Is Shannen Doherty really coming to the new 90210?
The new 90210 has yet to air but it’s already created a tremendous amount of buzz. The return of actresses Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth from the original series has made news, as well as Luke Perry’s words that he won’t be coming back and Jason Priestley letting the world know he’d be available to direct.
But what about Brenda?
Well, in his new perch at Entertainment Weekly, Michael Ausiello reports that his sources — producers Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah — have confirmed that Miss Shannen Doherty is in formal talks to join 90210 in her original role, Brenda Walsh.
Shannen, who is known for being a bit of a bitch on the set — she had troubles on both Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed — isn’t signing on the dotted line until she knows the story lines.
If she’s as persnickety as reported, she may be the type to count lines. You know, “Why is Jennie getting 12 lines in that scene while I’m only getting 8?” Yeah, that kind of stuff happens.
Ausiello reports that La Shannen is also asking for considerable coinage, i.e. more money than the producers have proffered. She could be negotiating, looking for the best possible deal, but the likelihood of this deal is already looking iffy. How important is it to the CW to have Shannen on the show? Will she ensure that the drama even makes it to the end of the 2008-09 season? Does anybody?
Even if money and story issues are worked out, Ausiello points out the potential personality conflicts if Shannen is signed. She’s had squabbles with Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling during the first series run. Would those acrimonious old feelings crop up again if the writers put Brenda and Kelly and Donna in a scene together?
The word is that Shannen is willing to keep the past in the past, and they’re all older and — presumably — wiser, so maybe it’ll work out.
Here’s what I think, if Shannen Doherty is necessary to make 90210 a hit, the producers will sign her. If the other actors don’t like it, too bad. Suck it up. The chances of a successful run will outweigh whatever qualms in casting. They’d sign Godzilla if they thought it would ensure high ratings. (Is Godzilla available?)
Also, what’s the worst that could happen? Shannen acts up and they have to fire her, it’s as simple as that in my world. Why over complicate matters?
Weeds: Mother Thinks the Birds are After Her (season premiere)
So, the Botwins are beach people now. The opening credits gave us one last look at Agrestic/Majestic before taking us to Ren Mar, Nancy’s new home. We spent a lot of time getting acquainted with some of Judah’s relatives, Lenny and Bubbie. I’m a little squeamish when it comes to serious health issues, so Bubbie already gives me the creeps. Weeds used Dean’s serious injury to get some laughs last season, and now we’re dealing with someone in a vegetative state. I’m repulsed, yet intrigued. Welcome back, Weeds!
With the exception of the pork pie hat, I’m liking Albert Brooks as Lenny so far. Nancy can wrap most men around her little finger, but she can’t win when it comes to her former father-in-law. It’s funny to watch Nancy deal with a man who doesn’t find her charming. Mary-Louise Parker and Albert Brooks already sold me on the strained relationship between Nancy and Lenny. Lenny wasn’t happy to see any of the Botwins, including his son and grandsons. Nancy knew that she had nowhere else to go, acknowledged Len’s hatred of her, and made the best of things. Now that the drug operation and Agrestic home are gone for good, I look forward to seeing the new Nancy. She’s doing a much better job of rolling with the punches.
The Botwin family reunion also gave us some insight into Andy’s past. So many aspects of his personality make sense now. With a neglectful father and a grandmother who might be a dog-killer, he had no chance of being normal. I enjoyed his moment of nostalgia with Nancy as they reminisced about Judah. Naturally it progressed into a conversation about wall stains, but it was still sweet. I’m glad that the writers have never forgotten about Judah and the family’s struggle with loss. Shane is extremely sensitive, and his conversation about the family photos was a great reminder of that. He may be a diabolical genius capable of destroying a teacher’s entire lesson plan, but he’s still a vulnerable kid.
That brings us to Isabelle, another kid who’s too smart for her own good. In a way she’s become the new leader of the gang in Nancy’s absence. She talked Sanjay, Doug, and Dean into naming Celia, and now Celia’s in serious trouble. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we get some scenes with Dean, Doug, and Isabelle sharing a “dude suite” while Agrestic is rebuilt. Several members of the gang were missing, however. I was prepared for Conrad and Heylia’s absence, but I can’t believe that they’re gone for good. The concept of a spin-off for those characters is encouraging, though. Ultimately, Nancy’s new life was never going to include all of the old faces. Her old operation is finished; she has a new job now.
