We're Not In Kansas Anymore
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"We're Not in Kansas Anymore" is the
pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
of the American teen drama '' 90210'' that premiered on September 2, 2008 on
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
in the United States and Global in Canada. ''90210'' is a
spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...
to '' Beverly Hills, 90210'', and the fourth series in the ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' continuity. The pilot was written by
Gabe Sachs Gabe Sachs is an American television producer, who has been a writer/producer with partner Jeff Judah for a number of primetime television shows and movies including ''Freaks & Geeks'', ''Just Shoot Me'', ''Undeclared'', '' Life As We Know It'', ' ...
,
Jeff Judah Jeff Judah is an American film and television producer and writer. Along with his writing/producing partner Gabe Sachs, Judah serves as creator and executive producer of the NBC medical drama series '' The Night Shift''. The two also created ABC's t ...
and Rob Thomas, and directed by
Mark Piznarski Mark Piznarski is an American film director, television director and television producer. He has directed episodes from a number of television series, including, amongst others, ''Veronica Mars'', ''Gossip Girl'', '' 90210'', ''NYPD Blue'', '' ...
. The episode, aired with "
The Jet Set The Jet Set is a Polish R&B duo which consists of English-born David Junior Serame (South African ancestry) and Russian-born Sasha Strunin. They represented Poland in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki. Eurovision S ...
" in a two-hour premiere, averaged 4.9 million viewers on its original broadcast. The development of a ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' spin-off by The CW was reported on March 13, 2008; four days later, a detailed breakdown of the pilot written by Thomas was released. Thomas later announced that he was leaving the series, and Sachs and Judah were hired to write a new version of the script. Casting began before the script was completed, and several cast members of the original series were approached, of whom several accepted to appear. Reviews of the episode were mixed, and one critic explained, "it's not a great show but it's not a terrible teen drama, not by a long shot. The new ''90210'' turns out to be a solid sequel with plenty of shout-outs to fans of the old ''90210''." The pilot introduces the Wilson family, along with numerous other students at West Beverly Hills High, where
Annie Wilson This is a list of the characters that have appeared on '' 90210'', an American teen drama. The series introduces Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes) and her adopted brother Dixon (Tristan Wilds), who move from Kansas to Beverly Hills with their father H ...
( Shenae Grimes) and
Dixon Wilson This is a list of the characters that have appeared on '' 90210'', an American teen drama. The series introduces Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes) and her adopted brother Dixon (Tristan Wilds), who move from Kansas to Beverly Hills with their father H ...
(
Tristan Wilds Tristan Paul Mack Wilds (born July 15, 1989) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his roles as Michael Lee on the HBO original drama series, ''The Wire'', and as Dixon Wilson on the CW teen drama seri ...
) begin attendance. Their father, Harry Wilson (
Rob Estes Robert Estes (born July 22, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Harry Wilson on the teen drama series '' 90210'', as Sgt. Chris Lorenzo on the crime drama series '' Silk Stalkings'', and as Kyle McBride on the primetime soap ...
), returns from Kansas to his childhood home of Beverly Hills with his family to care of his mother, former television star Tabitha Wilson ( Jessica Walter), who has a drinking problem. Annie and Dixon struggle to adjust to their new lives while making new friends and adhering to their parents' wishes.


Plot

The Wilson family — consisting of parents Harry and
Debbie Debbie (or Debby or Deb) is a feminine given name, commonly but not always short for Deborah (or Debra and related variants). Notable people * Debbie Allen, American actress, choreographer and film director * Debbie Armstrong, American athlete * ...
(
Lori Loughlin Lori Anne Loughlin (; born July 28, 1964) is an American actress. From 1988 to 1995, she played Rebecca Donaldson Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom ''Full House'', and reprised the role for its Netflix sequel '' Fuller House'' (2016–2018). Loughlin ...
), daughter Annie, and adopted son Dixon arrive at the mansion of Harry's mother, Tabitha. Where they will be taking care of her. Annie and Dixon discuss what their first day of school will be like at West Beverly Hills High, where their father will be the principal. Annie hopes to
hook up "Hook Up" is a collaborative single by the artists signed under New Zealand record label Dawn Raid Entertainment under the name Dawn Raid All-Stars Dawn Raid All-Stars are a musical collaboration between Dawn Raid Entertainment Dawn Rai ...
with a friend named
Ethan Ward This is a list of the characters that have appeared on '' 90210'', an American teen drama. The series introduces Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes) and her adopted brother Dixon (Tristan Wilds), who move from Kansas to Beverly Hills with their father H ...
(
Dustin Milligan Dustin Wallace Milligan (born July 28, 1985) is a Canadian actor, known for his role as Ethan Ward on the teen drama television series '' 90210'' from 2008 until 2009, Tom Cummings in the Canadian spy thriller television series ''X Company'' from ...
), whom she met two summers ago. When she arrives at school the next day, Annie spots Ethan in his car and makes eye contact, only to realize that he is receiving fellatio from a fellow student. Dixon goes to journalism class, where he meets
Navid Shirazi This is a list of the characters that have appeared on ''90210 (TV series), 90210'', an American teen drama. The series introduces Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes) and her adopted brother Dixon (Tristan Wilds), who move from Kansas to Beverly Hills w ...
(
Michael Steger Michael Mateus Steger (born May 27, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Navid Shirazi on The CW's teen drama series '' 90210''. Early life In an interview, Steger revealed he was bullied during his childhood in the four ...
), while Annie goes to her first class taught by Ryan Matthews (
Ryan Eggold Ryan James Eggold (born August 10, 1984) is an American actor. He is known for playing Ryan Matthews (90210), Ryan Matthews on the The CW, CW teen drama series ''90210 (TV series), 90210'' and List of The Blacklist characters#Tom Keen, Tom Keen o ...
). Matthews asks popular student,
Naomi Clark Naomi Clark, played by AnnaLynne McCord, is a fictional character from the CW primetime drama '' 90210'', the fourth series of the ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' franchise. The character was created by Rob Thomas, Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah, with lat ...
(
AnnaLynne McCord AnnaLynne McCord (born July 16, 1987) is an American actress, activist, and model. Known for playing vixen-type roles, McCord first gained prominence in 2007 as the scheming Eden Lord on the FX television series ''Nip/Tuck'', and as the pampe ...
), to show Annie around the school. After class, Naomi talks to Annie about her busy life and upcoming sixteenth birthday party. Annie discovers that she is dating Ethan, and meets her best friend,
Adrianna Tate-Duncan Adrianna "Ade" Tate-Duncan is a fictional character on The CW television series ''90210 (TV series), 90210'', the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise, ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' franchise. Portrayed by Jessica Lowndes, the character ...
(
Jessica Lowndes Jessica Lowndes (; born November 8, 1988) is a Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Adrianna Tate-Duncan on The CW teen drama series '' 90210,'' appearing in several Hallmark Channel movies, and the 2020 Lifetime Chan ...
), who is the lead in the school play Spring Awakening. Annie, who is also an actress, is upset that she arrived too late to audition for a role, although Adrianna says that she would be better use backstage. Later, Adrianna takes several pills from a drug dealer, and agrees to pay him two hundred dollars the next day. Annie sees Ethan and promises not to tell Naomi what she saw. They part ways for lunch, and Annie meets
Silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
(
Jessica Stroup Jessica Leigh Stroup (born October 23, 1986) is an American actress, best known for her role as Erin Silver on '' 90210'' (2008–2013), Max Hardy on ''The Following'' (2014–2015) and Joy Meachum on '' Iron Fist'' (2017–2018), which is set in ...
); however, Naomi pulls Annie away, explaining that Silver makes insulting
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
videos about people. Naomi invites Annie to her birthday party, and they decide to go shopping together. Harry and guidance counselor
Kelly Taylor Kelly Marlene Taylor, portrayed by Jennie Garth, is the lead female character of ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' for the majority of the show's duration. Initially presented as a "spoiled teen vixen", the role was gradually expanded by producers. Subse ...
( Jennie Garth) and Mr.Matthews meet with Naomi's parents, who feel that Naomi should not have to hand in her assignments on time when she is planning her party. Before she leaves, Naomi's mother, Tracy (
Christina Moore Christina Moore (born April 12, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, fashion designer, model and screenwriter. She was in the main cast of the sketch comedy series ''MADtv'', played Laurie Forman on ''That '70s Show'' during its sixth season ...
), reminds Harry that they dated in high school. Naomi receives a text message from her mother, telling her that she must complete the assignment that night. Annie remembers that she completed a similar assignment for her old school, and offers to give Naomi a copy for inspiration. Dixon is accepted into the
lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...
team after trying out, but gets into a fight with team member George Evans ( Kellan Lutz). Annie tells Dixon of her invitation to Naomi's party, and how she saw Ethan cheating on Naomi. The next day at school, Annie finds out that Silver made a video blog about her, depicting her as a bitchy farmer. Annie confronts Silver, who felt insulted by Annie's decision to hang out with Naomi. When Silver is reprimanded by her half-sister, Kelly, she realizes that she shouldn't reprimand Annie for what happened between her and Naomi in the past. Elsewhere, Ethan is forced by his team members to lie that Dixon started the fight during, and he is subsequently kicked off the team. Annie argues with Ethan because of his lying, and asks what happened to the Ethan that she met two years ago. In class, Naomi reads an exact copy of Annie's paper. Afterward, when Annie confronts Naomi, she apologizes by giving Annie an $800 dress. Annie decides to watch the school play rehearsals, and Silver apologizes for the video by asking the drama teacher to let Annie sing with the chorus for the play. Much to Adrianna's dismay, Annie is allowed to be in the play. Naomi again gets into trouble when Harry discovers that she cheated, and forces her to write the paper in his office. Ethan has a fight with George and tells the truth, resulting in Dixon being allowed to play on the team. Dixon tells Annie that he feels horrible, as he sent a text message to Naomi telling her that Ethan is cheating on her. Harry and Debbie punish Annie by not allowing her to go to Naomi's party. When they reconsider and decide to let her go, they discover that she has already left. Harry goes to the party to find Annie, but is instead told by Tracy that they have a son together, whom she gave up for adoption over twenty years ago. Adrianna, who had previously stolen money from Naomi's purse, claims to have found it and gives it back. Naomi checks her phone messages and learns that Ethan is cheating on her. Naomi asks Ethan if he is really cheating on her, and leaves the party after he fails to answer. Annie leaves with Silver for another party on the beach, where she apologizes to Ethan for revealing that he was cheating on Naomi. When she asks why he told the truth about Dixon not starting the fight, he replies that he is trying to be the good guy he used to be. Annie, Silver, Dixon and Navid spend the rest of the night swimming at the beach. In the closing scenes, Kelly talks to the father of her four-year-old son, Adrianna pays her drug dealer with money she stole from Naomi, and Ethan visits Naomi's house.


Production


Development

On March 13, 2008, it was announced that The CW was developing a contemporary spin-off of '' Beverly Hills, 90210'', which first aired on
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
from October 1990 to May 2000. The project was put on the fast track by the network, and an order of the pilot was expected by the end of the month. The ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' creator,
Darren Star Darren Star (born July 25, 1961) is an American writer, director and producer of film and television. He is best known for creating the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–2000), ''Melrose Place'' (1992–1999), ''Sex and the City' ...
, was announced not to be involved with the project, as well as producer
Aaron Spelling Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series ''Family'' (1976–1980), '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), ''The Love Boat'' (1977–1986 ...
, who died in 2006. The only surviving element from the original series was the Creative Artists Agency, the talent agency that masterminded the spin-off idea. ''
Veronica Mars ''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series prem ...
'' creator Rob Thomas was in negotiations to write the pilot, and
Mark Piznarski Mark Piznarski is an American film director, television director and television producer. He has directed episodes from a number of television series, including, amongst others, ''Veronica Mars'', ''Gossip Girl'', '' 90210'', ''NYPD Blue'', '' ...
was in talks to direct. A detailed breakdown of the pilot written by Thomas was released on March 17, containing information on the plot and characters of the series. None of the characters were related to the original series; however, the series' featured a similar premise: a family with two teenagers who recently moved from the Midwest to Beverly Hills. To reflect the situation at the Beverly Hills school, where around 40 percent of the students were from Persian descent, a student named Navid Shirazi was created. Thomas intended to introduce The Peach Pit, the diner from ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', but noted that it would not be featured in the pilot. The writer considered giving the siblings a job at a movie theater, as he did not want them to use their parent's credit cards. Thomas revealed that there were plans to reintroduce one of the original cast members, but had not met with any of them to discuss a role. Thomas later elaborated the producers wanted to see "as many of the original cast members as possible", but were careful not to "parade them all out in the pilot". On April 14, Thomas announced that he was leaving the series to focus on his two pilots for
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
.
Gabe Sachs Gabe Sachs is an American television producer, who has been a writer/producer with partner Jeff Judah for a number of primetime television shows and movies including ''Freaks & Geeks'', ''Just Shoot Me'', ''Undeclared'', '' Life As We Know It'', ' ...
and
Jeff Judah Jeff Judah is an American film and television producer and writer. Along with his writing/producing partner Gabe Sachs, Judah serves as creator and executive producer of the NBC medical drama series '' The Night Shift''. The two also created ABC's t ...
were hired as the new executive producer and wrote a new version of the script in late April. Sachs said that although Thomas had a "great script", their version of the script was "edgier". Judah said that they were trying to ground their script in reality, with real character stories and emotional stories. The writers wanted the audience to relate to the characters' problems, which they wanted to be truthful and emotional, but also comedic. The pair were interested in telling several stories simultaneously, featuring many characters. The pair changed the surname of the family from Mills to Wilson, and told reporters that they would be adding their "comedic impulses" to the script. Sachs and Judah found the parents to be an integral part of the series, and designed them to be contemporary parents. Since the producers were both fathers, they designed the script to include more prominent adult story lines and a strong point of view on parenting. Judah was interested in focusing on how the family kept their moral center when moving to Beverly Hills, and the way the parents dealt with their teenagers.


