LIFE USA TODAY z FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2019 z 3D
Spoiler alert! The following contains
details from the series premiere of
“BH90210,” “Reunion.”
It’s hard to describe what, exactly,
“BH90210” is. It’s a new Fox TV show, for
sure, a six-week summer fun-run of
slightly trashy television set in sunny
poolsides. It features (sort of ) celebri-
ties playing themselves, but it’s not re-
ality TV. It’s a revival of 1990s teen clas-
sic “Beverly Hills, 90210,” but only in the
show-within-the-show.
The conceit of the new series is that
the original cast of the beloved high-
school drama reunites 30 years later at a
fan convention and then decides to
mount a revival of the series to make
money and help their careers. But we’re
not seeing Kelly and Brendan, we’re see-
ing Jennie Garth and Jason Priestley
discussing Kelly and Brandon. Except
Garth and Priestley are playing fictional
versions of themselves that they’ve in-
vented for the show.
So that means Brian Austin Green
isn’t with Megan Fox; he’s with a fiction-
al pop star named Shay (La La Antho-
ny). Jason is directing a fake superhero
TV series. Gabrielle Carteris is the head
of the “Actors Guild of America,” not the
real Screen Actors Guild. And Shannen
Doherty, well, they all kind of hate her.
It takes a while into the first episode
to figure out what this world is and who
the “characters” are. This Tori Spelling
apparently has no money (and rents a
house). This Shannen Doherty rescues
tigers; this Jason Priestley cheats on his
wife; and this Ian Ziering owns a work-
out empire. If you try to figure out how
this all corresponds to the actors’ real
lives, you’d drive yourself crazy. They’re
mostly playing a random assortment of
has-beens trying to reclaim former glo-
ry.
Despite all the layers of fact, fiction
and hammy performances, “BH” is no
disaster. Especially for nostalgia-crazy
fans (and there are plenty of them)
,Easter eggs, in-jokes and photos and
clips from the original series will satisfy.
If this is the closest thing we get to
“90210” coming back (besides the sur-
prisingly fun 2008-13 CW series), it’s,
well, something. And hey, what else are
you going to watch in August, anyway?
“BH” kicks off with a familiar but
modern update of the opening credits
and a dream sequence back at the PeachPit. We see Tori and Jennie, flying coach
to Las Vegas for a 30th anniversary re-
union panel. Tori, apparently, is so
broke that she’s desperate to get into a
reality show (and to see her former on-
and-off-screen flame Brian Austin
Green). Jennie recently split from her
third husband, but she’s trying to keep it
a secret. They’re still, of course, best
friends.
They meet up with Brian, Ian, Gabri-
elle and Jason in Vegas. Brian is a stay-
at-home dad, only slightly jealous of his
wife’s fame and success. Ian has a
seemingly perfect young wife and a new
book. Gabrielle is a new grandmother.
Jason’s trying to make it as a serious di-rector with the help of his publicist and
wife (Vanessa Lachey). When the re-
union finally happens, it’s a little awk-
ward.
After the panel, for which Shannen
makes a slightly unwelcome appear-
ance via livestream, the gang gathers at
the hotel bar for a round of drinks, and
the antics begin. Jennie almost sleeps
with a hog farmer, but turns him down
when he calls her “Kelly,” and she sleeps
with Jason instead. Tori and Brian do
shots. Gabrielle kisses a female fan.
Ian’s wife accidentally video chats with
him while she’s cheating on him. Tori
drunkenly breaks into an exhibit hold-
ing her famous “90210” red prom dress,
steals it, and puts it back on.
They all pile into Brian’s private jet to
head back to L.A., but the cops are wait-
ing when they hit the tarmac after their
theft of the dress. In the middle of all
this, there’s a lovely toast to the only
original “90210” cast member who’s not
a part of the series, Luke Perry, who died
this year.
After the actors return to their nor-
mal lives, Tori has the bright idea to cap-
italize on their tabloid appearance and
reboot the original show. How this will
come together is left for next week’s epi-
sode.
The pilot is messyand takes a long
time to get going, but there’s ahint of
some decent soapy drama to come. It
might be worth sticking with the series,
if only to see more of Doherty, whose
real-world relationship to the original
show is the juiciest.
Is “BH” ever going to reach the
heights of the original series? Absolute-
ly not.
But in a world in which revivals or re-
makes of popular stories is inevitable, at
least this one is weirdly fun.TV PREVIEW
‘90210’ revival worth it for nostalgia
Kelly Lawler
USA TODAY
Jason Priestley, Brian Austin Green, Gabrielle Carteris, Ian Ziering, Jennie Garth
and Tori Spelling in “BH90210.”SHANE HARVEY/FOXPARIS – The City of Light has tempo-
rarily lost one of its most popular land-
marks after an April fire devastated
parts of Notre Dame. With the Gothic
cathedral out of commission for the
next several years, visitors have a hole
in their itineraries. But it’s not like
there’s little else to see.
