Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 25, 1993 TAG: 9309250312
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-15 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: N.F. MENDOZA LOS ANGELES TIMES
DATELINE: HOLLYWOOD LENGTH: Medium
But don't worry about the revamped shows getting too serious for their fans. Romance and relationships seem the likely focus for the seniors at West Beverly and Bayside who graduated at the end of last season with pomp and prime-time circumstance.
The "90210" teens spent two years in high school - spanned over three years - but it was always the plan to move them on, says Charles Rosin, the show's executive producer.
"We started to plan what their lives would be like outside of high school," Rosin says. "Conceptually, we were trying to reinvent the television show, which may be fraught with danger, since it has an appeal to a certain audience. We didn't want to stray from the formula, but we wanted to move them forward."
Other recent shows built around college life, NBC's "A Different World" and Fox's "Class of '96," have graduated to real life - they're off the air. But the producers of "90210" and "Saved by the Bell: The College Years," are confident that the new settings will allow for even more engaging plots and relationships.
As Dan McDermott, senior vice president of current programming and specials for Fox says, "This is not going to be a college show, any more than it was originally a high school show. It's not going to be about college, dorms, midterms, those aspects. The kids-adults are dealing with the issues and problems and joys that they'll confront and face as well, in a way that older and younger audience members would, which is why we feel so confident and are moving so boldly forward. We're absolutely confident it will be a success."
While the plan may have always called for the `90210'ers to move on to college, it wasn't originally in the report card for "Saved."
"It's the best wisdom, to send them on to college" - and prime-time - now, says Peter Engel, executive producer of "Saved." Few had expected the nighttime graduation exercises to draw so many viewers. When it did, the network thought higher education sounded like a pretty good idea.
"Saved" star Mark-Paul Gosselaar, says the cast is looking forward to tackling more serious issues and notes, "We were almost censored on Saturday mornings. Our storylines will cover just the things that happened on `90210' but in a lighter way."
"90210," on the other hand, will follow the lives of the privileged and not-so-privileged teen idols "with the same feel the series has always had," says Rosin. Relationships and romance will still be the core of the show.
But, hey, romance won't be a stranger to "Saved" either. The romantic triangle, "always our staple," will play a part in the characters' lives, Engel promises.
Other issues tackled on "Saved" will include Slater (Mario Lopez) getting in touch with his Latino roots, the guys deciding whether to rush a fraternity and the importance of a professor as a mentor.
The "90210" producers keep close-mouthed on where they're going with their flock.
"There will be new romantic configurations, new social issues and new issues being explored in a more mature orientation to the world" is all Rosin will say.
However, "90210" cast members let slip that Steve (Ian Ziering) will join a fraternity and try to get Brandon (Jason Priestley) to do the same. Andrea (Gabrielle Carteris) will have an interesting love life this year with changes in the way she looks - she'll be more mature and less studious. David (Brian Austin Green) will become more serious about his music and get involved with campus radio at night.
Unlike "Saved," not all the `90210'ers will be attending the same school, but they'll remain in the same zip code, a neat trick.
"Saved by the Bell: The College Years" features original cast members Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Dustin Diamond and Tiffani Amber-Thiessen. NBC had originally planned to send only the male cast members off to college unless all the women agreed to join the new show. When only Thiessen wanted to continue, the producers decided to write her in anyway.
"She was the most popular of the girls," Engel says, hoping that popularity will carry over into the evening slot.
What it all comes down to for both teens and TV shows is popularity. Will college sit well with fans, or could "90210" and "College Years" flunk out by midterm? Stay tuned.
"Saved by the Bell: The College Years" airs Tuesdays (at 8 p.m. on WSLS-Channel 10) "Beverly Hills, 90210" airs Wednesdays (at 8 p.m. on WJPR-Channel 21/27).
by CNB