'Beverly Hills, 90210' Event Series Starring Original Cast Announced By Fox

Beverly Hills 90210 is making a comeback on Fox, and six of the original cast members are coming back for it!

As revealed by THR, this new take on Beverly Hills 90210 will be a six-episode "event series" that will bring back original series stars Jason Priestley (Brandon), Jennie Garth (Kelly), Ian Ziering (Steve), Gabrielle Carteris (Andrea), Brian Austin Green (David) and Tori Spelling (Donna). However, there is a big twist in this: the 90210 aren't playing their respective characters, but rather "heightened versions" of real-life selves, who are shopping around a reboot of Beverly Hills 90210.

This 90210 events series is being co-developed by CBS Television Studios and has a straight-to-series order from Fox, which will air it this summer. There's no word yet on if Shannen Doherty (fired from the series) will make an appearance - same for Luke Perry, who now stars on CW's Riverdale.

As THR notes, this particular Beverly Hills 90210 revival with the original cast has been in the works for almost a year, since Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth started taking meetings for this particular meta-minded concept.

Here's what Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn said about 90210's return, in an official statement:

"Beverly Hills, 90210 left an indelible impact on pop culture and an entire generation. Its powerful legacy is an important part of our network's DNA — bold stories not told anywhere else and bigger-than-life-characters — and we're honored to bring back the beloved original cast members for 90210."

This event series will be done by writers and executive producers Chris Alberghini and Mike Chessler, who both developed this new concept with Garth and Spelling, and also worked on the 90210 reboot that The CW launched in 2008. That 2000s series lasted five seasons (2008 - 2013), and helped launch a new generation of stars, like Jessica Stroup (Marvel's Iron Fist), Tristan Wilds (Shots Fired), and Ryan Eggold (The Blacklist, New Amsterdam).

Given the popularity of the original Beverly Hills 90210 series, the comedic potential of this new series with the original cast mocking themselves, seems high. Cast members like Garth and Spelling have plenty of personal pains and controversies that can be transformed into cathartic experience; Brian Austin Green's real-life romantic troubles with Megan Fox are certainly good fodder; and we can't wait to see how Ian Ziering addresses his infamous Sharknado career!

In general, this series could at once be a hilarious and heartfelt Hollywood-skewering piece in the vein of HBO's Extras, or The Comeback. The latter is probably the best example, as it featured Friends star Lisa Kudrow mocking her own career path as an ex-A-lister trying to stay relevant in the era of reality TV. The 90210 stars can similarly deliver scathing commentary on Hollywood careers, aging, and the struggle to stay relevant - all while making us laugh.

We'll keep you updated on the status of the Beverly Hills 90210 event series.

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