It might’ve been when I realized the entire second episode of 90210 would revolve around (snore) family bowling night. Or when my colleague Tanner Stransky and I successfully made a (very easy) game out of predicting the next line/plot beat. (As in: Let me guess—Naomi’s mother already knows her father’s cheating, and she’s totally okay with it.) Or when Jessica Walter wasn’t on the screen for the whole hour. All I know is that by the end of the week two of the supposedly edgy teen drama remake, I was more interested in Tanner’s and my conversation about Dorota, the maid on Gossip Girl, than I was in 90210’s future.
Being a teen-show connoisseur, I wanted to love the new 90210, or at least like it, but it’s officially giving me too little to work with. The only time my attention perks up at all is when Jennie Garth is onscreen; and even at that, she’s been saddled with lame storylines like that flat, chemistry-free relationship with a teacher. (I love me some scruffy boys, but unshaven does not automatically equal interesting.) Everybody’s noticing the extreme skinniness of the young female cast members, but I’m even more famished for some fresh plotlines and/or remotely clever dialogue. (Please see Greek for whip-smart banter lesson.) Or maybe the show could just show a smidgen of post-millennial self-awareness? Anything to indicate there’s a brain to go with this show’s excessively svelte body?
I can’t be alone in my disappointment with 90210 2.0; ratings dropped a whopping 30 percent from the series premiere to last week’s followup episode. Which leads me to a question for those of you who’ve been watching: If you ran The CW, what would you do to breathe new life (and new viewers) into this high-profile gamble? Brainstorm like a champ, and your comments could appear in an upcoming issue of EW. And when you’re done sounding off on our message board below, click through after the jump and take our official "How to fix 90210" poll.
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I’d rather chat about Dorota too. She’s way more compelling that most of the new 90210 characters.
this show is so a retread. it is time to get some origanel programming on the network. who wants to watch a clone. we have SNL for that.
fire all the writers and restart almost from scratch…a number of series have done that (bros & sisters most notably) and its been successful…refocus on the trashier wealthy kids, not the outsiders coming in…in this post-gossip girl world, we don’t need an outsider’s view of money and the insanity it breeds…oh, and a little more diversity (racial and sexuality wise) would be really welcome these days
Switch the focus from the Walsh Family 2.0 to Silver, her sister (Kelly Taylor), and her addict mom. All storylines should flow from that base, and get David Silver and Donna Martin back on the show. That would keep the old 90210 viewers watching. New storylines involving the younger cast could come out of the Silver storyline. I like Lori Laughlin and Rob Estes – they’re fine, but the focus should not be on them. That’s my 2 cents.
The ONLY reason I tuned in was to see Brenda Walsh. The show should revolve around her being a teacher at the school and some of the students and teachers there. The storylines are super boring and the faces Annie makes are super annoying. Silver is the only reason I would continue to watch this show. Bring back David/Donna and Kelly is already on there and this show would be watchable. Otherwise I won’t be tuning in. And where is Mel Silver! That was stupid to have Silver living in a woman’s shelter when she has a father.
I think that the second episode was a vast improvement over the premier.
The second could still work on a little more self-awareness, and more screen time for grandma and the reporter teen.
There’s only one solution to spice this thing up : bring us back Heather Locklear !
The show is trying to hard. Gossip Girl doesn’t take itself seriously. The writing and acting is superior. I think the problem is that Naomi chick. She was just awful on Nip tuck and now she is spreading her bad acting on this show as well. She is so overdramatic and annoying. Get rid of her. The scene where she confronts her mom? I was so laughing. Such bad acting. And Annie is no Brenda. She is dull. The whole cast is. I do like silver though but give the girl a sandwich or a Whopper or something. Get new writers and bring back Tiffani Amber Theissen. Or dont botehr callingit 90210. it’s an insult.
Here’s one: Fire everyone but Jessica, then slowly re-introduce all her Arrested Development co-stars into the mix.
I agree with Nancy, the most interesting characters are Kelly and Silver. Also, I’m fond of the Navid character, but “my dad’s a porn producer, boo hoo boo,” is kind of lame.
You know what, I feel we already relive 90210 the real comeback of the show and it happened not so long ago and it was called THE OC.
Ok so season 1 was the top followed by season 4, I had some souvenir of the show but watching them all again made me realise that it had it the “california” vibe perfectly. From the town, houses, habits, parties and values we would feel the rich california and on the people side; never a show incorporated adults/teens the way THE OC does. The parents weren’t just parents empty and full of “cheesy parent values” like family night. It felt real and compelling.
In two episode, 90210 would have us believe that the new kids already have best friends with whom they do night swim with laughter and parents already to cool they even nickname their children’s friends.
I tell you what they could do; make caracters that makes us want to care. Right now I feel like I am a passive watcher. I don’t care. You want a sucessful show: MAKE US CARE.
Make it less realistic and more soapy. Not as campy as GG but not as issue laden as Degrassi or South of Nowhere either. But somewhere in between please. And why can’t Naomi stay the villain – does really have to become the “poor little rich girl”
Am I the only one who thinks the problem is that it’s too much like the original? Not in terms of specific story, but in tone. Have you watched the original lately? In retrospect, it’s just as predictable and in many instances, pedestrian as this version – it wasn’t a real ’sudsy’ show like Melrose or Gossip Girl (except in later years) and frequently had ‘message’ storylines. It was a low key soap, and since then, we’ve become used to a lot more melodramatic soapy shows, even in our reality shows like “The Hills”. 90210 needs to ramp up the suds and realize it’s 2008, not the early 90’s.
