'Gossip Girl' preview: Pregnant with possibilities, literally and figuratively

The show once labeled as "Every Parent's Nightmare" is back for its fifth season, and the nightmare (Read: "fun") continues.

"Gossip Girl" starts off the season bi-coastal, with the much of the crew enjoying the sun, sand and surf of Southern California. Of course, life in Hollywood offers the same level of intrigue and scandal as Manhattan does, just with fewer clothes and worse traffic.

So what do we have to look forward to:

Chuck: A change of scenery does a body good. Chuck (Ed Westwick) experiences Los Angeles by diving in feet first and saying "Yes" to everything. This is quite the turn for a man who normally approaches life with a fantastic degree of skepticism. He's got a nice new home with a steering wheel and an anchor thanks to a high-stakes poker game. But in spite acting like a younger version of "The Most Interesting Man in the World," Mr. Bass gives off a vibe that he's running from something.

Serena: Miss van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) has moved from the Manhattan's Upper East side to the bottom rung of Hollywood. This proves to be a bit of an adjustment for Serena, but thanks to her "can do" attitude and a little guidance from Chuck, all seems to be working out just fine. However she needs to be on the lookout for those Hollywood sharks.

Nate: Not a whole lot happens to Nate (Chace Crawford) in the early part of the season, except for the part where he beds Diana Payne (Elizabeth Hurley), and, unbeknownst to him, is part of her broader nefarious plans. Ok, so that appears to be quite a lot.

Diana Payne: Joining for a multi-episode arc, Payne plays the cougar with the heart of lead. She knows what she wants and will do whatever it takes, consequences be damned. Lucky for Nate, he might be her boy-toy for part of the season.  According to Josh Safran, the show's executive producer, Hurley "brings everyone into her orbit one by one and stirs stuff up...she fits in perfectly."

Meanwhile, back in New York...

Dan: Dan's (Penn Badgley) book about Blair falls into the wrong hands. Although "wrong hands" is a relative term when you're facing a decision between launching your writing career and hurting someone you probably still have feelings for.

Blair and Louis: The chemistry between this soon-to-be royal couple always seems a bit off. In the premiere we find out whether Louis actually stands up for his fiancee or will he surrender to mother's whims. Blair (Leighton Meester) has always been the more dynamic of the two and fans are always expecting big news from her. The question is, will she deliver?

And as an added bonus, fans of Charlie Rhodes/Ivy (Kaylee DeFer) can rejoice as she is now a series regular.

Here's a nice little teaser video.

XOXO.