The CW In Talks with Rob Thomas to Write "90210" Spin-off?!?

I had to reread the following story because, at first glance, it seemed completely 100 percent fabricated: netlet the CW is developing an updated spin-off of Beverly Hills 90210.

Before you start to get images in your head of Brandon and Brenda's Minnesota cousins moving to BevHills and enrolling at the local lycee under the tutelage of, say, Gabrielle Carteris' Andrea, let's pause for a second to remember that one of the all-time great primetime soaps--Melrose Place, natch--was a spin-off of the hallowed zip-code series that could and didn't feature any characters from the original flagship series. (Though remember how Jennie Garth's Kelly turned up at first following Jake around like a lovesick puppy?)

While Beverly Hills 90210 creator Darren Star won't be involved with the series, The Hollywood Reporter says that the CW is in talks with Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas to write the pilot script. And if anyone knows the sophisticated teenage class warfare of California like the back of his hand, it's Thomas. And the man can write intelligent, complex teens as evidenced by Veronica and Co.

So why does this news rattle me? For one, I want to see the networks doing some groundbreaking original work for a change and not just remaking foreign scripted formats or spinning off or dusting off old series (Knight Rider, anyone?) like this. (Are there exceptions to that rule? Sure. Just look at Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.) I understand that the CW needs to have a bona fide hit on their hands and what better way than to capture an audience than to use the powerful lure of nostalgia, along with a recognizable household brand? But reviving 90210, really? Why not just spin-off super-snarky Gossip Girl--already a brand associated with the CW--and set it in sunny California?

Also, while I am desperate to see Rob Thomas' name on the marquee again, I would rather see him doing something original and different, something wholly created from the ground up than a series that's clearly intended to cash in on the 90210 franchise for CBS Paramount and slot into an appropriate timeslot companion for Gossip Girl.

The CW will decide by the end of the month if it will order a pilot for the untitled 90210 spinoff. In the meantime, let's just hope this return to Beverly Hills doesn't involve a trip to the Peach Pit...