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Monday, March 17, 2008

The CW developing a Beverly Hills 90210 spinoff

The most famous zip code in the world may be getting a do-over. The CW network recently announced plans to develop a spinoff of the wildly popular teen drama Beverly Hills 90210.

No, that isn’t a typo. I’m a little stunned, too.

It’s been more than a decade since Dylan, Brandon, Kelly and the gang ruled the ratings. So, way to strike when the iron is hot, TV executives.

I hate to see one of my favorite teen dramas of the ‘90s become a do-over. Have we learned nothing from the recent makeovers of Bionic Woman and Knight Rider? Plus, 90210 was an Aaron Spelling show. Few have ever come close to capturing the Spelling magic on primetime, and I’m nervous that the CW is going to try.

There is no word yet on whether any of the 90210 alumni would be on board with this. Ian Ziering and Jennie Garth recently appeared on Dancing With the Stars and still look great, so I suppose it’s possible that they could be the parents of some pretentious teens on a spinoff.

I truly hate it when networks or movie studios try to recapture the magic of a beloved
TV show. It rarely happens again. However, the good news about this endeavor is that the CW has tapped writing genius Rob Thomas to create the spinoff.

For those of you who don’t know, Thomas brought us one of the smartest, most clever TV heroines to ever grace the small screen: Veronica Mars, as well as other shows such as Cupid. With Thomas behind this project, I cannot dismiss it. I’d follow Thomas to the ends of the Earth to get a glimpse of anything he writes or produces.

I’m not sure why the CW is willing to launch a new show like this, though, when it canned Veronica Mars, which told the story of a normal girl who lived among the California wealthy. It would be hard to top that amazing series with any new endeavor. And my apologies to all of you Gossip Girl fans out there, but that show doesn’t come close.

Stay tuned for more news on this project. There is no word yet on whether sideburns will be a requirement for the male cast members.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why???

I love Rob Thomas, but do we really need Donna Martin version 2.0?

Unknown said...

it might not be a re-imagining of the series a la Bionic Woman, but simply following a new group of teens living in Beverly Hills and attending West Beverly. It could be fun to watch and see how things have changed and stayed the same since then. I don't think, however, that it is going to just have Donna Martin 2.0, etc. That would be a dumb idea but a newer version with new characters could work, and maybe one of the original characters would play themselves all grown up.
As for what is The CW thinking? Seriosuly, you can't figure it out? This could be ratings gold. No one has talked this much about anything The CW has planned since the network began, plus 90210 is capturing a huge ratings with a new group of teens through reruns on Soapnet, so the timing is actually pretty perfect and genious. With The Hills, Laguna Beach, and Gossip Girl, there clearly is an audience for this show and whether it ends up being great or being awful, the idea is pretty genius.

tube talk girl said...

Finnigan, you make a point about the show getting buzz, but I don't think the ratings on Soapnet for the reruns would satisfy the network for a new show. I could be wrong, though. I've given up trying to figure out the network's decision. (ABC cancelled Invasion when it had 8-10 million viewers.)

I'm sure you're right, though, that the network is trying to capture the buzz that 90210 elicits, as well as pull in the Rob Thomas fans who love his work from his past CW show.

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