The first thing I want you to do is not reflexively roll your eyes at the idea of “Lifetime movie”. Did you learn nothing from Taraji P. Henson last week, who was so proud of the breakthrough she accomplished and the Emmy nomination that resulted on her last Lifetime movie? Click here for a refresher.
Also, remember that Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell are doing a Lifetime movie this weekend apparently for fun, which I appreciate more than you know. “A Deadly Adoption.” Come on now – Lifetime wouldn’t be doing it if they didn’t have a sense of humour.
So then into this we hear that they’re putting together a behind-the-scenes of the first 90210, on the heels of the behind-the-scenes movie of Saved By The Bell, which both sucked and didn’t suck, and the behind-the-scenes movie of Full House, which is going to be disappointing because it won’t be juicy enough, because if it was these people wouldn’t all be getting together again for Fuller House.
But there are a number of things that make me happy about the 90210 movie. First of all, it’s widely reported that it only covers the first four years. That is, The Brenda Years. For many of us that was our first understanding of gossip - that things could be different behind the scenes than they were on TV. Onscreen Brandon and Brenda were womb-to-tomb but offscreen everyone knew Shannen Doherty was a brat, that Tori Spelling was her only friend, and that Jennie Garth giggled about the “I Hate Brenda” newsletter in Sassy magazine.
Who doesn’t want to watch this onscreen? Who doesn’t want to see who they get to play Andrea? At the time of the show she was 29, playing 15, and apparently there was nobody closer to her age who could possibly have been more suitable for the role? I only hope that if the SNL-to-Lifetime pipeline continues to work, that we get what is right and true, and Gabrielle Carteris is played by Rachel Dratch.
The other great thing about this movie is that the same issues that plagued Saved By The Bell – unfairness, cast jealousy, cast hookups – have got to be at play here. You know what? I’m good with that. I am happy to watch it all play out all over again, this time with really incredible hair, and with an executive producer weirdly guarding the virginity of a fictional character played by his daughter. What’s not weird about that?
No air date yet. We haven’t livetweeted in a while though. This might be the occasion to bring it back.
(Bonus points if you realized Jessica Lowndes, starring in ‘A Deadly Adoption’ is from the new 90210.)
