Bwahaha, the '90s will never die! So far, six of the original Beverly Hills, 90210 stars have signed on for a reboot-of-sorts. The scripted project is currently being pitched to both broadcast networks and streaming services, with multiple buyers reportedly showing interest.
Deadline reports that original cast members returning at this point include Jennie Garth (Kelly Taylor), Tori Spelling (Donna Martin), Jason Priestley (Brandon Walsh), Ian Ziering (Steve Sanders), Brian Austin Green (David Silver), and Gabrielle Carteris (Andrea Zuckerman).
Four of those six -- Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, Ian Ziering, and Brian Austin Green -- are the only ones to appear across the entire 10-season run of Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990 to 2000 on Fox.
The new CBS TV Studios production is said to not be a traditional reboot. The only other hint on what it will be is an apparent connection to that 90210-related series Tori Spelling and Jenni Garth mentioned earlier in 2018, with the two stars reportedly playing over-the-top versions of themselves.
TMZ paps just recently shared photos of the stars getting coffee together between pitch meetings with suits at Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. The group was joined by some writers and producers, ostensibly to pitch bringing back Beverly Hills, 90201 almost 30 years after its premiere.
But, based on Deadline's report and the Tori Spelling/Jennie Garth pitch from several months ago, it sounds like it won't be a traditional reboot or revival.
The Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise -- yes, franchise -- includes five shows at this point: the original, Melrose Place, Models Inc., the 90210 reboot, and another Melrose Place. These trend-setters were creating reboots long before the current craze took off.
Whatever happens with this new reboot/revival/whatever, it really needs Shannen Doherty (Brenda Walsh) and Luke Perry (Dylan McKay) to jump on board. Otherwise, they'll have to pull a Fuller House and frequently reference their absence -- like Michelle Tanner/the Olsen Twins.
Just a couple of years ago, Luke Perry had said the whole cast was interested in getting back together for a reunion:
We know we'd have a lot of fun getting back together. We just want it to be something good. I think we all have questions and that would be a great way to answer some of them. We'd probably be open to it.
Since then, though, Luke Perry landed a role on The CW's Riverdale as Archie Andrews' dad, Fred; he was also announced as part of the cast of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Maybe he's too busy for this 90210 thing? For her part, Shannen Doherty has been battling breast cancer for the past few years, but the original Heathers star was able to appear in some episodes of that reboot.
A few months ago, Ian Ziering said the 90210 cast all talked about reuniting and figured it was just a matter of time. Now it sounds like he's on board for this, but Luke Perry and Shannen Doherty may not be, at least at this point.
It's early days, though, since they're currently just shopping a show around. Stay tuned for any updates. Since it will be 30 years in 2020 since Beverly Hills, 90210 premiered, that does sound like the perfect milestone for some kind of TV reunion/revival/reboot. In the meantime, the fall 2018 schedule is basically done, but here's what's coming to TV screens in midseason 2019.
