The ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ Reboot is a Nostalgia-Filled Roller Coaster of Chaos

The first episode of Fox’s Beverly Hills 90210 reboot is the most insane 42-minutes of TV you’ll watch this year. That’s not an insult, but it’s also not really meant to be a compliment either. It’s just a fact. If you’re unfamiliar with the original series, watching BH90210 will be like attending your mailman’s high school reunion and guess what, friend? You are not a fan of your mailman. But if you grew up loving the Peach Pit, chanting “Donna Martin graduates!” and believing that Ray Pruit’s inclusion in the iconic 90210 intro was the literal definition of the word travesty, then this tongue-in-cheek satire is for you.

BH90210 is different. Defiantly different. “Wait, did I accidentally take an extra dose of NyQuil?” different. The scripted series centers on the real actors behind the iconic ’90s teen drama — Brian Austin Green, Gabrielle Carteris, Ian Ziering, Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Shannen Doherty, and Tori Spelling — reuniting to launch a 90210 reboot. A peculiar hybrid of faux-reality, fiction, and nostalgia, the cast all portray exaggerated versions of themselves. Very few real-life issues appear to be off limits as Garth’s multiple divorces, Spelling’s financial woes, and Priestley’s history punching noted scumbags are all referenced with gleeful irreverence.

BH90210 is the ultimate mileage may vary show. You didn’t need to be a fan of the previous three seasons of Veronica Mars to enjoy Hulu’s recent revival, but I can’t imagine a 90210 newbie watching this show and being like, “Yep. This makes sense. I completely understand the words these people are saying.” That said, if you adore the original series and don’t mind copious amounts of camp, you might just love this delicious dose of television anarchy.

As someone who’s literally paid to answer the question “Hey, what do you think about this show?” I have zero idea how the general public will respond to BH90210. Hell, I’m not even sure how I feel about the series. I admire the show’s sheer audacity and penchant for the unconventional, but the tonal whiplash can be destabilizing. Plots about realistic issues like adultery and midlife ennui are paired with zany scenes centering on stealing Hollywood memorabilia. The series will pivot from a truly hilarious monologue delivered by Tori Spelling that’ll make you laugh to a touching scene that references the tragic death of Luke Perry that’ll make you cry.

The Beverly Hills 90210 reboot is the rare series that’ll make you ask yourself “Is this the absolute worst or absolute best show ever made?” It’s almost certainly somewhere in the middle, but there’s a 2% chance that BH90210 is an advanced form of avant-garde art that our primitive minds simply don’t have the capacity to comprehend. Either way, the show took a huge swing and I respect that.

If you’re a fan of the original series, give it a go. It’s a fun, immensely silly piece of TV nostalgia that’s at worst interesting and at best an enjoyable trip down memory lane. What else are you gonna do? The Peach Pit After Dark is closed tonight. Jasper’s Law is playing tomorrow night, though. Should be wild.

BH90210 premieres tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox. The series will be available for next day streaming on Hulu.

Where to stream BH90210