The sixth and final season of the American

teen drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...

television series ''

Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series created and developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and based on the series of novels of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. It follows a group of students on Manhattan's ...

'' premiered on

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

on October 8, 2012, and concluded on December 17, 2012, consisting of 10 episodes. Due to a decline in viewers and ratings in the show's previous seasons, the show was given a reduced episode count for the final season in order to bring the storyline to a close. Based on the novel series of the same name by

Cecily von Ziegesar Cecily Brooke von Ziegesar ( ; born June 27, 1970) is an American author best known for the young adult novel series ''Gossip Girl''. Early life and education Cecily von Ziegesar was born in New York City into a German noble family. She is th ...

, the series was developed for television by

Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known for dev ...

and

Stephanie Savage Stephanie Savage (born 1969) is a screenwriter and television producer from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Savage is best known for developing The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007) from the novel series, and being an executive producer of t ...

. The CW officially renewed the series for a sixth season on May 11, 2012. The series finale was preceded by a special retrospective, including interviews with the cast and crew.

Plot

As the scandal and drama filled group of friends enter their 20s, major questions about the future begin to emerge. Serena van der Woodsen decides to start fresh by dating an older man, Steven Spence, whose 17-year-old daughter is secretly dating Nate Archibald. Waiting to be together, Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass try to succeed separately in their own careers. As ''The Spectator'' hits financial ruins, Nate considers a political career. Dan Humphrey and Georgina Sparks strike an unlikely friendship as she assists him with his new book. After five years of upheaval, Gossip Girl has saved her most juiciest, jaw dropping update for last: Her identity.

Cast and characters

Main

Blake Lively Blake Ellender Brown (born August 25, 1987), known professionally as Blake Lively, is an American actress. A daughter of actor Ernie Lively, she made her professional debut in his directorial project ''Sandman'' (1998). She had her breakthrou ...

Serena van der Woodsen Serena Celia van der Woodsen Humphrey is a fictional character in the '' Gossip Girl'' novel series and in its TV adaptation, in which she is portrayed by Blake Lively. Serena is featured on the blog of the series' mysterious narrator, "Gossip ...

Leighton Meester Leighton Marissa Meester ( ; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is known for her starring role as Blair Waldorf on the CW television series ''Gossip Girl'', which ran from 2007 to 2012. She has also appeared in fi ...

Blair Waldorf Blair Cornelia Waldorf (married name Bass) is one of the main characters of ''Gossip Girl'', introduced in the original series of novels and also appearing as the lead in the television adaptation; she also appears in the comic adaptation. Describ ...

Penn Badgley Penn Dayton Badgley (born November 1, 1986) is an American actor and producer. He is known for his roles as Dan Humphrey in The CW teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012) and Joe Goldberg in the Netflix psychological thriller series ''Y ...

Dan Humphrey Daniel Randolph Humphrey is a fictional character from the ''Gossip Girl'' franchise. He is one of the core male characters in ''Gossip Girl,'' played by American actor Penn Badgley. The character comes from an artistic and musically-inclined ...

Chace Crawford Christopher Chace Crawford (born July 18, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his television portrayals of Nate Archibald on the series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012), and of Kevin Moskowitz / The Deep in the television series '' The Boys ...

Nate Archibald Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald (born September 2, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Cincinnati Royals/ Kansas City–Omaha King ...

Ed Westwick Edward Jack Peter Westwick (born 27 June 1987) is an English actor and musician best known for his role as Chuck Bass on The CW's ''Gossip Girl'' as well as Vincent Swan in the TV series ''White Gold''. He made his feature film debut in '' Chi ...

Chuck Bass Charles Bartholomew Bass is a fictional character in the novel and television series '' Gossip Girl''. In the TV series, he is portrayed by British actor Ed Westwick. Although he is a secondary antagonist in the original book series, the TV se ...

Kaylee DeFer Kaylee DeFer is a retired American actress. She was best known for her portrayals of Hillary Gold in '' The War at Home'', and of Ivy Dickens in ''Gossip Girl''. Early life DeFer was born in Tucson, Arizona. In 2003, she moved to Los Angeles to ...

Ivy Dickens Ivy Dickens (former alias: Charlotte "Charlie" Rhodes) is a fictional character who exclusively appears in the ''Gossip Girl'' television adaptation, portrayed by Kaylee DeFer. She first appears in " The Kids Stay in the Picture," initially appe ...

Kelly Rutherford Kelly Rutherford (born November 6, 1968) is an American actress. She is known for her television roles as Stephanie "Sam" Whitmore on the NBC daytime soap opera '' Generations'' (1989–1991), as Megan Lewis on the Fox primetime soap opera '' ...

Lily van der Woodsen The following is a list of characters for The CW teen television drama series, ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012) and its standalone sequel series of the same name (2021–2023). The series is based on the popular book series of the same name written ...

