Gossip Girl: Season 1 (2007 - 2008)

The privileged prep school teens on Manhattan's Upper East Side first learn that Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively, "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants") is back in town the way they learn all the important news in their lives -- from the blog of the all-knowing albeit ultra- secretive Gossip Girl. No one knows Gossip Girl's identity, but everyone in this exclusive and complicated vicious circle relies on her website and text messages for the latest scoop. Even Serena's closest friend, Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester, "Entourage"), is surprised to find that Serena has suddenly ended her self-imposed exile to boarding school and returned to Manhattan. Once the Upper East Side's most notorious party girl, Serena's reasons for returning are mysterious, although they may have something to do with her younger brother Eric (Connor Paolo, "Alexander"). Whatever the reasons, the change in Serena is obvious, especially to Blair, whose friendship with Serena has always been competitive and difficult.

In the wake of the scandalous Kiss on the Lips party, Serena receives an ice-cold reception from her best friend, Blair, who reveals that she knows Serena slept with her boyfriend, Nate, before mysteriously running off to boarding school. Serena decides to take Dan to archenemy Chuck's fundraiser brunch at The Palace. And Jenny seeks advice from Blair, who realizes she may have something to gain by allowing Jenny into her inner circle.

As the Upper East Side teens from Constance Billard and St. Jude's prepare for a much-anticipated visit from Ivy League representatives, Blair uncovers scandalous information about Serena that may not remain a secret much longer. Dan has his heart -- and future -- set on serving in the coveted usher position for the Dartmouth representative. But he is beat out by Nate, who has no interest in the school, despite pressure from his controlling father, the Captain (recurring guest star SAM ROBARDS). Meanwhile, Jenny bonds with Serena's younger brother, Eric (recurring guest star CONNOR PAOLO). And Rufus must swallow his pride and ask Lily for a favor to help his son, Dan.

Blair is thrilled when her mother chooses her to be the new face of her clothing line. However, Blair's happiness soon turns to feelings of betrayal and jealousy when Serena moves into the spotlight, and Blair finds herself back in Serena's shadow. Meanwhile, Serena and Dan are reminded once again that they come from two very different worlds. And Nate and Chuck indulge in a boys' weekend to blow off steam after Ivy Week.

Dan makes elaborate plans to impress Serena on their first official date. On the same night, Jenny is invited to the infamous Blair Waldorf sleepover and finds herself in a high-stakes game of Truth or Dare. Meanwhile, when Lily discovers that Eric (recurring guest star CONNOR PAOLO) is missing from his treatment center, she seeks help from her ex- boyfriend, Rufus.

Dan is torn between two girls when his childhood friend, Vanessa (recurring guest star JESSICA SZOHR), returns home and declares her feelings for him, just as he and Serena are trying to figure out what they mean to each other. At her infamous masked ball, Blair sends Nate on a scavenger hunt, but he is still distracted by his feelings for Serena. Although Blair makes it perfectly clear that outsiders are not welcome, a disguised Jenny and Dan sneak into the ball. Meanwhile, Lily asks Rufus to accompany her to an event hosted by Blair's mother in order to make Chuck's father, who brought a model ("America's Next Top Model" winner CARIDEE ENGLISH) as his date, jealous.

After surviving their relationship's on-again/off-again genesis, Serena and Dan finally acknowledge that they are crazy about each other, despite their polar-opposite worlds that constantly threaten to pull them apart. Chuck contemplates investing in a burlesque club, hoping to make his hard-to-please father, Bart (recurring guest star ROBERT JOHN BURKE), proud of him. Nate confronts his father, the Captain (recurring guest star SAM ROBARDS), about the drugs he found in the house, but the Captain denies having a problem. Jenny discovers a secret that her father, Rufus, and mother, Alison (SUSAN MISNER), have been keeping from her. And Blair is once again devastated by Nate's actions after Jenny reveals that Nate accidentally kissed her, thinking she was Serena.

Devastated by the state of her relationship with Nate and still dealing with the guilt from a recent indiscretion, Blair puts on a happy face for her 17th birthday party and attempts to hide the truth from her friends. Hoping to ease the tension between Serena and Vanessa (recurring guest star JESSICA SZOHR), Dan takes Vanessa to Blair's party so the girls can have some bonding time, but this only ends up making Serena more uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Jenny brings her mom (recurring guest star SUSAN MISNER) home for a surprise visit, but Rufus may not be ready to forgive and forget. And Nate's parents ask him to make a huge sacrifice in order to salvage the business of his father, who faces charges of embezzlement and fraud.

When Dan finds out that Serena and her family are celebrating Thanksgiving alone, he naïvely invites them to spend the holiday with his family, creating an uncomfortable situation for Rufus and Lily, whose children are unaware of their complicated romantic history. Meanwhile, Blair's emotions spiral out of control when she learns that her father isn't coming home for Thanksgiving. Nate marks the holiday with his mom and dad, but their awkward dinner quickly goes from bad to worse.