Dorota to Star in 'Gossip Girl' Web Series Spinoff

Who watches Gossip Girl? Not me. (Aside: I have no idea why anyone uses Yahoo Answers.) Despite relatively lackluster ratings, I feel like I’m the only one. The sense of isolation is compounded by the fact that I live in New York just a few subway stops away from Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and Blair Waldorf’s (Leighton Meester) stomping grounds on the Upper East Side. And that everyone talks about it.

I should watch. I know. It’s just one of those things I never started and subsequently missed. Sometimes, that works in your favor (I never owned a pog), though in the case of Josh Schwartz‘s tweenage drama, I think I’m missing out on a significant cultural and entertainment phenomenon.

But I’ll start now, especially considering I just found out Wallace Shawn – the best character actor this size of Warwick Davis – makes multiple guest appearances. And there’s going to be an online spinoff.

According to E! Online, a slate of webisodes showcasing the early years of Rufus (Matthew Settle) and Lily (Kelly Rutherford) under the banner of Young Rufus and Lilly in Love was scrapped in favor of a series revolving around the Waldorf’s housekeeper Dorota (Zuzanna Szadkowski). Schwartz gave no explanation for the switch, though Marc theorizes that the change was possibly made to save costs on the talent side, while TV Guide thinks its because Dorota’s a better story.

Verizon will have first look at the spinoff (the cellular phone corporation already has an ad deal in place with Gossip Girl). No word yet on when it will be available.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for a Josh-Schwartz-on-the-web fix, you might not have to wait that long. His teenybopper web show with real indie rock bands Rockville, CA is scheduled to drop on TheWb.com in early 2009.