Matthew Settle Jeffrey Matthew Settle (born September 17, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for playing Captain Ronald Speirs on the 2001 HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'' and Rufus Humphrey on the CW teen drama series ''Gossip Girl''. Early life S ...

Rufus Humphrey The following is a list of characters for The CW teen television drama series, ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012) and its standalone sequel series of the same name (2021–2023). The series is based on the popular book series of the same name written ...

Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. List of Kristen Bell performances, Her work includes both film and television, and List of awards and nominations received by Kristen Bell, h ...

as the voice of

(uncredited)

Recurring

Sofia Black-D'Elia Sofia Black-D'Elia (born December 24, 1991) is an American actress. She is known for her television roles, such as Tea Marvelli in '' Skins'', Sage Spence in ''Gossip Girl'', Andrea Cornish in ''The Night Of'', and Frannie Latimer in '' Your Ho ...

as Sage Spence *

Robert John Burke Robert John Burke (born September 12, 1960) is an American actor known for his roles in the early films of Hal Hartley as well as his roles in '' RoboCop 3'' (1993), ''Tombstone'' (1993), and '' Thinner'' (1996). During the 2000s Burke became ...

as Bart Bass * Barry Watson as Steven Spence *

Michelle Trachtenberg Michelle Christine Trachtenberg (October 11, 1985 – February 26, 2025) was an American actress. After beginning her career in television commercials at age three, she made her television debut in her first credited role on the Nickelodeon ser ...

Georgina Sparks Georgina Sparks is a fictional character in the ''Gossip Girl'' novel series and a recurring character on the television series of the same name, in which she was portrayed by Michelle Trachtenberg. While the novel series portrays her as a harm ...

* Yin Chang as Nelly Yuki *

Tamara Feldman Amara Zaragoza (born December 5, 1980), known by her stage name Tamara Feldman, is an American actress. Career Feldman is known for playing Marybeth Dunston in the horror film ''Hatchet'' (2006) and for her roles in the television series ''Smallv ...

as Poppy Lifton *

Zuzanna Szadkowski Zuzanna Szadkowski (; born October 22, 1978) is a Polish-American actress known for her role as Dorota Kishlovsky on CW teen drama series ''Gossip Girl''. Szadkowski also appeared on ''The Knick'', ''Girls'', '' Search Party'', ''The Good Wife'' ...

as Dorota Kishlovsky * Alice Callahan as Jessica Leitenberg * Nan Zhang as Kati Farkas *

Margaret Colin Margaret Colin (born May 26, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Constance Spano in ''Independence Day'', Margo Hughes on ''As the World Turns'' and as Eleanor Waldorf-Rose on ''Gossip Girl''. Early life Margaret Colin ...

as Eleanor Waldorf *

William Baldwin William Joseph Baldwin (born February 21, 1963) Note: While birthplace is routinely listed as Massapequa, that town has no hospital, and brother Alec Baldwin was born in nearby Amityville, which does. is an American actor and the second-younge ...

as William van der Woodsen *

Sam Robards Sam Prideaux Robards (born December 16, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for his film roles in '' American Beauty'' (1999) and '' A.I. Artificial Intelligence'' (2001). For his performance in the Broadway production of '' The Man Who ...

as Howard Archibald *

Desmond Harrington Desmond Harrington (born October 19, 1976) is an American actor. He made his film debut in 1999, playing Jean d'Aulon in '' The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc''. His later credits include '' Riding in Cars with Boys'', '' The Hole'' (both ...

as Jack Bass *

Wallace Shawn Wallace Michael Shawn (born November 12, 1943) is an American actor, essayist, playwright, and screenwriter. He is known for playing Vizzini in '' The Princess Bride'' (1987), Mr. Hall in '' Clueless'' (1995), Dr. John Sturgis in '' Young Sheldo ...

as Cyrus Rose

Special guests

Connor Paolo Connor Paolo (born July 11, 1990) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Eric van der Woodsen on the CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' and Declan Porter on the ABC drama series ''Revenge''. He has also appeared in two Oliver ...

Eric van der Woodsen Eric van der Woodsen (spelled Erik in the novels) is a fictional character from the book series ''Gossip Girl (novel series), Gossip Girl'' and the Gossip Girl (TV series), television series of the same name, in which he is portrayed by Connor Pao ...

Taylor Momsen Taylor Michel Momsen (born July 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, model, guitarist, and former actress. Prior to her retirement from acting, she portrayed the character of Cindy Lou Who in the film ''How the Grinch Stole Chr ...

Jenny Humphrey Jennifer Tallulah Humphrey is one of the characters in both the ''Gossip Girl (novel series), Gossip Girl'' and ''The It Girl (book series), The It Girl'' series of novels by Cecily von Ziegesar. She is portrayed by Taylor Momsen in the Gossip Gi ...

