The biggest mystery of the CW – other than why it's frickin' called the CW (Country and Western? Chace and Westwick?) – is why it's building much of its fall season around what so far has been one of the least-successful shows on TV.

But according to CW entertainment president Dawn Ostroff, who next season will add two new casts of rich teens - 90210 and Privileged - to the network lineup, it's not Gossip Girl that's a problem, but the Nielsens themselves.

"Gossip Girl is one of the great mysteries of the television universe," Ostroff told reporters this weekend.

"We have a show that everybody is talking about. We do research all over the country. We can't go anywhere without having women talk about Gossip Girl."

Still, when the show returned from the writers strike in the spring, it was to an audience of fewer than 2 million viewers.

Best. Show. Ever. We think so. But ratings say the opposite.

Ostroff sees a "disconnect," noting that there's an ad agency, Optimedia, that's created its own super-modern ratings system, one that counts "television, downloads, iTunes, mobile."

Buoyed by the hot Gossip Girl cast and younger viewers, the show is No. 15 on all TV on that list. Whatever that's worth.

"Every viewer must be counted, and no viewer should be left behind," she said.

Hopefully, there will be more of them come September 1. Please, tell your friends about Gossip Girl. They will like it.

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