90210: No pilot for you!

Sigh... now even the pilots that are actually ready to air aren't necessarily being sent out. The following lovely press release from the CW:

"The CW and our studio partner CBS Paramount Network Television have made the strategic marketing decision not to screen "90210" for any media in advance of its premiere. We're not hiding anything . . . simply keeping a lid on 90210 until 9.02, riding the curiosity and anticipation into premiere night, and letting all our constituents see it at the same time."

Now, everybody knows that movie studios don't screen movies that they know stink, and it's long been a tradition for the networks to not send out advance copies of any remotely controversial reality show, but for a network to sit on the pilot of a scripted show, especially one the media had already hyped so much, is a new -- but not necessarily surprising -- one on me.

Like I said last week when the Tori Spelling news came out, I'm beginning to think the new "90210" is going to please neither of its two potential constituencies: not enough old-school characters for the geezers like me, too much (really, any) '90s nostalgia for the younger audience (who allegedly don't watch anything on television anyway, based on the over-the-air ratings for "Gossip Girl"). Given the amount of alleged curiosity about the remake/sequel/whatever, there may be no way "90210" can be helped by going out in advance. (Even positive reviews could be seen as a detriment, based on that whole "Every parent's worst nightmare" campaign for "Gossip Girl.")

But if I'm the CW, a network struggling to justify its existence, and the show that's going to make or break my future is premiering the day after Labor Day, weeks before most people are going to be in the habit of checking out new shows, you'd think getting every bit of potential publicity would be the way to go, no?

Maybe they're banking on people like me being suckers and writing about the show sight unseen. I suppose a blog post like this one (which mentions the show's name several times and refers to the premiere date) suggests that I'm exactly that kind of sucker.

If "90210" does any kind of number when it debuts, I wonder how many other rookies get this treatment. In the meantime, Rich Heldenfels has now done five more recaps of vintage mom-jeans "90210," for episode 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.