It would be easy to regard Guillermo as U-Turn 2.0, but there are some significant differences. Yes, he’s the guy who made Nancy do that humiliating brick dance, but he’s definitely a step up from a drive-by. Nancy’s position in the Tres Seis gang doesn’t require her to do menial tasks. She’s going to be trafficking now, and that puts her in a higher pay grade. How long will it take for Nancy’s “rules” to fly out the window? When will she get her own business up and running again? Season four is off to a fantastic start.
My favorite quotes of the night:
- “The black guys never get arrested.” –Doug
- “You’re sitting in my mother’s living room eating German food and smelling like gas. She was at Auschwitz, for Christ’s sake. What kind of a monster are you?” –Lenny
- “Get real. It’s all downhill from 30 on.” –Shane, on accepting the aging process
Exclusive: Weeds Creator Hopes for Hills-Like Spinoff
Inhale deeply, folks, because Mary-Louise Parker and Weeds are back tonight on Showtime for a new high-larious season. From what we’ve seen of the season, it’s good stuff, so we hit up Weeds boss Jenji Kohan to get a little scoop and get this: Jenji tells us she’s considering a spinoff of the show that’s “pretty like The Hills.”
Umm…Could there be anything better? Click in for the goods on Weeds 2.0, Nancy’s new luvah and more.
Who’s Missing? Because Nancy burned down her house at the end of season three and pops up in a totally different locale (hint: grandma’s house), Jenji confirms that previous regulars Heylia, Conrad and Vaneeta are gone for season four. (Dean, Celia and Doug remain part of the cast.) “Even though there a lot of changes from last season,” Jenji says, “it really still feels like Weeds. It’s still our show.”
Spinoff? According to Jenji, it was time to split Nancy and Conrad up for good, but she isn’t done with Conrad’s story. She’s thinking of taking those characters and slotting them into spinoff, specifically one “that takes place in a pot club…I’d shoot it sort of fake reality-show style. It could be pretty like The Hills!” She says of Conrad & Co.: “I love those characters; I just think those relationships wore themselves out, and I wanted to be true to where the characters were. Truthfully, Heylia and Nancy had nothing more to say to each other. Conrad and Nancy weren’t going to be the loves of each other’s lives, so it was time to move on.”
Outlaws and In-Laws: Apparently, there was some talk in the writers’ room of sending Nancy, Shane, Silas and Andy to visit Nancy’s relatives after their home in Agrestic was wiped out by the fire, but in the end, they decided that if Nancy’s parents were an option she would have gone to them when Judah died. So the Botwins head down south to visit “Bubbie,” i.e. Judah and Andy’s grandma, and find themselves stuck in the cantankerous presence of Judah and Andy’s dad, Len, played by a comedian you might have heard of named Albert Brooks.
New Kid on the Block: Expect a new romantic interest for Nancy, someone Jenji describes as “a love interest who’s different from the love interests from other years.” He’s in the drug business (big time), because, as Jenji points out, “When you do what she does, your dating pool is somewhat limited.” Hey, is Nancy going to date a drug kingpin? “I think so…” says Jenji.
It’s Just Business, Not Personal: For the record, Nancy is not hooking up with Mexican druglord Guillermo any time soon. Jenji says it’s totally platonic and “I think he’s already got several baby mamas.”
The Truth Is Out There: So in terms of the big canvas of the show, what’s in store for Nancy in season four? According to Jenji, “I think the big thing this season is Nancy does a lot of tap dancing in her own head, rationalizing, pushing things down, convenient avoidance. This is the first time that she’s really going to encounter things that are not up for debate, that are black and white, where there’s a moral line.” Like what? “I can’t say.” Hint: She won’t traffic heroin.
What are Nancy’s other unbreakable rules? Tune in to see. Weeds season four premieres tonight on Showtime at 10.
Rob Thomas is no longer heading the 90210 spinoff
Every time I see an image of Rob Thomas I can’t help but think, “man, that is one huge neck.” Sorry, just had to get that out of the way.
It turns out that the aforementioned tight-tie-wearing director/producer/writer has decided to pass on heading the Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoff series to concentrate more on a couple of other projects, one of which we’ve already mentioned before: Cupid and Good Behavior. Thomas will still be involved with the spinoff show, but only as an executive producer. In fact, the script for the series is being totally rewritten by Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah from What About Brian (Update: They also wrote for Freaks & Geeks and Undeclared). In a nutshell, fans of Rob Thomas won’t likely be feeling the Rob Thomas-ness in this series.
This isn’t the first time in recent history that Thomas has stepped down from a new series. The same thing happened with Miss Guided last year, though it’s unclear if that show has suffered at all from his departure.
[via PopCandy]