The cultural phenomenon that is the television series Gossip Girl centers on the extravagant lives of Manhattan's privileged and how the group of main characters are constantly falling in and out of love. Viewers of the show can be found all over the world; as of 2012, the show had been broadcast in 197 countries. The show was declared by New York Magazine “the best show of all time”. With the reviews and the declared success of the series, a nagging question remains: why? Why is the show so popular and influential? The answer lies in the main themes of the plot. Watching each episode of the series, it becomes apparent that there are compelling themes that appeal to the average viewer. The Gossip Girl characters live extravagant lives in a fictionalized version of Manhattan's Upper East Side, and viewers can't help but envy them. Archetypal characters indulging in common sexual fantasies, frequent displays of no-strings-attached sexual encounters, and the tumultuous and passionate relationship of Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf fascinate all viewers, creating for them a fabulous fantasy world in which they can live vicariously . the drama of others, thereby finding an escape from the normality of real life. The five main characters of Gossip Girl each have distinct archetypes that make them relatable to their viewers on more personal levels; Chuck is the dark playboy wary of responsibility and commitment, Nate is the protective, easy-going jock, Dan is the sensitive, intellectual outsider, Serena is the blonde, bubbly free spirit, and Blair is the motivated and classic queen bee. (Lady 88). Viewers of the show have shared with many interviewers that they often project themselves middle of paper......into the emotional whirlwind of the relationship these two wealthy Manhattanites share. They want to live in a world where a boy will fly across Europe just to bring his girlfriend her favorite gifts when he tells her he loves her for the first time; they want to wear high fashion and go to lavish parties with that special someone; they want to be pursued by someone who could have any material possession they want, but it wouldn't satisfy them like the love of their life would. Again, the fact that Chuck and Blair are fabulously rich makes their love story a little more glossy and inaccessible, but it adds to the enchantment of it all. The Gossip Girl writers created this romantic tale to ignite sparks, and those sparks have ignited wildfire among viewers who yearn for a love story as all-consuming and passionate as that of Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf..