TV PRESS TOUR: “90210” could actually be good
Brenda Walsh lives!
Most of the talk surrounding The CW’s “90210” has focused less on the new cast and more on which characters from the original would be returning. (Seriously, with a lack of information about most of the new fall series, gossip and entertainment shows have been consumed with this as though Brenda, Kelly, Brandon and Dylan just spent time in Angelina Jolie’s womb.)
With Jennie Garth’s and Tori Spelling’s participation having been confirmed weeks ago, the attention turned to talk of Shannen Doherty’s on-again, off-again relationship with the show. But the network confirmed this morning that Doherty will return for multiple episodes.
“Doherty will reprise her role as Brenda Walsh, who was last seen headed to London to study acting,” The CW said in a release. “Following her move, Brenda became a successful theater actress, splitting her time between London and New York. The character soon transitioned into directing for theater and had equal success in that career. West Beverly Hills High School has approached Walsh to return to her alma mater as a guest director for the school’s musical production.”
She’ll join Garth’s Kelly Taylor, who’s now a guidance counselor at the high school, and Spelling’s Martin, who owns an upscale boutique. And for those die-hard Joe E. Tata fans, the actor will be back as Nat, the owner of a transformed, cyber-café-style Peach Pit. (Although the Peach Pit After Dark seems to have met an untimely fate.)
As for the new cast, as sad as it makes me, I’m actually really looking forward to seeing more than the few minutes we were shown of the just-completed pilot. Especially when you factor in that the show’s executive producers Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah worked on the beloved “Freaks and Geeks” and promise to bring that sort of sensibility to “90210.”
And on a side note, it’s no secret that Hollywood actresses are painfully thin. But after meeting them, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I could bench press “90210’s” entire new female cast.
