The cast of Gossip Girl spent the summer on extravagant vacations (in both TV-land and reality), but it seems the rest of the world isn’t too interested in their homecoming.

Thursday’s premiere finished with a 36 per cent decrease in viewers, compared to the 2008 premiere. It’s a shocking drop for a show whose cast spent their time off in the spotlight, generating a real-time version of gossip.

Leighton Meester made the music press recording a single with Cobra Starship and launching her personal MySpace with plans for a debut solo album.

Chace Crawford was voted this summer’s hottest bachelor by People Magazine, beating out the smouldering Robert Pattinson and, unexpectedly, Dwayne Johnson (better known as The Rock).

Then there was the somewhat misleading reports of Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass on GG) getting some male affection from his new co-star Neal Bledsoe, in a spoiler leak that reveals the two in an on-screen liplock.

A show that never skimps on budget, Gossip Girl also picked up mainstream guest-stars Hilary Duff, Tyra Banks and Sonic Youth, carrying on last season’s trend that picked up the likes of No Doubt and cast Michelle Trachtenberg in a permanent role.

You’d think that kind of clout would be enough to draw all of last year’s viewers, not to mention anyone who paid attention to this summer’s celebrity gossip.

It may take a few episodes to remind people GG has routinely been one of the more shocking, OMFG-inducing shows on television. Then again, its loyal viewers could have been seduced by this year’s vampire fetish, True Blood, a series coming fast on the heels of Twilight-mania.

Or it could be that we are getting our fill of the Gossip Girls via their real-life antics in which case Cecily von Ziegesar (author of the original novels) should be pissed.

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3. Gossip Girl Spin-Off On The Horizon?