Gossip Girl was one of the first new shows picked up for a full season of episodes this year. So, how did creator Josh Schwartz receive this exciting news?

"We got on the phone thinking we were in trouble or we were about to get some notes on the show," he said of the phone call that greenlighted the series for more shooting.

Why the hesitation on Schwartz's part? It's certainly not because he doesn't believe in Gossip Girl, but because the show's ratings weren't exactly stellar. But in this age of TiVo and DVR, those numbers are often skewed.

"There are new ways for measuring a show's success," Schwartz said, adding that the appearl of Gossip Girl lies in its weekly serving of youth scandal. "It's a new era in television."

Leighton Meester, though, has a different take on the source of the show's success.

"We have a really great formula," she said. "We have great music and cute boys. And people like to see people who are rich and who live in a seemingly perfect world but they still have downfalls and problems."

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.