The cultural phenomenon that is the television show Gossip Girl centers on the eccentric lives of the privileged of Manhattan and how the group of main characters constantly fall in and out of love. Viewers of the show can be found all over the world; by 2012, the show had been broadcast in 197 countries. The show was declared the “Best Show Ever” by New York Magazine. With the reviews received and the show declared a success, there's still one nagging question: 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 the average viewer is drawn to. The Gossip Girl characters live extravagant lives in a fictional version of Manhattan's Upper East Side, and viewers can't help but envy them. Archetypal characters engaging in communal sexual fantasies, frequent manifestations of no-strings-attached sexual encounters, and the tumultuous and passionate relationship of Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf captivate viewers, creating for them a fabulous fantasy world in which they can live vicariously through the drama of others, finding so escape from the normality of real life. Gossip Girl's five main characters each have distinct archetypes that make them relatable to their viewers on more personal levels; Chuck is a dark playboy who distrusts responsibility and commitment, Nate is a protective and easy-going jock, Dan is the sensitive and intellectual outsider, Serena is the bubbly blonde free spirit, and Blair is the classic, driven Queen Bee. (Dame 88). Viewers of the show have shared with many interviewers that they often project themselves into… middle of paper… the emotional vortex of the relationship these two wealthy Manhattanites share. They want to be part of a world where a guy will fly all over 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 clothes and go to lavish parties with someone special; they want to be chased by someone who can have whatever material possessions they want, but that wouldn't satisfy them like the love of their life would. Again, the fact that Chuck and Blair are fabulously rich makes their romance a little more brilliant and unattainable, but it adds further enchantment to the whole thing. The writers of Gossip Girl created this romantic story to make sparks fly, and those sparks have caused a fire among viewers who crave an all-consuming, passionate romance like that of Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf..