Author: Anna Oseran
It’s hard for me to wax nostalgic about the original 90210 series since I was all of 3 months of age when Shannen Doherty, Tori Spelling and the hunky Jason Priestly first appeared as stars in the teen TV drama. As an Occidental student, I suppose I should take some interest in the show’s history since I am told the college scenes of the later seasons were shot on our campus.
For 10 years the series attracted viewers by portraying the issues and angst of adolescence while at the same time tapping into everyone’s insatiable curiosity about the fabulously wealthy. Further iterations of this formula followed including Melrose Place, Laguna Beach, The Hills etc, etc. Really, haven’t we all seen enough of these shows? However when I heard the creator of one of my faves, Freaks and Geeks, was involved in a remake of 90210, I suspended my disbelief and cynicism, if only for a moment, and watched.
The show opens with an unusually and unbelievably attractive family driving in a tired mini-van into the lavish hills of West L.A. The boy, sitting in the back seat whines, “this sucks,” as we are none too subtly signaled that the family is moving to L.A. from somewhere else, somewhere simpler and more innocent (think Wasilla, Alaska).
This dislocation naturally would not sit well with a teenage boy, invoking the oh-so-novel storyline of an adolescent being forced to leave his friends/girlfriend/etc. for a new, unwelcoming high school full of rich snobs. The mother, played by Lori Loughlin (of Full House fame), responds by saying “Dixon, how about a new phrase like ‘this bites’ or ‘this blows?’ Because you’ve been saying ‘this sucks’ for the past 1500 miles!” As hard as it may be to believe, it only goes downhill from there.
Tristan Wilds, the actor who plays the sullen teenager, gained fame for his compelling portrayal of the character Michael in the HBO drama The Wire. Talk about a downshifting of dramatic gravitas. Stars of the old series, Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth make cameo appearances, perhaps in an attempt to attract former fans. One can only hope they have moved on with their lives.
Every cliché and plot device that has ever been used in a teen movie or TV show found its way into the forty minutes I managed to endure. Brother and sister go to new school, the hot popular lacrosse player cheats on his bitchy girlfriend, the popular girl puts on a “not- so-sweet sixteen” party (in which the faux-celebrity Cory Kennedy makes an appearance), the queen bee is intimidated by the new, innocent, hot girl, etc. I am told the original series occasionally dealt with more serious issues and perhaps the new show will follow suit. Someone will have to tell me if it does
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