Having just completed viewing the First Season of ‘Gossip Girl’ on DVD, I must say I really got into it, the soap opera stuff, who’s sleeping with whom, etc. BUT, the one thing that really bothers me about the show is it’s visual style. Location is everything for a teen soap. ‘Dawson’s Creek’ showed us a really nice little North Carolina town (I know it takes place in Mass., I’m talking about where they filmed it), where the light flowed through the characters’ hair, everyone had white picket fences, got around in row boats, and pranced through the Norman Rockwell painting of a downtown. ‘The O.C.’ had the rich, upper crust feel that ‘Gossip Girl’ emulates, but ‘The O.C.’ also showed us awesome beaches, gorgeous piers, people skateboarding - all basked in California sun light.

From the Humphrey Family apartment, to Blair’s huge loft, every location in ‘Gossip Girl’ feels terribly uninspired, horribly lit, and claustrophobic. We know that ‘Gossip Girl’ is shot mostly in studios, but it also films on location in New York City, and the producers never take advantage of this fact. Shows like ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Friends,’ shot in L.A., feel more like New York than this show.

Even when confined to indoors, ‘Dawson’s Creek’ and ‘The O.C.’ found places that lit up their respective shows’ worlds. ‘Dawson’s Creek’ would often set their characters in the old, elegant Rialto movie theatre or the casual, creek-side restaurant, the Ice House. ‘The O.C.’ featured live bands such as Death Cab For Cutie and The Walkmen performing at the hip, fun club called the Bait Shop. A place like the Bait Shop fit in with the whole tone of the show. Even in doors you could feel the fresh air outside, the sand through your toes. Yes, I just wrote that.

New York City is believed by many to be the best city in the world. What it makes it charming though, are the areas of the city that ‘Gossip Girl’ never explores. And when ‘Gossip’ tries, it fails, such as the club at which Dan’s dad plays. This is most likely because Dan’s dad was filming a VH1 special at the location - not exactly something with which we can all identify.

Part of the problem is the clothes these kids wear. I understand that rich people dress a little different from us common folk, but every time I see Chuck with one of his scarves and bright orange blazers, I’m instantly aware that in ten years people will look back and say, “Did people really dress like that?” But since that’s happening NOW, I’m sure a viewing of this in ten years will trigger the End of Clothing.

The people on ‘The O.C.’ were just as rich as those on ‘Gossip Girl,’ but the characters dressed in a way familiar to teens. ‘Dawson’s Creek’ went so far as to have the main cast’s wardrobe completely furnished by American Eagle, a clothing store which is affordable for teens to shop at and thus emulate their favorite characters’ style.

Watching a behind-the-scenes featurette on the costume design of ‘Gossip Girl’ gave me some insight into this strange disconnect between creator and viewer. The featurette chronicles the meeting of Eric Daman (costume designer) and Stephanie Savage (co-creator, executive producer). They both came in with sketches depicting the look of Sienna Miller and Kate Moss as how they wanted their characters to dress. I don’t see a lot of girls in middle girl slinky around like Kate Moss, cocaine vile in hand. In the segment, executive producer Bob Levy goes on to describe the guys’ outfits on the show as “ridiculous and fabulous.” I don’t know what ridiculous and fabulous means since I spend 10 hours of my day walking around in boxers.

I realize that I am being rather harsh with ‘Gossip Girl,’ a program proclaimed by New York magazine as the ‘Best Show Ever.’ My criticism is meant to be constructive. I think the characters of ‘Gossip Girl’ are as sharply developed as any teen soap, the plots move quickly and the TV relationships are as believable as they get outside of HBO. I hear that the second season of ‘Gossip’ begins in the Hamptons. Perhaps this change of location will reinvigorate the look of the show, but even if it doesn’t, I’ll happily watch all the same.