'90210' optimism waning

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — In the nearly two decades that yours truly has been attending the Television Critics Association press tours, this has to rank near the top of the list of Worst Announcements Ever (based on both content and delivery):

"Shannen Doherty will be returning to '90210,"' said executive producer Gabe Sachs. "She will be a guest director of our musical."

Um, what? Have you lost your mind, Mr. Sachs? Not only are you going to let Shannen Doherty direct an episode of your new series — a sequel of sorts to the original "Beverly Hills, 90210" — but you just finished filming your pilot and you're already planning a musical episode?!?!?!

Well, no. Turns out Sachs — one of the guys charged with making sure this new CW series is well written — meant something decidedly different from what he said.

Doherty will return to the show as Brenda Walsh, the character she played until she was fired from the original "BH 90210." And Brenda will be a "guest drama teacher" at her alma mater, West Beverly High School. In other words, Brenda is going to direct the school musical.

That makes a great deal more sense that turning an hour of prime-time television over to the infamous Doherty. Even if it's only an hour on The CW.

But bringing Doherty back to the show at all is, well, troubling. As a matter of fact, every time the producers announce that another of the original cast members is coming back, my interest in the new "90210" wanes.

The truth is that I was a "90210" fan the first few years the show was on the air. While the "kids" were still in high school. And it was pretty good.

So when The CW announced that it was reviving the show with a new family moving to Beverly Hills, it sounded kind of fun. And the news that Jennie Garth would reprise her role as Kelly Taylor "all grown up and now a guidance counselor at West Beverly" kept some continuity and a tie to the past.

Then came the news that Tori Spelling (Donna) would appear on the new show. Ugh.

And that Joe E. Tata would be back as Nat, who still owns the Peach Pit. Whatever.

And now the confirmation of the Doherty rumors. Ugh.

My enthusiasm is definitely waning.

ONE CRITIC WAS A BIT concerned about the possibility of "some kind of rip in the space/time continuum" because Rob Estes is playing the father of the main family in "90210."

Estes was on "Melrose Place" for six seasons (1993-99). And "Melrose" was a spinoff of the original "Beverly Hills, 90210." And now he's on the next "90210" as (gasp!) a completely different character.

But the producers aren't exactly worried.

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