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TV Review: '90210'
The CW's much-hyped 90210 delivers the nostalgia for fans of the original series along with some clever references, but as the purported 2.0 version, the series lacks a certain oomph for these modern times that requires a little more edge and wittiness a la Gossip Girl.
As far as the familiar goes, the gleeful return of Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) as West Beverly Hills High's guidance counselor is perhaps the most complete connection to the past. Not only is she revealed to be the half sister of the school's righteous vlogger Silver (Jessica Stroup), but she also has a toddler son Sammy, whose father's identity has yet to be revealed. A casual reference to Brandon Walsh by his visiting sister Brenda (Shannen Doherty), who is in town to guest direct the school's play Spring Awakening, gives a hint or red herring to a paternity possibility.
Several other winks to the original series, such as a comment on how old Hannah Zuckerman-Vasquez looks since she's the purported offspring of Andrea Zuckerman (Gabrielle Carteris), Nat (Joe E. Tata) still presiding over the Peach Pit and visiting Spelling alums like Linda Grey (Melrose Place, Models, Inc.) reward diehard fans. There may even be another Brenda-Kelly rivalry in the offing over a guy, English teacher/lacrosse coach Ryan Matthews (Ryan Eggold) for that old-timey feeling.
Take away the references and returning characters, however, and 90210 just feels familiar, almost too familiar. You have your fish out of water, the Wilson family, whose patriarch Harry (Rob Estes) is the new principal of West Beverly Hills High, much to the chagrin of this two teenaged kids Annie (Shenae Grimes) and adopted son Dixon (Tristan Wilds), both of whom are appealingly fresh-faced and may as well be the Walsh twins given how much they actually seem to get along.
You also have all the other stereotypical one-dimensional characters, who show slivers of one-dimensional depth to come in the excruciatingly long two-hour premiere. Jessica Walter as the Wilsons' drunken, former Hollywood starlet grandma Tabitha is a caricature imported from Arrested Development. Look forward to hearing her drop more old Tinseltown names like Ricardo Montalban that the kiddies are sure to appreciate.
At school, there's the plastic mean girl Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord), troubled jock Ethan (Dustin Milligan), quirky aspiring filmmaker Navid (Michael Steger), the aforementioned rebel chick Silver, jerk jock George (Kellan Lutz), rich pretty boy Ty (Adam Gregory) and jaded addict/aspiring actress Adrianna (Jessica Lowndes) who is prime after school special material. The characters are just as predictable as the images of palm trees, candy-colored sports cars and the Beverly Hills sign. Yawn. Once again, the characterizations pale in comparison to Gossip Girl's juicier Chuck Bass, Blair Waldorf or Jenny Humphrey.
So far, the teenage drama is that mish-mash of school problems (cheating, making the team) and social troubles (dating, curfew, drugs), although the sexual element has certainly been amped up since the '90s. In the premiere alone, we see some implied oral sex at school, the introduction of Navid's dad's profession as a porn producer, Debbie (Lori Loughlin) bluntly using the word "penis" with her rival and one teen revealing that she has cybersex with her bf. Strangely enough, the show's cheesy, lighthearted tone cancels out any steamy smuttiness in what could have been 9021-Ho.
Although slender actresses are nothing new, the skeletal frames on the Nicole Richie-esque Grimes and Stroup are frightening and rather unflattering, making their heads look too large. Also, in the premiere, McCord's character supposedly turns 16 but easily looks double her age. Despite all this, everyone is clean and polished, even the token curly-coifed surfer/dealer and Goth girl we see. Wilds and Steger add a refreshing bit of color as main cast members who hopefully will get love interests that will further reflect the face of today's multicultural Beverly Hills.
Overall, 90210 echoes the original show in tone and format, but will have to prove itself to be something more than just another CW show with attractive people through its future plots and casting. As it stands, it's a tepidly enjoyable bit of fluff that fails to achieve its own identity, much less the hoped-for water cooler status.
For the blow-by-blow account of the premiere, check out Zap2it's 90210 recap.
What did you think of the show? Are you hooked? Is it better or worse than the original? Any favorite characters or references?
send some milkshakes to that set stat
jack | Sep 3, 2008 10:51:50 AM | #Is it wrong that when I see Wilds I want to picture that Michael from The Wire has left behind a life of drugs and been adopted by a nice family?