Alexa Chung Alexa Chung (born 5 November 1983) is an English model and television personality. Chung pursued a modelling career as a teenager after being scouted by a modelling agency at the Reading Festival. She has walked for brands such as Vivienne Westw ...

as herself *

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...

as himself *

Lisa Loeb Lisa Anne Loeb (; born March 11, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and actress. She started her career with " Stay (I Missed You)" from the film '' Reality Bites'', the first number-one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...

as herself *

Ella Rae Peck Ella Rae Peck is an American actress. She portrayed the roles of Charlotte "Lola" Rhodes in The CW series ''Gossip Girl'' and Mia Bowers in the NBC series ''Deception''. Life and career Peck was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and went to schoo ...

Lola Rhodes Charlotte "Lola" Rhodes is a recurring character who exclusively appeared in the ''Gossip Girl'' television adaptation. Created by series producer Joshua Safran, Lola Rhodes is portrayed by actress Kaylee DeFer. The character of Charlotte "Charl ...

(uncredited) *

Jessica Szohr Jessica Szohr (; born March 31, 1985) is an American actress. She started her screen career appearing on television shows such as '' My Wife and Kids'' (2003), ''Joan of Arcadia'' (2004), '' What About Brian'' (2007) and '' CSI: Miami'' (2007). S ...

Vanessa Abrams Vanessa Marigold Abrams is a fictional character in the ''Gossip Girl'' novel series. She is portrayed by Jessica Szohr in the television adaptation. Vanessa was introduced on the first season as a recurring character, but became a series regula ...

(uncredited) *

Katie Cassidy Katie Cassidy (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films ''When a Stranger Calls (2006 film), When a Stranger Calls'' (2006 ...

Juliet Sharp Juliet Sharp is a recurring character who exclusively appeared in the ''Gossip Girl'' television adaptation. The character was created by ''Gossip Girl'' producer Stephanie Savage and is portrayed by actress Katie Cassidy. The series portrays he ...

(uncredited) *

Willa Holland Willa Joanna Chance Holland (born June 18, 1991) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Kaitlin Cooper in the Fox teen drama '' The O.C.'', Aqua in '' Kingdom Hearts,'' and Thea Queen in The CW series ''Arrow'' ...

as Agnes Andrews (uncredited) *

Rachel Bilson Rachel Sarah Bilson (born August 25, 1981) is an American actress. Born to a Californian show-business family, Bilson made her television debut in 2003, and then landed the role of Summer Roberts on the prime-time drama series '' The O.C.'' Bi ...

as herself (uncredited)

Episodes

Production

On May 11, 2012, the series was picked up for a short sixth and final season, beginning in October and concluding on December 17. On May 17, 2012, with the reveal of The CW's 2012–13 television schedule, ''Gossip Girl'' stayed on Monday night and moved to the 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central timeslot following the fifth season of '' 90210''. It was announced on July 30, 2012, that the sixth season would have 10 episodes. On April 25, 2012, it was confirmed that former showrunner and executive producer Joshua Safran left the show as he had become the new showrunner of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's '' Smash''. On May 11, 2012, writer Sara Goodman was promoted to

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

. On October 29, the fourth episode of the season, "Portrait of a Lady Alexander", was rescheduled for November 5, due to

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

. The final season was mainly filmed in various areas of New York City, with prominent locations including the

Bethesda Fountain Bethesda Terrace and Fountain are two architectural features overlooking the southern shore of the Lake in New York City's Central Park. The fountain, with its ''Angel of the Waters'' statue, is located in the center of the terrace. Bethesda ...

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

, The Empire Hotel, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Cast

, and

all returned as series regulars.

was upgraded to a guest-starring role for this season. Former recurring stars

and

also returned as guest stars for the season. On July 7, 2012, actress Andrea Gabriel, known for her role on '' Lost'', had been cast as a businesswoman from

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

. '' 7th Heaven'' alum Barry Watson landed a guest-starring role as young entrepreneur Steven Spence, who becomes romantically involved with Serena. British model

appears as herself in a plot involving Blair's new fashion line. Former '' Skins'' star

was seen filming scenes with Lively for the then-upcoming sixth season. She played the role of Sage Spence, Steven's daughter. Former ''Gossip Girl'' guest stars

and Yin Chang were reported to return to the show for its final season as Poppy Lifton and Nelly Yuki, respectively.

and

reprised their roles as

and

for the series finale, who had not been seen since their departures in season 4.

and

had cameo roles in the series finale. The cameos from these individuals occurred at the end of the last episode of the season, after Gossip Girl's identity was revealed.

Ratings

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the sixth season holds an approval rating of 60% based on five reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10.

DVD release

References

External links

* List o
''Gossip Girl'' season 6 episodes
on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

{{Gossip Girl 2012 American television seasons