( CNN ) -- A TV series ' 100th episode signifies success and , in most cases , a profitable afterlife in syndication . Shows like `` Seinfeld '' and `` Friends '' coasted past their centenary episodes , leaving fans wanting more . But it 's not just ratings juggernauts that reach the milestone . Sometimes networks and viewers just do n't know when to let go . `` Gossip Girl 's '' climactic 100th episode aired on Monday , reminding dedicated fans why they 've held on for so long , and , by the same token , alerting former viewers of the show 's protracted life . `` They can trot out a cake with 100 candles on it , but let 's be honest , ( 'Gossip Girl's ' ) ratings have been terrible for years , '' said Matt Whitfield , the features editor at Yahoo . The CW drama has n't attracted more than 1.5 million viewers during its Monday night timeslot since the fifth season kicked off in September . During its first season , which premiered in 2007 , episodes of `` Gossip Girl '' routinely garnered more than 2 million viewers -- a feat for the younger-skewing network . And despite disappointing ratings , `` Gossip Girl '' executive producer Stephanie Savage told The Hollywood Reporter that they 're not writing a series finale anytime soon . `` The actors ' contracts expire at the end of next season , so that feels like probably an organic ending point , '' Savage said . If budding movie stars Blake Lively and Leighton Meester ca n't deliver ratings , there 's a problem , Whitfield said . Perhaps it 's because the series , based on Cecily von Ziegesar 's novels of the same name , is n't playing hard to get . `` Gossip Girl '' does n't need 24 episodes each season , Whitfield said . Networks can learn from the model employed by HBO 's `` Game of Thrones '' and AMC 's `` The Walking Dead , '' he added . They need to minimize the number of episodes airing each season . `` Some shows only need to last three seasons , '' he said . `` And some shows only need to have 10 episodes per season . Users can handle that , but the networks ca n't . '' The show 's creator , Josh Schwartz , has taken heat for this in the past . His Fox drama `` The O.C . '' lasted four seasons -- just short of the 100-episode mark -- before getting canceled in 2007 . Many viewers have argued that `` The O.C . 's '' jumping point occurred when Mischa Barton 's character was killed off at the end of season 3 . Of course , it 's easy for a high quality show that 's won a ton of awards , like `` The Sopranos , '' to go out on top , Whitfield said , adding , `` Other shows on network TV will try and wring out every dollar ... they possibly can . It 's always happened that way . '' Take , for example , ABC 's `` Desperate Housewives '' and `` House '' on Fox , he said . At one point , both shows dominated ratings and awards shows . Now , with both programs currently in the midst of their eighth seasons , viewership has greatly diminished . After hitting a ratings rough patch last season , ABC 's `` Grey 's Anatomy , '' on the other hand , is currently experiencing a resurgence in its eighth season . Many primetime soaps experience hills and valleys , Whitfield said . Unfortunately for `` Gossip Girl , '' the next hill might be out of reach . `` To wait five seasons before marrying Blair off and announcing who Gossip Girl is , you 've missed the boat , '' he said . `` They were starting to throw in these gimmicks too late in the game . '' But The CW , Schwartz and Savage have another trick up their sleeves . They 're working to bring `` Sex and the City '' prequel `` The Carrie Diaries '' to the small screen . Whitfield says only the really great shows will make it to syndication and last there . `` Will and Grace '' and `` Law and Order : Special Victims Unit , '' he said , `` will forever be in syndication because people still tune into them . '' A show like `` Gossip Girl , '' he added -- not so much . `` There are too many options on TV . ... And with people flipping around the Internet ... Ratings have been dropping across the board , '' he said . `` There are shiny , bright new things out there to try . ''
` ` Friends '' and ` ` Friends '' coasted past 100 episodes , leaving fans wanting more . ` ` Gossip Girl 's '' 100th episode aired on Monday , drawing about 1.4 million viewers . Source : If guest stars Lively and Meester ca n't the ratings , there 's a problem .