More of a Pit than a Peach

Donna Martin graduates!  Donna Martin gradu…Wait!  This is not the same Beverly Hills, 90210 that I know and love.  How could it be without Donna Martin?  Or Brandon, Dylan, Steve, David and the rest of the gang.
True, in this series, a couple of kids move to the world’s most awesome zip from the Midwest, and there are still designer clothes, flashy rides and even Kelly Taylor hanging out in the halls at West Beverly, but it’s just not the same.
Here’s the deal.  Annie and adopted Dixon move from Kansas to BH with their parents.  Their dad is the new principal at West Beverly Hills High School, replacing Mrs. Teasley, I assume.  Annie becomes good friends with Naomi (who’s kinda like the old first season’s Kelly Taylor) and Silver.  Naomi is dating Ethan, who’s on the lacrosse team with Dixon, although he’s cheating on her with some dark-haired mystery girl.  You see, this is the kind of normal, juicy drama that I love.  If that’s all there was to it, 90210 would probably have a nice relationship with my DVR.
Here’s the bummer.  Kelly Taylor is now a guidance counselor at West Beverly.  What happened to Kelly Taylor Public Relations that she started after quitting her job at Donna’s store Now Wear This?  And what about Dylan?  Kelly just got back together with him at Donna’s wedding.  Next, Annie’s friend Silver is actually Erin Silver, Kelly and David’s little sister from the original series.  If you’re still not feeling connected to the old show, don’t worry! Hannah Zuckerman-Vasquez is the host of Good Morning West Beverly.  So did Andrea finally decide to leave Jesse for good and move back to Cali and live with Grandma Rose forever?  Nat also made an appearance.  I’m not sure if he’s still working at the Peach Pit, but he was serving up reduced fat caramel frappacinos at some fancy looking eatery.  And finally, here’s the kicker.  Brenda Walsh is apparently back in town and decided to pop in and visit with her old pal Kelly.  When we last left the gang, Brenda and Kelly still weren’t getting along, even when Dylan was out of the picture.
I just get the feeling that the show forces too many references to the original series.  If this were just the story and Annie and Dixon moving and going to school in Beverly Hills, it would probably be Gossip Girl-tastic.  It’s got all of the drama that makes these kind of shows so great.  My problem is that the CW is trying to snag viewers like me, who are fans of the old show, but the elements that they are including are just not realistic.  Seriously, didn’t we all learn our lesson when Joey tried to move out west?
In the words of Andrea Zuckerman, the show is more of a Pit than a Peach!