The ‘BH90210’ Revival Is An Elaborate (But Kind-Of Enjoyable) Exercise In Self-Mockery

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Sorry, Kevin Smith. The O.G. cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 released their revival that makes fun of reboots and remakes before Jay and Silent Bob Reboot delivered similarly themed goods. Sure, we’re talking about two different genres, and the Aaron Spelling-ignited crowd doesn’t have Ben Affleck or Chris Hemsworth in tow. Of course not, but Ian “Sharknado” Ziering is back with his biggest toothpaste smile, and oh boy, does the rest of the gang pile on the self-mockery as well. This is happening around the 20-year-mark of the series disbanding, and it’s timely enough to serve as a commentary on how the current sea of reboots has sunk to ridiculous depths.

During its 1990s heyday, Beverly Hills, 90210 was an event show and a juggernaut. It ran for ten seasons of soapy shenanigans and spawned a franchise that includes Melrose Place, the adult-oriented series that everyone recalls for Heather Locklear-centered melodrama, and Models Inc., which only ran for one season (including a cruel cliffhanger). In the aughts, FOX launched reboots of both 90210 and Melrose with new casts — but (let’s get real) no one really remembers those efforts — and there was a short-lived, Darren Starr-produced satire called Grosse Pointe.

Fast forward to 2019, and we’re weirdly living in a world where Ziering could be considered the most successful principal cast member. Yes, that even includes the late Luke Perry, whose shadow looms large over the revival’s premiere episode. He receives a few moments of silence, and it’s clear that his former cast members care about him a great deal, but this project was also in the works without Perry before his death, so it should be mostly evaluated as such.

To be perfectly clear, this comfort-food revival is a fairly low-quality project. No one would ever expect high art from this franchise, so the stakes are not high, but BH90210 presents an interesting (and refreshing) perspective because it kind of hates itself. It’s slightly obnoxious since it’s very self-aware, but even that presumptuousness won’t spoil the experience for those who want to check in on the gang. All of the main living players — Ziering, Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green, Gabrielle Carteris, and even Shannen Doherty — signed on for six episodes (with two released for press screening), and they all play elevated versions of their real-life personalities. So there’s no Brandon Walsh or Kelly Taylor to truly be found here, but Brandon and Kelly and Donna Martin and Steve Sanders still haunt the whole thing. Ziering has a freaking blast here, just rolling around in all of his excess.

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