Casting

On March 13,
Kristin Dos Santos Kristin dos Santos (née Veitch; born February 24, 1975) is an American entertainment reporter, writer and host, specializing in the coverage of television, award shows and all things Hollywood. She is best known as E!’s resident TV (and award- ...
of E! confirmed that the series would be a spin-off with new characters, and not a remake. In order for the project to be ready for the network's "upfront" presentations to advertisers in May, casting began before the script was completed. The first actor to be cast was
Dustin Milligan Dustin Wallace Milligan (born July 28, 1985) is a Canadian actor, known for his role as Ethan Ward on the teen drama television series '' 90210'' from 2008 until 2009, Tom Cummings in the Canadian spy thriller television series ''X Company'' from ...
on April 1, followed by
AnnaLynne McCord AnnaLynne McCord (born July 16, 1987) is an American actress, activist, and model. Known for playing vixen-type roles, McCord first gained prominence in 2007 as the scheming Eden Lord on the FX television series ''Nip/Tuck'', and as the pampe ...
on April 14. Sachs found Milligan to be "really funny", and changed Ethan to better represent his personality. McCord was cast because, according to Sachs, "she's someone who is worldly, and there's a sophistication to her that's interesting". Actress and singer
Hilary Duff Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her act ...
was rumored to have been offered the part of Annie, but she told reports that it was "not true". The role was eventually given to Shenae Grimes, who says she was raised watching the original series. Sachs and Judah had seen Grimes' work before and knew "she had the acting chops", and she was cast after acting a dramatic scene that she "just killed". Sachs stated, "she can act, she's beautiful, and she can give this sweet cuteness (that lets us see) through her eyes into this world."
Lori Loughlin Lori Anne Loughlin (; born July 28, 1964) is an American actress. From 1988 to 1995, she played Rebecca Donaldson Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom ''Full House'', and reprised the role for its Netflix sequel '' Fuller House'' (2016–2018). Loughlin ...
auditioned for the role of Debbie and was given the part straight away. Sachs thought that Loughlin was too established to read for the part, but realized that she understood the role immediately. The producers were fans of Jessica Walter after watching her film, '' Play Misty for Me''. Sachs found that Walter knew pieces of scenes, and suggested "stuff that works". Sachs described
Ryan Eggold Ryan James Eggold (born August 10, 1984) is an American actor. He is known for playing Ryan Matthews (90210), Ryan Matthews on the The CW, CW teen drama series ''90210 (TV series), 90210'' and List of The Blacklist characters#Tom Keen, Tom Keen o ...
, who portrayed Matthews, as "a sophisticated actor, and he's also very funny". Sachs believed that every time Eggold would be on screen, "people are going to go, 'Wow!'". The producers were looking for an actor who could portray Silver as a "quirky kid who moves to her own beat". Sachs explained that
Jessica Stroup Jessica Leigh Stroup (born October 23, 1986) is an American actress, best known for her role as Erin Silver on '' 90210'' (2008–2013), Max Hardy on ''The Following'' (2014–2015) and Joy Meachum on '' Iron Fist'' (2017–2018), which is set in ...
"came in dressed for the part, artsy and quirky, and she had her hair up and she had a bandana. She nailed it." The producers were fans of
Tristan Wilds Tristan Paul Mack Wilds (born July 15, 1989) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his roles as Michael Lee on the HBO original drama series, ''The Wire'', and as Dixon Wilson on the CW teen drama seri ...
for his acting on '' The Wire'', and hoped to hire him as Dixon from the start of casting. When asked about
Michael Steger Michael Mateus Steger (born May 27, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Navid Shirazi on The CW's teen drama series '' 90210''. Early life In an interview, Steger revealed he was bullied during his childhood in the four ...
, who portrays Navid, Sachs said "he's just great".
Rob Estes Robert Estes (born July 22, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Harry Wilson on the teen drama series '' 90210'', as Sgt. Chris Lorenzo on the crime drama series '' Silk Stalkings'', and as Kyle McBride on the primetime soap ...
, the last actor to join the series, was a previous cast member of the first ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' spin-off, ''
Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...
''. Estes was sought by The CW to play Harry, but was contracted on the drama '' Women's Murder Club''. When that series was canceled, Sachs called Estes and explained the spin-off to him, and he thought it was a great idea. Sachs promised that although he was playing a parent, he would not "be furniture... as in the seldom seen or heard parents who populate many youth-centric series, like the Walsh parents on the original ''90210''." Following rumors of cast members from ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' appearing on the spin-off, The CW confirmed that Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling and
Joe E. Tata Joseph Evan Tata (September 13, 1936 – August 24, 2022) was an American television actor. He was known for his regular role (1990–2000) as Nat Bussichio, the owner and operator of the Peach Pit diner, in the television series ''Beverly Hills, ...
would be returning in recurring roles as their original characters. Sachs was familiar with Garth, and talked to her about a possible role in the series. Garth agreed to star on the series without reading a script after brainstorming ideas with Sachs. The producers offered Garth a role as a series regular, but she opted to sign on as a recurring character. Doherty decided to appear after talking with Sachs, but her appearance was moved to the second episode. Sachs described Tata's casting as an accident; a friend told Sachs that he had seen Tata in a store, which led to the offer of a recurring role in the series. Sachs said that Tata was ecstatic about the idea and agreed. After reading the script, Spelling expressed interest in returning, and the writers decided to give her character her own fashion line. Spelling was scheduled to appear in the premiere, but due to personal reasons and the birth of her daughter, she opted to appear later in the season. On August 11, it was reported that Spelling had pulled out of the series after discovering that she was receiving less pay than Garth and Doherty. Spelling asked for her salary of $20,000 per episode to be increased to match their salaries—$40,000 to $50,000 per episode—but when denied she left the show altogether.


Filming

On May 11, 2008, one day before The CW's upfront presentations, the network officially picked up the series for the 2008–2009 television season. Filming for the pilot began in early June in Los Angeles. Torrance High School, which served as the high school in the original series was also used by the spin-off. Filming for the series usually took place in numerous high schools in Torrance and El Segundo, although several scenes were filmed in Torrance High School because of its large auditorium. Sachs returned to the school for the first time after graduating in 1979. Judah announced that the Peach Pit would be back, but as a coffeehouse rather than a diner. Other filming locations included the mansions of the Bel-Air neighborhood and the Hollywood night club Boulevard3. One week prior to the pilot's broadcast, it was confirmed that filming was still taking place, as the producers wanted to reshoot scenes and add extra ones.