Tivo Queen | Sep 3, 2008 11:12:46 AM | #Shenae Grimes can act, and she made more of her role than anyone else on the premiere of "90210". I was really disturbed, though, when she alluded to her old Kansas boyfriend as being bigger and tougher than jock boy Ethan. She was almost dwarfed by Dustin Milligan's slender frame. A pairing of her with someone bigger would just be freakish.
A regular regimen of eating cheeseburgers and heavy weightlifting to build some muscle is about the only thing that could make Shenae look anything like normal.
Henry | Sep 3, 2008 11:20:24 AM | #at least Nat called out for Willie (off screen).
i was not imopressed, alittle embarassed in places for Jennie Garth. When they had a full shot of her in black short skirt she looked absolutely porky. the main house looks like the spelling mansion and is way over the top. this was a dissapointment. the writing rushed over moments and the emotions were not earned. it may get better but i wouldn't count on it.
larry mollin | Sep 3, 2008 11:24:55 AM | #I'm very happy more and more people are willing to state the weight issue. One thing if a character has a "problem" but the way that bunch looks, it would be pot/kettle. Are the "Hills" girls this slight?
All in all I agree, cute touches to past glory, but it needs to raise its game to level even GG. Good news: they are network partners, not rivals. CW needs to allow each to breathe, grow, and bloom, then pair them together and blow the 18-34 numbers out of the water.
Casper | Sep 3, 2008 11:31:34 AM | #Two hours was too long. I felt like they could have ended the premiere after the first hour and had a decent show. But watching the whole thing left a little lacking. So very little happened, which would have been fine for a one hour premiere, but two hours of nothing was rather a bore. I will still watch for now, but I am not hooked yet.
Mandy | Sep 3, 2008 11:57:09 AM | #Wow. Great review. Spot on. I actually enjoyed it and had really low expectations, but I agree with everything you said. I did, however, enjoy actress' like McCrod, who, performance wise, seemed to completely understand the cheesy tone and took it in an incredibly funny and committed direction. Her ostentatious boyfriend slap, her "Kimberly (A la Melrose Place) acting style really made the show very enjoyable for me, and even made the cheesier aspects much easier to deal with.
David
David | Sep 3, 2008 11:58:06 AM | #I don't think that McCord understood that she was supposed to chew the scenery...that's how she (over)acts...look back at her stint on Nip/Tuck. The casting is disappointing and the characters are caricatures...I liked Dixon and Naveed but that's about it.
I agree with the reviewer...Grimes is positively skeletal and frightening looking...McCord is the new "Andrea" in terms of being too old for a role..although she may only be 21...she certainly looks to be in her 30s.
Can occasional appearances by 90210.1 cast members keep this afloat? It's simply not as meaty or fun as Gossip Girl.
Keith | Sep 3, 2008 3:26:03 PM | #glad i wasn't the only one thinking the new "brenda" looked awfully string-beany....
and did they really need the BJ reference or the mom saying "penis." gag, (literally)! trying to be like GG (sorry, but it's not and shouldn't try to be) and seemed out of place in this cheesy-toned show. but did enjoy the nostalgia....
Tivo Queen, I'm with you 100%!
Wouldn't it be great if his character's name WAS Michael!
Jeff | Sep 3, 2008 4:58:14 PM | #Gossip Girl, as much as I love it, is NOT the industry standard of what teen shows are today. When Gossip Girl premiered a year ago it was being compared to The O.C. and The O.C was being compared to the original 90210 and the cycle goes on. Plus, Gossip Girl comes from a series of books so its fan base was already there when the show premiered, most of the Gossip Girl fan base are in a way late to the game. For instance, any person who read the books knows that Serena and Dan lasted only two books and that the true heart of the series is the dynamic between Serena/Blair/and Nate, but the show doesn't go for that instead it pushes that God awful pairing of Serena and Dan, when Dan on the show is tool at his best.
Plus Gossip Girl has it's theme and its own world. You can't compare that to 90210 or the original 90210. I was thinking that the new 90210 was going to be compared to The O.C. a lot by a bunch of snot nosed brats who didn't watch the original 90210, but I guess I was wrong. I liked the show last night a lot, and despite some clunky moments, I stayed in there without any high expectations and preconceived judgements. Not saying that anyone here is wrong in their opinion, but I do think comparing it to Gossip Girl is kind of not fair.