Bring back more of the original cast, or at least legacy characters, like Hannah. Kelly and Brenda sharing screentime is the only reason I’ve watched. Silver is the most promising of the ‘new’ characters. Lori Laughlin and Rob Estes are prime-time suds pros, I think the writing needs some serious help. Is this what Rob Thomas had in mind????
The stories are fine, if not a little predicatable. But the scenes are too short. If they got into it more, it’d be more interesting. Loving Silver and the scene with Kelly, Silver and their mom could have been so much more. I would like them to mention their brother David and his wife Donna to give us a little bit of what happened to the originals. And enough of the who is the baby daddy story. It’d be more interesting if one of the old guys was actually going to appear
Um… stop resolving storylines at the end. Also, by trying to make these twists that seem like they’ll be surprising the viewers, they’re getting rid of any potential drama. Naomi’s mom knowing about the affair? It’s not 1962. She would have divorced that man and gotten a huge settlement… and perhaps she will, but by not having her freak out, we’re being deprived of drama.
I agree with Chantal… it seems like everything happens too fast. Annie should not already be Miss Popularity. I think the show has too many characters, and it’s not focusing on developing any of them. It tries to split up the time evenly, and instead, winds up not saying much about anyone.
Also, the Adrianna storyline is so predictable, it’s like they’re not even trying to hide what’s going to happen. Nix the character all together, we know she’s a guest star at best, and we’re not going to be emotionally invested in her.
The show could still be salvaged… but it needs work to join the ranks of the others.
The show isn’t bad, it’s just not interesting in any way. The characters and storylines are bland and predictable. The only exciting thing was Jessica Walter’s performance.
You already included the solution – more Jessica Walters! How about actually giving her a plot?
I watched it for one reason, and one reason only. To see Shannen Doherty and after all the hype of the premiere, Brenda fans were robbed. She was in it for about a total of 3 minutes.
For me it’s trying to hard to be better than the original and it’s failing. Beverly Hills was the first of it’s kind, this new 90210 is among many that are the same and that just try to copy each other.
All I’m watching it for is Shannen. Although, I actually quite like Silver as well!
No Brenda, No Allyson…End of Story…
re: Jessica Walters.
Or how about bringing back Arrested Development!
Less Annie, more Silver & Kelly
The chick from Nip/Tuck is a cliche.
Less Dixon, more Ethan, George, and even Ty.
One of the reasons why the old 90210 (and to a lesser extent “The O.C.” and “Dawson’s Creek”) were hits was that the outsiders actually had some difficulty in adjusting to the new world. Here, Annie and Dixon after 1 week have a huge network of friends; they are even succeeding in extracurriculars (Annie has the play, Dixon has the lacrosse team). It might benefit the show to have Annie and Dixon, as well as the parents, have real difficulty adjusting to 90210, not just for “family bowling night,” but maybe in terms of class struggle (academic for the kids, monetary for the parents). And didn’t the family move out there to save the grandmother? Maybe the writers should actually discuss that storyline rather than totally abandon it within 2 episodes.
How to fix 90210: Make it ‘Privileged’
I think JJ hit it right on the head. All of the kids of the original had problems adjusting and fitting in.
Brandon-pressure to drink
Brenda-feeling she didn’t have the right clothes (remembered she consdidered stealing to have those desinger duds?), right hair (remember the botched dye job?)
Andrea-feeling she was left out and not part of the gang b/c she was from the “wrong” side of the tracks.
Cindy-not wanting a maid, feeling like she had nothing fullfilling to do with her time (with B&B being in high school she probably she have gotten at least a part time gig)
the creative team is banking on nostalgia – which will get people to try it but not buy it. All of the characters need to be written better in terms of being 3-d humans with feelings. they can’t all be so confident and breezy – it’s impossible to relate to them. all personal issues are resolved too fast, without any struggle. one minute there’s a problem then poof! all better. sure we like to laugh and we like there to be a manipulative character or two – but these characters are all currently one dimensional and very adult.
Hwtas up guys!? I’ve been super busy most of the summer to make regular PWatch posts, but like the Fall Season premieres …I’m BACKKKK! First off, an instant way to win INSTANT new 90210 viewiers is to tel the episodes on iTunes. It worked for first GREEK and then GOSSIP GIRL, yes both shows aren’t earning superstar status ratings, however, their fanbase learned if they missed episodes, they could purchase them there and catch up! This is NOT the case with 90210, and just cause they reaired both the 1st & last week’s eps on Thursday nights, doesn’t exactly help an over-worked and maxed out college student trying to get into watching the show! Secondly, I hope they don’t do this since Serena’s lil’ brother (how young is he again?) Eric on Gossip Girl is already supposed to be gay, but there was talk of one of the characters on the new 90210 being either gay or a lesbian. Perhaps the “new” gay character can cause some controversy in the still hot-bed that is high school!
how about…drop the show altogether? i find it ridiculous that with the 80 bazillion writers trying to make it in hollywood that the suits would revert to doing an old show over again. come ON. there’s gotta be some more interesting, more original ideas floating around hollywood…like some of the other posters have said – we already had “90210 – the new generation” with “The OC” (altho, i will admit to liking “The OC” SOOO much more than the original “90210″)
Give each girl a baconator!!!
So skinny!!!!
There’s no way that the kids form middle of nowhere are part of the popular so soon.
How about Ethan and Dixon shirtless ALL THE TIME? They’re both legal in real life, so it’s totally ok.
Also, go for the camp! Everyone liked the old-school 90210 ’cause it was so over-the-top. No one wants to be reminded of their painful zits-and-all high school experiences. Bring on the cheese!