With the fall TV season just about underway, the networks are rolling out a number of new shows. This is one in an ongoing series of Media Life previews of these programs.

Name of show
“90210”

Timeslot
CW, Tuesdays 8 p.m.

Plot synopsis
In many ways the plot of the new "90210" mirrors that of the 1990s original on which it’s based. But this time around, instead of the Walsh family moving from Minnesota to Beverly Hills, it’s the Wilson family moving from Kansas to the world’s best-known zip code.

There are four Wilsons: Annie (Shenae Grimes, "Degrassi: The Next Generation") and Dixon (Tristan Wilds, "The Wire,"), who both attend West Beverly High; their father, Harry (Rob Estes, " Melrose Place"), the new principal at West Beverly; and mom Debbie (Lori Loughlin, "Summerland").

The Wilsons moved to Beverly Hills in part to help care for Harry’s mother, Tabitha (Jessica Walter, "Arrested Development"), a former actress with a drinking problem.

Just like Brenda and Brandon Walsh in the ‘90s, Annie and Dixon deal with the pressures of being new kids at school, along the way meeting spoiled rich girl Naomi, jock Ethan, wannabe journalist Navid, and rebel video blogger Silver.

There’s also Ryan Matthews (Ryan Eggold, "Dirt"), the cool and hip teacher at West Beverly, and Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth from the original "90210"), the school’s guidance counselor.

Outlook
"90210" may be the most-talked-about show heading into the new season, ahead even of Fox’s "Fringe," and perhaps the most anticipated show of the past two years.

The challenge for CW is to parlay that word-of-mouth into actual viewers, and it has several things working in its favor.

For one, the series has already generated "Gossip Girl"-style buzz among young viewers, and the online chatter about the series should drive the curious to tune in for tonight’s two-hour premiere.

But the series also has the nostalgia factor on its side.

Many of the women who watched the original series while in high school and college will no doubt tune in to see what the new version’s all about. That will help CW draw the slightly older female audience it's looking to attract.

Yet another factor working in "90210's" favor is that most other networks are still in summer reruns, giving it a head start in building an audience before the others roll out their new season lineups in three weeks.

Tonight's only original competition on broadcast is NBC’s "America’s Got Talent."

But "90210" face one huge problem: the competition it will air against in its timeslot once the new season begins.

It probably has the least to worry about from ABC's new reality game show, "Opportunity Knocks," which is sure to attract a different and older audience should it catch with viewers.

It also doesn't have all that much to worry about from CBS's "NCIS," which averaged a 2.7 among 18-49s in the slot last season, a decent-enough rating, but it also draws an older audience.

But the CW will face big worries from NBC's "The Biggest Loser," which averaged a 3.7 among 18-49s in the time period a year ago and has a sizable audience in 18-34s, "90210's" target viewership.

And it will face truly tough competition from Fox's "House," broadcast’s top drama with a 6.3 in 18-49s last season and also a favorite among 18-34s.


The Buzz
As a marketing ploy to build anticipation for "90210," the CW has not released a screener of the series, so media people have been left to speculate about just how promising the series is. But their sense is that the show is not simply a rehash of the old series but a smart update built around the original's broader themes.

People are certainly curious. "They’ve leveraged social marketing and word-of-mouth in a modern way to increase anticipation," says Karen McCallum, media director at Esparza Advertising in Albuquerque, N.M.

One problem McCallum sees is that as much as the new show may play off the nostalgia factor with older viewers, there's no guarantee it will necessarily click with young viewers.

"The thing that really intrigues me about this is CW’s core viewer wouldn’t remember the original '90210.' It’s a different generation. So I just don’t know if this version can ever do what the original did," she says

But that said, "90210" won't have to do near the numbers of the original to be considered a success for the CW, as a much smaller network that's still finding its way entering its third season.

The series is already a success in the way it's built buzz, following on the success of "Gossip Girl," and its appeal among older viewers should bring audience levels that the younger-skewing "Girl" has failed to attract.

What Critics Are Saying
Without screeners to view, critics, like media buyers, have been left to speculate about "90210," but that's not kept them from writing.

“Yes, 18 years after the original pilot aired, change has come to the iconic California zip code, in the form of grownups with character arcs, lead cast members of color you can’t get in a tanning booth, recreational YouTubing and espresso drinks.” – Rebecca Winters Keegan, Time

“It may be the most important show on the CW since, well, since the last one. There’s always talk about the lights flickering at the fledgling 5th network. It needs a hit ever so desperately. It needs companions for ‘Gossip Girl.’ It needs shiny new toys that the kids love. And so – ‘90210.’” – Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle

“As a critic, part of my job is to preview new shows for you, to describe them and provide some guidance about whether you’d be interested in watching… But the CW knows damn well it has just about the only show that’s creating real buzz this season, and it just makes good business-sense on their part to avoid any chance of buzzkill by not sending it out to critics, some of whom are inevitably going to give it a negative review, or — even more predictably — whine that it’s not as good as the original ‘Beverly Hills, 90210.’” – Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly