<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> External links </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Website </Td> </Tr> <P> Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar . The series, created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, originally ran on The CW for six seasons from September 19, 2007, to December 17, 2012 . </P> <P> Narrated by the omniscient blogger "Gossip Girl" (voiced by Kristen Bell), the series revolves around the lives of privileged upper - class adolescents living in Manhattan's Upper East Side . The series begins with the return of Upper East Side teenage it girl Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) from a mysterious absence . She is reunited with her frenemy Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) and her mother Lily van der Woodsen (Kelly Rutherford), while she also meets Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), an aspiring writer from Brooklyn . Other main characters are played by Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, Taylor Momsen, Jessica Szohr, Matthew Settle and Kaylee DeFer . </P>

Who are the characters in gossip girl based on