The More You Know: Top 5 Bad Influences From Fall TV

YOUNG PEOPLE ARE barraged with media influences — some good and some very, very bad.

The following characters from the fall television lineup may be entertaining, but teen viewers should keep in mind that doesn't make them worthy of emulation.

With that in mind, here are the Top 5 bad influences from the new schedule. Consider it Express' very own PSA. After all, the more you know ....


» Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) , "Gossip Girl" (The CW)
From his dandyish attire to his casual drug use to his equally casual date-rape attempts, Chuck Bass has taken "Don't try this at home" to a level beyond even the "Jackass" fools. Although a recent episode revealed some of the family history behind Chuck's amorality, he's showing no signs of redemption yet.

His breakfast seems to consist of a joint and a glass of scotch, he has been known to fly-in high-priced prostitutes from halfway across to the world to his penthouse apartment, and he only seems to show up at school to make undermining insinuations to his classmates and show off his scarf collection.

Although Chuck as a character is delightfully debauched, impressionable teens should be advised that the excuse "I'm Chuck Bass" can't be expected to work for anyone who isn't Chuck Bass.

» All of the Contestants on "Paris Hilton's My New BFF" (MTV)
Paris herself would be the obvious candidate here, but since by now even I have come to terms with her existence in the world, I'm calling out the twits who are willing to subject themselves to the heiress' every humiliating whim for the privilege of getting disposed of like one of her exotic pets.

On most reality competitions there is a prize: cash, a job or a probably-not-all- that-desirable romantic partner. "PHMNBFF" seems to assume that a few photo opportunities should make the process worthwhile.

The opening montage of Hilton's past BFFs makes it pretty evident that the "forever" part of the acronym is meaningless. Paying homage to the most superficial, vapid icon of our time would be bad enough, but doing it without any incentive besides her very brief proximity is unconscionable.

» Adrianna Duncan (Jessica Lowndes), "90210" (The CW)
Naomi Clark (AnnaLynne McCord) is supposedly the mean girl of West Beverly High, but so far she's been less than ferocious. The real wild child seems to be actress Adrianna, whose cocaine problem has led to in-class nod-outs, thievery and a missed performance of "Spring Awakening."

Adrianna showcased both her acting skills and a vengeful side when she convinced understudy Annie (Shenae Grimes) that she had slept with her date. If Adrianna is headed to rehab shortly (Lowndes is a guest star, not part of the main cast), then "90210" might be headed for a boring spell.


» Ryan Howard (B.J. Novak), "The Office" (NBC)
Compared to the posh environs of the Upper East Side and Beverly Hills, a paper company would seem an unlikely gateway to substance abuse, vanity, or crime. However, last season's sudden success of self-declared wunderkind Ryan led quite abruptly to a drug problem, poor facial grooming decisions and fraud charges.

In the season premiere the disgraced Ryan returned to Scranton as a fill-in receptionist, but he doesn't seem altogether humbled. When Jim calls him out for bragging about his court-ordered volunteering, he pencils him onto a list of people who have wronged him, for use when he is back on top.

Careful, Ryan, that path leads to "Creed Thoughts." In a more positive sign, Ryan did shave, but only because Michael had grown a copycat goatee.

» Henry Spivey (Christian Slater), "My Own Worst Enemy" (NBC)
Oh wait, that was Christian Slater in 1988. My mistake.

Written by Express contributor Meg Zamula
Photos courtesy The CW, MTV and NBC