Beverly Hills, 90210: Is it another reboot to get excited about?

Beverly Hills, 90210 is the latest series to get the reboot treatment. Is this something to get excited about, or is a sign that the reboot trend is going too far?

The eighties and nineties were both great decades for television, with many shows making their mark on the pop culture lexicon forever. In the past couple of years, multiple properties have found their way back to the small screen. With varying levels of success, shows such as Full House, Gilmore Girls, Charmed, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Magnum P.I., and more have been revived not only as an attempt to appease old fans but also as a means to lure in a new generation.

The latest series looking to get the revival treatment is Beverly Hills, 90210. According to Variety, CBS Television Studios is currently shopping the latest rendition of the series. Rumors started swirling around as early as March of this year as various members of the cast were seen grabbing coffee together.

Original cast members Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth, Jason Priestly, Ian Ziering, Brian Austin Green, and Gabrielle Carteris are expected to return. Despite recent attempts to reignite the series, Beverly Hills 90210 has already lived on in different forms. The series was rebooted back in 2008 on the CW, with an entirely new cast. 90210 was also a major success, lasting five seasons. There were also spin-offs such as the popular Melrose Place, and the short-lived Models, Inc. The showrunners of the CW 90210, Darren Star, Jeff Judah, Gabe Sachs, and Rob Thomas are slated to return to lead the new series.

More from CBS

Back in its prime, Beverly Hills, 90210 was a global phenomenon. Credited with popularizing the teen soap genre, the series launched its cast members into teen idol status. The series lasted for a decade, reigning as one of the top teen shows of the nineties. Since its conclusion, the show has spawned multiple reboots, spin-offs, and even inspired a Lifetime TV movie based on the behind-the-scenes events. However, should the show be revisited once again?

With the success of revivals of other nineties properties such as Full House, Boy Meets World, Roseanne, and Gilmore Girls (And a plethora of revivals in development), it’s no surprise that Hollywood executives are looking to capitalize on nostalgia once more. Is Beverly Hills, 90210 a show that audiences genuinely want back on the small screen? Or is it something that Hollywood is going to force-feed to viewers, and hope they like it? In most cases, reboots don’t appear to be something that audiences are actively calling out for. When reboots are presented, audiences often tune in for the nostalgia trip, or just to satisfy a curiosity. While we’re in the midst of the era of peak television, is it always worth it to revisit older shows? Each series reboot is faced with the delicate task of adapting old characters and material to the older, original fans, and also appealing to a new demographic. Each reboot faces the risk of alienating fans with too many changes and discouraging new viewers who aren’t familiar with the source material.

While the series was wildly successful on more than one occasion, what more can be brought to Beverly Hills, 90210? Nothing has been explicitly stated on how the showrunners are going to utilize the original cast members. Reported by ET as an “untraditional reboot”, the original cast members will not be reprising their roles.

Next. GLOW to be transformed into a comic book series. dark

Since it’s been almost 29 years since the series debut, how will the new Beverly Hills, 90210 fit in in today’s social and political landscape? For the series to live on successfully, it needs to take that into consideration.

How do you feel about the revival of Beverly Hills, 90210? Let us know in the comments!

Home/CBS