Jun 17 2008
Rob Thomas Part II, AKA “SHOWS TO WATCH IN THE FALL 08 - SPRING 09 SEASON #5″
So. 90210. A forthcoming spin-off of the popular 90s show Beverly Hills 90210. The original pilot for the spin-off was written by Rob Thomas, who I pretty much amped up on yesterday’s post. He has the best grasp of how teens interact in television, so he’s the natural choice to make 90210 into a smart and character driven show… unlike the abysmal Beverly Hills 90210 that the show spawned from. However, as networks often do, they ordered Thomas’s script to be rewritten. Thomas recently stepped down as creator of the series, and Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah have rewritten his script and are being credited as the creators or, more appropriately, “developers” of the series. Thomas’s official reason for stepping down was to concentrate on the other pilots he’s doing for ABC, but I’m thinking The CW wanted him to dumb down his script for the Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill fans…
Reasons to get excited for “90210”
1) It’s been hinted that Thomas might stay on as producer. Not the level which we originally wanted him at, but any thing he’s involved in is at least worth checking out
2) Thomas’s replacements have done some really good work. Gabe Sachs wrote for Freaks and Geeks (hot), Undeclared (hot), Just Shoot Me (flop), What About Brian (haven’t seen it), and Life as We Know It (which a. I haven’t seen and b. Jeff Judah worked on him with this). So overall, at least Sachs looks to have a strong history with teen shows, so maybe he’ll be able to keep 90210 from going the way of stupid drama.
3) There are some fresh faces in the cast, which are always interesting
4) Even if it sucks, it probably won’t get cancelled. The network is pushing it real hard and casted a lot of the roles before Thomas’s script was even finished. BH9 fans will definitely tune in, and most Thomas fans will at least give it a chance. This show will probably be here a while
Reasons to be weary of “90210”
1) It’s a freaking Beverly Hills 90210 spin-off.
2) Rob Thomas usually leaves projects when there is creative differences. Since the guy usually has the best ideas, it means he probably left because the network had bad suggestions.
3) Shenae Grimes plays the main character. You might know her as Darcy from Degrassi: The Next Generation. Her acting skills kind of make me cringe like I’m looking at John Lock doing the topless ritual in the third season of Lost.
4) There will be returning characters from Beverly Hills 90210. Best way to ensure that a spin-off sucks as much as the bad show it spun off of is to include character from that original show.
5) What with the change of creators, the casting before the script was done, the semi-synchronized international airings, it’s more than obvious that the network has two hands deep into this project… and that’s never good. The good shows are the shows that let the writers do their things with little network involvement other than a push here or there and promotion. So this is looking to be a big “eek.”
VERDICT: I’ll watch the first episode. If I’m home. I certainly won’t clear my schedule, and I’ll probably only TiVo it if I’m impressed by a trailer. But I certainly can’t recommend this in good conscience, because it doesn’t really look good.
For those who do want to watch it, it premiers Tuesday, September 2nd on the CW.
NEXT TIME: SHOWS TO WATCH IN THE FALL 08 - SPRING 09 SEASON #6: The Ex-List…. Which has a slight connection to this entry.
3 Responses to “Rob Thomas Part II, AKA “SHOWS TO WATCH IN THE FALL 08 - SPRING 09 SEASON #5″”
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Interestingly, one of the cast is from my hometown and I kinda know him (as in, we’ve met at parties and things before he moved away and became an actor). This is the first thing he’s done that I’ve even been remotely interested in, and I’m jealous that he’s probably gotten to meet Rob Thomas.
I’ll probably tune in to the pilot, at least.
As a teenager, I used to HATE BH90210 with a passion, as epitomising everything shallow and soulless about teen dramas. It seemed to me then that all the characters were anathema to me (except, possibly, the short, plain, bespectacled girl… stereotype much?? Grrrr…).
Since growing up I’ve watched a few reruns of the show and realised that it’s not as appalling as I thought back then. But I would have to see something special in the teasers / pilot to actually get me to watch this new spinoff.
P.S. Did you mean wary (instead of weary)?