast in November 2010.
The initial two episodes are set against the backdrop of Paris.
During the season four finale "The Wrong Goodbye", the band The Airborne Toxic Event made a guest appearance performing "Changing" from their album All at Once at the Constance Billard Alumni event.
Cast
Actress Clémence Poésy, known for her role in Harry Potter, joined as Chuck’s new love interest Eva for four episodes filmed in Paris.
Katie Cassidy, formerly of Melrose Place, appeared as Juliet, a Columbia University student with ulterior motives involving Serena, accompanied by David Call portraying her incarcerated brother. Sam Page was introduced as Serena’s new romantic interest—a Columbia business professor and cousin to Juliet and Ben—featured across four episodes. Kevin Zegers returned to play Damien Dalgaard in five episodes; Desmond Harrington also reprised his role as Chuck’s uncle Jack Bass.
Due to touring commitments, Taylor Momsen was absent early in the season but returned midseason before going on indefinite hiatus, appearing in only four episodes total. Guest appearances included Michael Boatman portraying business magnate Russell Thorpe and Tika Sumpter as his daughter Raina.
Fashion industry figures such as Tim Gunn, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Rachel Zoe made cameo appearances during the first half of this season. Additionally, singer Robyn performed her track "Hang with Me."
William Baldwin expressed interest in returning for this season and was confirmed to do so in February 2011. Due to scheduling conflicts, Sheila Kelley replaced Illeana Douglas as Lily’s sister Carol. Michelle Trachtenberg reprised her role as Georgina Sparks in the season finale. Kaylee DeFer joined portraying Carol’s daughter Charlie Rhodes with potential for series regular status; she was promoted starting with season five.
Hugo Becker, who plays Prince Louis Grimaldi, returned on April 18, 2011, for the remainder of the season. Actress Joanne Whalley, known from The Borgias, guest-starred as Princess Sophie, Louis’s mother.
Academy Award-nominated director David O. Russell made a brief cameo appearance. Ethan Peck, recognized from 10 Things I Hate About You, debuted in the season finale with plans for a recurring role in season five.
Recurring actors Nan Zhang and Nicole Fiscella reprised their characters Kati Farkas and Isabel Coates respectively for both the penultimate episode and finale. Tony Award-winning actress Jan Maxwell returned as Headmistress Queller in the final episode.
Becker remained noncommittal about his ongoing involvement during interviews, stating that "the answer is in the finale." On May 16, 2011, Entertainment Weekly revealed that author of Gossip Girl, Cecily von Ziegesar, would make a cameo appearance in the season’s concluding episode.
Plot
The fourth season begins with Serena and Blair spending time in Paris, where Chuck Bass arrives incognito accompanied by a new girlfriend. Blair must decide whether to fight for Chuck or concentrate on her ambitions at Columbia University. Meanwhile, Serena finds herself caught between Nate and Dan, as Dan adapts to his unexpected role as the caretaker of Georgina’s baby—a child later revealed not to be his. The tension between Dan and Serena escalates, and Jenny returns with a transformed persona, sparking fresh turmoil.
The Gossip Girl website is relaunched featuring advanced technology, with Juliet teaming up with her brother to sabotage Serena. Vanessa is falsely accused of stealing Serena’s phone and leaves town after only Dan trusts her claims. After Blair drives away Chuck’s new partner, Chuck retaliates against her, though their conflict ceases once Jenny publicly explains her departure. At Blair’s 20th birthday celebration, she and Chuck share a heartfelt reconciliation. Nate and Dan remain uncertain due to Serena’s ambiguous signals.
Juliet’s plot unfolds during the first half of the season as she enlists Vanessa and Jenny in a campaign against Serena. Blair and Dan join forces to defend Serena from their attacks. At a masquerade ball, Juliet and Jenny impersonate Serena to frame her with incriminating drug photographs, which result in Lily committing Serena to the Ostroff Center. Feeling remorseful, Jenny confesses to Blair, while Vanessa leaves town. Blair and Dan then seek revenge on Juliet.
Juliet reveals her motivation is connected to her brother Ben, who was formerly Serena’s teacher and imprisoned after Lily, Serena’s mother, forged an affidavit against him. Serena devises a strategy to clear Ben’s name by exposing the falsified evidence. Concurrently, Chuck uncovers Lily’s secret plan to sell Bass Industries without informing him.
Reception
The season premiere attracted a 1.0 rating among Adults 18–49 and drew 1.84 million viewers. The fourth episode achieved season-best numbers with a 2.8 rating among Women 18–34, 1.1 among Adults 18–49, a 1.7 rating in Adults 18–34, and 2.00 million viewers; this record was surpassed by the eleventh episode, which reached 2.06 million viewers. The series experienced significant gains in the Adults 18–49 demographic when Live +7 DVR ratings were considered—for example, the fourth episode's initial 1.1 rating increased to 1.5, while the fifth episode's 0.9 rating rose by 44% to 1.3.
Critics generally responded positively to the season opener. Steve Marsi of TV Fanatic gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, commending performances by Michelle Trachtenberg and guest star Katie Cassidy. Mark O. Estes from TV Overmind emphasized the show’s shift toward more mature themes. Gerard McGarry of Unreality Shout described the premiere as "brilliant," whereas Alexis James-blackhead from Buzz Focus found it somewhat disappointing, calling it "less sizzle than fizzle." Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick earned acclaim in subsequent episodes, with "Chuck Bass" trending on Twitter during the premiere night. The season holds a Metacritic score of 75/100, reflecting generally favorable reviews.
Erik Adams of The A.V. Club observed that by its fourth season characters should be well-defined; however, Gossip Girl allowed room for reinvention despite challenges such as waning relevance and costly production design. He praised the evolution of Blair and Serena’s relationship as the series’ core dynamic.
Brian Cantor of Headline Planet expressed disappointment over diminished critical attention and buzz compared to earlier seasons, noting that the show no longer maintained its status as a "pop culture phenomenon." In contrast, Judy Berman of the Los Angeles Times defended its creative vitality during the midseason finale "The Townie," highlighting its capacity to deliver engaging melodrama that kept audiences invested. Reflecting on the season finale, Steve Marsi from TV Fanatic characterized Season 4 as inconsistent—lacking some continuity, humor, and drama found in previous seasons—despite featuring several entertaining episodes and memorable moments.
DVD Release
| Gossip Girl: Complete Fourth Season | |||||
| Contents of the Set | Bonus Material | ||||
|
| ||||
| Launch Dates | |||||
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
| August 23, 2011 | August 15, 2011 | September 5, 2011 (Brazil) September 7, 2011 (Australia) | |||