Does the World Need a Gossip Girl Spin-Off?

Today the rumors became truth: Gossip Girl is getting a spin-off. Now, my gut reaction to spin-off news is always dismay. When The Office was supposed to get one, I figured great, the new show will suck and take the original down with it. After all, it's hard to think otherwise when our only current example of a spin-off is Private Practice, a show that did just that. You pretty much have to go back to Angel to find a time when it worked.

But then I actually read the premise. According to Entertainment Weekly, it's about a teenage Lily Van Der Woodsen living with her sister in 1980s Los Angeles. And, presumably, Young Rufus will have a part too. So let's get this straight: no actual cast members are involved, it's a different decade, a different coast, and Lily's name is basically the only thing this show has in common with Gossip Girl. In fact, if it didn't take place in the '80s, it could be any other show on the CW.

If a spin-off was inevitable (and the months of rumors suggest it was), this certainly seems like a pretty good option. After all, wasn't the other option to focus on Jenny Humphrey? Who would want to watch that? Actually, I just thought about a Gossip Girl without Jenny and it seemed like a beautiful thing. Maybe she could take Nate and Vanessa with her, as she moves to Seattle to become a West Coast hipster. Is that still possible?

I'm still not convinced the Lily and Rufus Show will break the streak of bad spin-offs, but I'm willing to give it a shot (or more likely ignore it) on its own merits. So are you excited to learn more about Lily and Rufus' past to some quality '80s music? Or do you think this spin-off is the worst thing to happen to Gossip Girl since Aaron Rose? Comment away.