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TV This Week

‘Gossip Girl,’ finally a name to the voice

Viewers learn the identity of the narrator of the ground-breaking series

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

December 17, 2012

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“Gossip Girl” was arguably the first broadcast show where ratings didn’t really matter.

“Girl,” which airs its two-hour series finale tonight at 8 p.m. on the CW, has always drawn a relatively small audience. But its influence has reached well beyond what Nielsen recorded.

The show premiered in 2007, in the CW’s second season. It was the network’s first show to stream online, at a time when the networks were only just beginning to experiment with such delivery, and it soon became clear that a huge slice of its audience was coming not from the TV but from the internet.

The CW even briefly suspended the streaming episodes in season one in hopes of bumping up TV ratings, but that ploy didn’t work. Though the ratings remained low, the show came to define the then-fledgling network, formed from the remains of the WB and UPN.

“Girl” follows the exploits of a group of ridiculously rich prep school, then college, and now adult friends whose every wardrobe choice inspired an off-screen fashion craze. It drew huge followings on social media, one of broadcast’s pioneers in that area.

The show has 12 million Facebook fans, though it’s averaging only 772,000 total viewers this season, according to Nielsen. It also gains about 50 percent more viewers from seven-day-DVR playback, where it was one of the early leaders in gains as well.

Tonight’s series finale should see a kick-up in ratings, though, because the network has promised a huge reveal. After six seasons of chronicling the goings-on of the rich and badly behaved, the omniscient “Girl” narrator will finally be revealed.

That’s one moment that might be worth watching live, even for those who haven’t seen “Girl” in years.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
MONDAY, DECEMBER 17
Time		Network	Program			Description
8 p.m.		CW	“Gossip Girl” (D0			Series finale. The identity of the Gossip Girl is finally revealed in the finale of the bussed-about but little-watched series.
8 p.m.		ABC	“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (R)			In the first of a two-parter the crew helps a family with more than 30 foster children.
8:30 p.m.		ESPN	“Monday Night Football” (S)			The Jets take on the Titans in Nashville.
9 p.m.		CBS	“2 Broke Girls” (C)			Max and Caroline deal with some questionable people in their quest to pay the rent.
9 p.m.		VH1	“T.I. and Tiny” (R)			Season finale. T.I. tries to teach the kids what it takes to pay for all of their gifts.
9:30 p.m.		NBC	“1600 Penn” (C)			Series premiere. New comedy focuses on a fictional First Family.
10 p.m.		CBS	“Hawaii Five-0″ (D)			In the fall finale Catherine and McGarrett help a kid with a missing father.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18
Time	Network			Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS			“NCIS” (D)	Tony’s father visits for Christmas.
8 p.m.	ABC			“Charlie Brown Christmas” (A)	The classic holiday special airs yet again.
9 p.m.	NBC			“The Voice” (R)	Season finale. The season three winner is selected.
9 p.m.	ABC			“Happy Endings” (C)	The group finds out that Jane’s birthday is actually on Christmas.
10 p.m.	BBC America			“Ramsay’s Christmas Cookalong” (A)	As if you needed incentive, David Hasselhoff makes an appearance.
11:35 p.m.	NBC			“Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (T)	Quentin Tarantino and LeeAnn Rimes both guest.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19
Time	Network			Program	Description
7 p.m.	ESPN			“NBA Basketball” (S)	A battle for New York between the Knicks and Nets.
8 p.m.	Fox			“The X Factor” (R)	The remaining contestants five their final performances of the season.
8 p.m.	CBS			“A Home for the Holidays with Rascal Flatts” (A)	The 14th annual adoption awareness event, this year hosted by Rascal Flatts.
8 p.m.	NBC, Telemundo			“Miss Universe” (A)	The 61st annual pageant, hosted by Andy Cohen and Giuliana Rancic.
9 p.m.	ESPN2			“College Basketball” (S)	Good nonconference game between North Carolina and Texas.
10 p.m.	NBC			“Chicago Fire” (D)	A handful of the firefighters are accused of stealing valuables.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20
Time	Network			Program	Description
8 p.m.	NBC			“A White House Christmas” (A)	Memories from Michelle Obama and a group of former first ladies.
8 p.m.	Fox			“The X Factor” (R)	The season two winner is selected.
8 p.m.	ESPN			“College Football” (S)	The Poinsettia Bowl between BYU and San Diego State.
9 p.m.	ABC			“CMA Country Christmas” (A)	Holiday special hosted by Jennifer Nettles.
10 p.m.	MTV			“Jersey Shore” (R)	Series finale. Yes, this show is finally over. Get ready for “Buckwild.”
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21
Time	Network			Program	Description
7:30 p.m.	ESPN			“College Football” (S)	Yes, this actually exists — it’s the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. Prestigious.
9 p.m.	ABC			“Back to the Beginning with Christiane Amanpour” (N)	The first half of a two-parter looking at the history of biblical stories.
9 p.m.	Fox			“Fringe” (D)	Nina Sharp makes an appearance in the fall finale.
9 p.m.	Travel Channel			“Ghost Adventures” (N)	A look at haunted bars and restaurants.
10 p.m.	E!			“Fashion Police” (N)	Tiffani Thiessen and Rob Kardashian both guest.
10 p.m.	Syfy			“Haven” (D)	Season finale. Audrey deals with her personal issues as she, Nathan and Duke prepare for the Bolt Gun Killer.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22
Time	Network			Program	Description
6 p.m.	ESPN2			“College Basketball” (S)	An interesting early season matchup between Illinois and Missouri.
8 p.m.	Fox			“Cops” (R)	Cases include an undercover prostitution sting in California.
8:20 p.m.	ESPN			“NFL Football” (S)	The high-flying Falcons visit the lowly Lions.
9 p.m.	NBC			“WWE Tribute to the Troops” (S)	The 10th annual event features the interesting mix of Kid Rock and The Muppets.
10 p.m.	Investigation Discovery			“Fatal Vows” (N)	Investigating a case of a murdered doctor.
10 p.m.	TBS			“Wedding Band” (C)	The group gets a job at a corporate event for the company that Eddie works for.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23
Time	Network			Program	Description
8 p.m.	PBS			“Christmas at Luther: Tidings of Comfort and joy” (A)	A traditional Christmas celebration from the college in Decorah, Iowa.
8:20 p.m.	NBC			“Sunday Night Football” (S)	The 49ers play on Sunday night for the second straight week, this time against division rival Seattle.
9 p.m.	Bravo			“Real Housewives of Atlanta” (R)	The Anguilla trip seems to be going well, but it wouldn’t be “Real Housewives” without some drama.
9:30 p.m.	ABC Family			“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (M)	Not the animated classic, but the live-action Jim Carrey version.
10 p.m.	History			“Bamazon” (R)	An excavator finds himself in a dire situation.
11 p.m.	NBC Sports Network			“Boxing” (S)	It’s a Philadelphia fight night between heavyweights Bryant Jennings and Bowie Tupou.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.