Indeed, experienced travelers know
that in almost any city with attractions
of global renown, closures are a fact of
life. Even without the fire that damaged
the medieval cathedral’s roof, spire and
high altar, older structures sometimes
need loving repairs after years of weath-
er and massive foot traffic take their toll.
One of those sites, Maison Victor Hu-
go at the Place des Vosges, is set to re-
open in Marchfollowing renovations.
Overlooking one of the most beautiful
parks in Paris, the second-floor apart-
ment is where Hugo and his family
moved in 1832 as he enjoyed the success
of his his love letter to Gothic architec-
ture, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,”
published one year earlier.
He and his family moved into the
apartment on the second floor of what
was then the Hôtel de Rohan Guemé-
née, at 6 Place des Vosges, in 1832 and
lived there until 1848.
Among the other experiences to try
during Notre Dame’s downtime:
Explore Paris’ other churches
For the Gothically-inclined, there are
alternatives to Notre Dame within walk-
ing distance of the great cathedral on
the Île de la Cité.
Many tourists already have discov-
ered Sainte-Chapelle, a gorgeous and
graceful Gothic gem almost in the shad-
ow of Notre Dame.
Built in the 13th century and restored
following damage sustained in the
French Revolution, the “Holy Chapel”
features 15 massive stained-glass win-
dows that depict scenes from the Old
and New Testaments. The soaring win-
dows almost make it appear that they,
and not the delicate arches, are holding
up the building.
One caveat: Since Sainte-Chapelle is
much smaller than Notre Dame, you
may face a considerable waiting line.
No crowds impede access to another
Paris treasure: Église Saint-Germain-
des-Prés. On the left bank of the Seine
on the fringe of the Latin Quarter, the
Romanesque Benedictine abbey sits on
a plot of land occupied by some form of
church since the 6th century.Near the
altar is the partially completed 13th-
century sculpture of a smiling Virgin
Mary, discovered in pieces under a near-
by street in 1999.See the sights from
a new vantage pointConsider approaching more familiar
and busy Paris sites in different ways.
For example, don’t stand in the long
lines for the elevators at the Eiffel Tow-
er. Instead, take the stairs, where there
is usually no line. It’s a vigorous – and
scenic – workout.Better yet, grab a bottle of wine, a ba-
guette and cheese and plunk down on
the grass of the Champ de Mars near
sunset and watch the the tower’s light
show, on display for five minutes at the
top of every hourafter dark. (Be warned:
You may have to fend off vendors trying
to sell you more bottles of wine and
champagne.)
An even finer vantage point to see
that – with far fewer people – is from
atop the Arc de Triomphe. You can take
an elevator or climb the spiral stair-
case’s 284 stepsto the top. You will be
rewarded with panoramic views of Parisand beyond.Montmartre: A living postcardIf you want to walk through a living
postcard, head to quaint Montmartre,
where the imposing Sacré-Coeur Basil-
ica and surrounding area offer endless
diversions along the cobblestone
streets. Unfortunately, they also attract
endless throngs of tourists.
Step away from the crush and into
gustatory heaven at Le Relais Gascon on
Rue des Abbesses and try to make your
way through any one of a number of tra-
ditional salads from southwestern
France – each topped with a mountain
of potatoes sautéed in garlic.
Of course, the charm of Paris doesn’t
require you to be anywhere in particular.
It is all around, from the tiny cafes
tucked away in a Latin Quarter side
street to the Marché Bastille (a huge
weekly street market) in the Marais
neighborhood to people biking along the
Seine.
The truth is, you can never truly be
through with Paris.
“There is never any ending to Paris
and the memory of each person who has
lived in it differs from that of any other,”
Ernest Hemingway wrote in “A Move-
able Feast.”
It’s a sentiment to which any visitor
can attest.TRAVEL
Paris without Notre Dame: Other must-see spots
James Carroll
Special to USA TODAY
Many tourists already have discovered Sainte-Chapelle, a gorgeous and graceful Gothic gem almost in the shadow of Notre
Dame. The “Holy Chapel” features 15 massive stained-glass windows ELEANOR THORNTON/GETTY IMAGESPeonies await at the Marché Bastille, a
large weekly street market.
JAMES R. CARROLL/SPECIAL TO USA TODAYStep away from the crush and into
gustatory heaven at Le Relais Gascon.
JAMES R. CARROLL/SPECIAL TO USA TODAY