Mark O. Estes | Sep 3, 2008 6:02:32 PM | #Sorry for the double post, but I just woke up and the previous post is full of errors. I am not uneducated and can spell and make complete sentences. Forgive me.
Mark O. Estes | Sep 3, 2008 6:05:26 PM | #It's funny that the comments here complain both about the new girls being too skinny and the old girls being overweight. Doesn't seem like either should matter when reviewing a new show.
Also, maybe not everyone wants it to be another Gossip Girl. While those kids may be more sassy and stylish, they're not at all realistic. At least there's a chance real people might actually dress and talk like the 90210 kids.
smilty | Sep 3, 2008 6:06:25 PM | #I hope that Linda Gray (not Grey), better known for "Dallas", returns. That has potential.
Joe | Sep 3, 2008 6:29:02 PM | #"McCord's character supposedly turns 16 but easily looks double her age."
You aren't kidding! AnnaLynne McCord was a terrible casting choice for that role. She is a distracting mistake. Other than that, I thought the show was good.
Patty | Sep 3, 2008 8:17:31 PM | #I really don't know why actors in their mid-20s were cast, when so many other quality "teenage" actors are available, like Logan Lerman and Emma Roberts. How many years will these kids be in school?
Aside from that, you can't really judge a series from its pilot episode. They are just introducing the characters and setting up storylines and traits. This show will be fine, if people just stop the idiotic trashing before it even gets rolling. I mean, sure, you can characterize each person on the screen (jock, rich kid, blah, blah)...but what? How exactly would you have made the pilot DIFFERENT? Were we supposed to GUESS what the people are/do? These arguments and reviews are as stupid as they are irritating.
Rick | Sep 4, 2008 8:04:30 AM | #I get a kick out of the fact that the 'troubled jock' is not only played by a Canadian, he's from Yellowknife. As in the Northwest Territories. If there are jokes about the six Toronto actors and the six BC actors who appear in all the filmed in Canada productions, how many come from that far north?
Lianne | Sep 4, 2008 8:18:18 AM | #This is indeed a very slight and predictable updating.
After shows like "My So-Called Life" and "Freaks and Geeks" provided a more realistic, funny, and provoking look at high school, is it too much to ask for the genre to grow up a little? The new 90210 offers nothing new, and all of the hype surrounding the return of original cast members was all for naught when Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty appear on-screen for a combined time of maybe 10 minutes...? Out of 120 minutes!
The best part of the show is Jessica Walter as the grandmother, but as the review says, she's basically 'Lucille' from "Arrested Development". Makes me pine for THAT show even more!
Casey | Sep 4, 2008 8:50:46 AM | #Overall the show wasn't to bad but agreed 2 hours was way to long to introduce the show.
The probably I have are the characters. Not sure about their acting ability. Maybe they should have named the show differently. Everyone watching the show of course was going to cross-reference the characters to the orginal show. Which in turn has disappointed me. Didn't take to any of the teen characters.
Only the first show and I hope it gets better.
Vickie | Sep 4, 2008 9:19:25 AM | #I think this show is lame, I tried watching it but the acting is horrible. It feels like a Gossip Girl wannabe especially with that video blog the one girl runs.
Jessica | Sep 5, 2008 6:19:09 PM | #AT LEAST THERE'S A TOKEN BLACK GUY AS A REGULAR CHARACTER IN THIS VERSION
ROOKIECBR600 | Sep 6, 2008 6:04:51 PM | #OK.I do watch the show just because Brenda is in it.Gossip girl is way better then new 90210,I love the old one,of course when Shannen was in it.Annalynne McCord is better than that skinny girl from degrassi,I'm not saying that,because she is skinny,just because she can't act,she can't even cry,and her head moving thing is to annoying,and kind of scary.they all,over do the sanes.I think acting is really horrible,i mean young actors.Annalynne McCord maybe over do the sans but she is beautiful and is fan to watch.Rather than that skinny degrassi girl.And you all are just jealous on her so get a life.
A2424 | Dec 10, 2008 12:11:39 AM | #
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