The new 90210 surprised me.  I was expecting a teen soap as scandalous and gloriously trashy as Gossip Girl, but, despite some oral sex, pill popping, and use of the term "bitch lips," the two-hour premiere of 90210 was surprisingly wholesome.  A plot about a bunch of jocks stealing some pigs to strike back at a rival lacrosse team would have been right at home on the old Beverly Hills 90210, as would a story about why it's dangerous to steal someone else's English paper.  The premiere of the new CW soap managed to retain the somewhat innocent family oriented core of the original series, while also updating things for the Blackberry generation.  Color me impressed.

Now that we know the show isn't a debacle, it's time to take a look at the characters and see who, if anyone, is worthy of being the next Brandon, Dylan, Donna or Andrea.

Annie Wilson

She Is:  The good girl from Kansas who falls into trouble the instant she moves to Beverly Hills.

First Impression:  I've recently come to the conclusion that the female lead on any soap is usually insufferable.  They're not allowed to be bitchy and fun like the supporting characters, so they're often relegated to being moralistic killjoys who mope all the time and suck the joy out of any given scene.  For examples of this, please see Marissa on The O.C., Peyton on One Tree Hill, Krystle on Dynasty, or Allison on Melrose Place.

That being said, it's possible Annie could break this mold.  She's already getting into trouble, which is a good sign, and she's not too whiny just yet.  If she knows how to stand up for herself and get her bitch on, she could be the next Brenda Walsh.


Dixon Wilson

He Is:  An expert lacrosse player and the adopted son of the Wilson family.

First Impression:  First off, let me say that it's truly refreshing to have an African-American in the cast of a teen soap, which is something the original Beverly Hills 90210 never had.  Dixon seems like a great guy, his relationship with his sister is surprisingly sweet, and his attempts to fit in with the guys and be known as more than the principal's kid are fun to watch.  He's already more interesting than Brandon Walsh.


Harry and Debbie Wilson

They Are:  The parents of the Wilson clan.  He's the school principal, and she's a hotshot photographer.

First Impression:  It's only two episodes in, and Harry already has a long lost 20-year-old son out there somewhere.  When the family patriarch falls into a scandal that juicy before the pilot is over, it's usually a good sign.  As for Debbie, she won me over the instant she cattily told Harry's ex that they could "swap stories about Harry's penis."


Tabitha Wilson

She Is:  The saucy grandmother of Annie and Dixon who's never met a witty comeback or bottle of gin she didn't like.

First Impression:  Jessica Walter easily ran away with every scene she appeared in during last night's premiere.  I don't even care that she's just playing a spin on her Lucille Bluth character from Arrested Development.  I would love to hang out with Tabitha all day and listen to her stories about Ricardo Montalban cracking an egg on her ass.


Naomi Clark

She Is:  The bitchy girl who really just wants someone to love her.

First Impression:  It's a good thing AnnaLynne McCord is playing the bitch on this show, because it'd be hard for me to accept her as anything else after her stint as the psychotic Eden on Nip/Tuck.  I'm not sure that Naomi is quite on par with Blair Waldorf or Valerie Malone just yet, but McCord seems to have bitchiness in her blood, so I have high hopes for her character.


Ethan Ward

He Is:  The man-whoring bad boy jock with a heart of gold.

First Impression:  Ethan still seems like a mystery to me, but that may be because we haven't had a chance to see his home life just yet.  The Dylan McKay / Ryan Atwood bad-boy-with-a-soul shtick is pretty classic, but Dustin Milligan adds a certain dorky accessibility to the old stereotype.  I must admit that I let out an "aww" when he showed up to give Annie the pentapus at the end of the episode, so he must have won me over.


Ryan Matthews

He Is:  The smart, funny, self-deprecating English teacher who looks like no English teacher in the history of the world.

First Impression:  Ryan, or Mr. Matthews, may be my favorite character on the show so far aside from Tabitha.  I liked his quick wit and his somewhat embarrassing attempt to woo the one and only Kelly Taylor.  Though he seems like a nice guy, I give him about three or four episodes before he's tempted to sleep with a student.


Silver

She Is:  The outsider who lives to mock everyone in her blog, and also Kelly's half-sister thanks to her mom's relationship with David Silver's dad in the original series.

First Impression:  I usually like the catty outsider who loathes the popular crowd, but Silver nearly lost me when she randomly lashed out at Annie for no logical reason.  However, she changed her tune and became friendly again about five minutes later, so I warmed up to her after that.  With her fairly lame blog and her outsider status, she has the potential to become annoying if not written correctly.


Navid Shirazi

He Is:  The wisecracking journalist with the porn king father who used to hang with the jocks.

First Impression:  Navid hasn't made much of an impression at all just yet, but neither did fellow journalist Andrea Zuckerman in the original Beverly Hills 90210 pilot.  I like his sense of humor, and the fact that his dad is a hotshot porn producer is inspired, so let's hope he gets more to do in the near future.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Images courtesy of the CW)