It was a hit for the WB. More than that, it was a pop culture sensation.

Williamson displayed a knack for creating teenage characters who were hyper-evolved intellectually, if not emotionally. The concept was original, and for a few years it seemed every network was looking to develop similar series about attractive, talky teens. “Creek” spawned the likes of “Gilmore Girls,” “Veronica Mars,” “The O.C.” and countless less-memorable copycats.

Williamson is back, this time with "Hidden Palms,” another teen-centric drama set in a clubby Palm Springs community. The formula is largely the same: young, pretty, ultra-verbal human pinballs bouncing off one another in endless romantic permutations.

What is new is a mystery component, clearly a nod to the recent popularity of serialized dramas.

But there’s a big problem. Williamson hasn't changed much in the four years since “Creek” left the air, but television has. Uber-snarky, pop culture-soaked characters are no longer the rage. Even the worthiest “Creek” descendants (“Mars,” “Gilmore”) have been canceled.

Someone should have explained all this to Williamson. No one did, and that becomes clear in tonight's premiere episode of "Palms," airing at 8 on the CW.

Once again we find him splashing about in vocabulous teen angst but this time it's a puddle, not the deep pool of a decade ago, and that puddle is fast evaporating.

Beyond that, there’s just not much logic to "Palms."

We watch as the protagonist, Johnny (Taylor Handley, “The O.C.”), joins in a late-night golf course sprinkler dance with a random hot girl wearing only a nightie. But there's no dramatic logic to explain what led up to the sprinkler dance, and the effect is that the whole incident comes off as ridiculous. Then the next day Johnny and the very same nightie girl engage in a totally unbelievable conversation that touches on God, evolution and Will Ferrell movies.

Trust me, it’s not as clever as it sounds.

Johnny has just moved to Palm Springs after a stint in rehab. His mom (Gail O’Grady, “NYPD Blue”) wants a new start after Johnny’s dad commits suicide.

Johnny quickly meets his neighbors, who are all conveniently quirky, mysterious or both.

Among them: Cliff (Michael Cassidy, “The O.C.”), whom we learn isn’t as charming as he first appears after he kicks a dog (seriously). There’s also Cliff’s cougar of a mom, Tess (Sharon Lawrence, “NYPD Blue”), and Greta (Amanda Heard, “Alpha Dog”), our nightie girl.

Liza (newcomer Ellary Porterfield) is the nerdy neighbor who has turned her garage into a test tube-filled laboratory. That's because she’s so nerdy, get it? Of course, she cleans up real nice when she wants to get Johnny’s attention.

The mystery element involves a guy named Eddie, who previously lived in Johnny’s house and who died under suspicious circumstances.

But none of these characters come off as originals but rather as cribs from “Creek” or one of its offspring.

And the actors aren’t nearly as good. In retrospect, the “Creek” cast seemed like the Royal Shakespeare Company when compared to the “Palms” cast. They made Williamson’s language work.

This crowd doesn’t come close. Handley and Heard are particularly unconvincing. At times they seem not to understand their own dialogue.

And it’s just sad to see former “NYPD Blue” castmates O’Grady and Lawrence so thoroughly wasted.

But ultimately the failure of “Hidden Palms” may be more fundamental than the bad acting, weak dialogue or the cheap tactic of using wall-to-wall songs as a substitute for creating real emotional moments.

That failure is one of time. This show's time may simply have passed. What felt sharp and fresh in 1998 now comes across as self-conscious and worn out. “Hidden Palms” isn’t just bad. It’s tired.