He may have created a popular show using Newport Beach, CA as the luscious backdrop, but Josh Schwartz is certainly no beach bum. Just two days after the Fox network cancelled his popular teen soap opera ‘The OC,’ the CW picked up his pilot for ‘Gossip Girl,’ after initially giving it the green light in August ’06. Three days before that, NBC chose his pilot for ‘Crumbs.’ ‘Seinfeld’ had the “Summer of George.” 2007 may very well hold the “Summer of Schwartz.”
‘Gossip Girl,’ as the title suggests, will revolve around teen girls (with likely angst) and their parents living in New York City. Based on a series of books of the same name, ‘Girl’ will be told from the point of view of an unnamed blogger (also with likely angst).
The new show represents the virginal CW’s first scripted broadcast, and is also one of the first to embrace the cult of the blog (you could say ‘Doogie Howser, M.D.’ was the first but I’m not sure that blue screened computer of his was ever online). Says Scwartz, "It speaks to the culture that we live in now and the way that kids communicate."
Meanwhile, ‘Crumbs’ (not to be confused with the show of the same name starring Fred Savage that aired last year) tells the tale of a man who downloads the entire CIA database into his head. Considering the poor guy now knows who really shot JFK and whether NASA really faked the moon landing, ‘Crumbs’ should be action-packed with many a pursuing G-man and plot twists.
TV.com reports that Warner Bros. TV, where Schwartz has a seven-figure production deal, will produce both shows. Warner also produced the now cancelled ‘The OC,’ whose last episode will air February 22.