Release


Broadcast

Prior to the season premieres of most television series in September, a common practice by television networks would be to send screeners of pilots of new shows to critics. On August 18, The CW notified critics that they would not be releasing the premiere episodes, saying, " ehave made the strategic marketing decision not to screen ''90210'' for any media in advance of its premiere. We're not hiding anything... simply keeping a lid on ''90210'' until 9.02, riding the curiosity and anticipation into premiere night, and letting all our constituents see it at the same time." Oscar Dahl of BuddyTV speculated that the decision was an indication of the low quality of the episodes, but pointed out that the pilot may not have been finished in time for a screener release, which was later confirmed to be the case. Despite not having watched the episode, the Parents Television Council said in a statement that "if '' Gossip Girl'' is any indication of what ''90210'' will look like, advertisers have plenty of reason to steer clear of the show... No reputable advertiser should even consider sponsoring the show without viewing the content in advance." "We're Not in Kansas Anymore", along with the following episode, averaged 4.9 million viewers throughout the two-hour broadcast on September 2. This gave The CW its highest-rated premiere ever in the adults 18-49 demographic with a 2.6. By comparison, the series finale of the original series was watched by 25 million viewers on its original broadcast in May 2000.


Critical reception

Most reviews of the pilot were average, claiming that while it was not bad, it was not great either.
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
gave the episode a Metascore—a weighted average based on the impressions of a select 12 critical reviews—of 46, signifying mixed or average reviews. When compared to the original series, Rob Owen of the ''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...
'' felt that the spin-off covered the same themes—family, friends, teen melodrama, relationships—but with more humor. Owen praised the compelling characters and the acting, and found the dialogue to be more clever than painful. Adam Buckman of the ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...
'' commented on the crude language used by the characters, and found there was nothing new that could have surprised him with watching the episode. Ray Richmond of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' found that despite The CW's decision not to send out screeners to critics, the pilot was " otso horrible after all". Richmond praised the actors and writers, especially returning actor Garth, whom he found looked "terrific" and acted well. Alan Sepinwall of ''
The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...
'' found that while ''90210'' was neither "trainwreck nor masterpiece", it remained remarkably faithful in tone and spirit to the original series. The reviewer realized that "the dialogue was at times intentionally funny", and pointed out that although the actors looked to old for high school, they acted "a lot more natural" than the actors on the original series. Sepinwall questioned The CW's intended audience, saying that while the music and styles were reminiscent of ''Gossip Girl'', those who had not seen the original series would not have cared for the returning characters. Verne Gay of ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'' described ''90210'' as a "perfectly competent and reasonably seamless revival", with enough contemporary touchstones to attract new viewers. The reviewer commended the spin-off for integrating the new characters with the originals, while also including adults. Gay found that while the pilot featured too many story lines, the "vibe felt right" and it was not the disaster it was expected to be. Among the reviews were several negative ones, which compared the series negatively to the original. Matthew Gilbert of ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' felt that like the original, ''90210'' was "pretty bad". Gilbert said that the episode "seemed to take forever to set up some remarkably bland plotlines", which he found had been executed with more finesse by other teen soaps. The reviewer criticized the writers for their "unimaginative material", exemplified by the risqué anal sex scene which he opined would no longer be considered outrageous for a series targeted at teenagers. Gilbert claimed that the characters lacked depth and distinction, especially Naomi, whom he compared negatively to ''Gossip Girl''s Blair Waldorf. By contrast, Tom Gliatto of ''
People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
'' magazine gave Naomi Clark a favorable review, but stated that he felt the cast as a whole had yet to gel. Ken Tucker of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' described the pilot as "corny but trying to be hip, crammed with subplots until the producers figure out which ones the audience responds to." Tucker praised Walters acting as a "slashing panache that no one else on screen approaches", and found the only time he laughed with pleasure throughout the pilot was when her character exclaimed, "I'm gonna call Dan Tana's for some takeout!". Hal Boedeker of the ''
Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
'' described the pilot as "a blah variation on ''Beverly Hills, 90210''", and being too "extravagant and less believable". Boedeker expressed disappointment in the series, and predicted that it would be canceled within a year.


References


External links


Official site
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at E! {{DEFAULTSORT:We're Not In Kansas Anymore Beverly Hills, 90210 (franchise) American television series premieres 2008 American television episodes Television episodes set in Beverly Hills, California