Filming for the season began on July 7 , 2011 . On August 3 , 2011 , The CW ordered two additional episodes for the fifth season , which will now total at 24 . Executive producer Joshua Safran announced that he would be " pulling out all the stops " to make the 100th episode of the show special , which is expected to air in January . On the date of the season premiere , the show used footage of the New York cityscape that showed the World Trade Center before the September 11 attacks . Footage containing the World Trade Center have been omitted by films and TV shows such as '' Sex and the City '' and '' The Sopranos '' to honor individuals who died in the attacks . The network has not responded to criticism regarding the usage of the footage
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Gossip Girl (season 5)