Ed Martin: First "90210" Cliffhanger of the Season: Is Something Wrong With the Show?

In a truly unexpected turn of events, The CW has decided to not make the premiere of its upcoming drama 90210 available to critics and members of the media prior to its scheduled premiere on September 2. Is this any way to treat the most buzzed-about new series of the fall season? What about the press, which has embraced 90210 with an unbridled enthusiasm bordering on the absurd? Following their press conference last month at the Summer 2008 Television Critics Association gathering, the cast of young 90210 unknowns was surrounded by the biggest scrum of the entire tour! Here is the statement the network sent to critics and reporters on Monday: "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 ... (link)