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Chattanooga: Fan reaction to the new class at West Beverly High

By: Susan Pierce
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Mandy Savage

The new class of West Beverly High School has drawn fire from critics for its underweight starlets, but “90210” took a hefty bite of the ratings in its premiere, thanks to 30-something former fans excited about its return.

“I actually love the new season,” said WUSY personality Kim Carson. “It’s a throwback to my teenage years; the show brings back those good, fun memories.”

The original “90210,” a Darren Star-Aaron Spelling teen soap opera, hit the air in 1990 and ran 10 years. Anticipation for a return to the storied zip code has been building since it was announced last spring that original stars Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty would reprise their roles as frenemies Kelly Taylor and Brenda Walsh.

The two-hour premiere of “90210” made CW history as the highest-rated telecast of a scripted series ever on the CW (Comcast cable 6 in Chattanooga). The premiere drew 4.9 million viewers, according to industry reports. The second week, viewership dropped 30 percent before leveling off at 3.3 million viewers last week.

Ms. Carson said she ran an impromptu poll on her blog to see who was watching locally — “primarily women in their 30s like myself,” she said. Of those voting, 38 percent loved the show, 23 percent didn’t.

“I think everyone in my era grew up with the Walshes,” said Mandy Savage, manager of investments and cash management at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. “We copied the fashions: rolled blue jeans and big hair, big hair and more big hair.”

Mrs. Savage said the Brenda/Dylan/Kelly triangle kept her tuning in the ’90s, but she has no interest in watching this revamped series.

“You just don’t mess with a Darren Star creation,” she said.

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