Da-na-na-na. Da-na-na-na. Shoo. Shoo. If you’re 25 to 31 years old, you probably just hummed that. The first chords of 90210’s peppy, familiar theme song are enough to bring a smile to the faces of most American teens of the nineties. And maybe even inspire a group high-five. The hit Fox show that premiered in 1990 and cleared a path for The O.C., Gossip Girl, and yes, even The Hills, returns this season in an updated version on the teen-friendly CW network. Brenda, Brandon, Kelly, Dylan, Donna, and David (and don’t forget high-achieving Andrea Zuckerman) will be resurrected as modern-day high schoolers born in, gulp, 1992. The characters’ names are different, but their story lines are similar. There’s the rebel, the teen princess, the dork, and, of course, the brother-sister combo who’ve just moved to Beverly Hills. So what’s the difference? “It’s not going to be like the back in the day, slap on the wrist, everything ends with people eating at the dinner table,” says Tristan Wilds, who plays the Brandon Walsh character, who, in a 2008-appropriate twist, is black and adopted. Sadly, those hoping for days at the school newspaper, chaste nights at the Peach Pit, jean shorts, and scrunchies and bangs will be disappointed. “It’s going to be more like real life—you’ll see the real consequences of doing drugs, what really happens if you toy with sex too much,” says Wilds. Perhaps to placate the fogeys, however, original cast members Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty are set to return in guest-starring roles. Brenda vs. Kelly, round 108! Where’s Luke Perry when you need him?
90210
The CW; premieres September 2, 8 p.m.