New faces in a familiar ZIP code

Beverly Hills is back on the viewing map with '90210'

LOS ANGELES - The last time producing partners Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah teamed up for a television show about kids navigating the sometimes treacherous, sometimes humorous waters of high school, the show was 2004's "Life as We Know It," and the pair offered to buy their own billboards to create awareness. "Freaks and Geeks," their previous teen-centric project, was similarly short-lived.

On Tuesday the duo will return to the world of teen angst with the much buzzed-about CW update of "Beverly Hills 90210," simply called "90210." Perhaps you've heard about it?

"We've never had an opportunity like this, with advertising and having a budget with real money," says Sachs, still slightly dazed at the concept.

But with its mostly unknown young cast, the new kids at West Beverly Hills High have had a tough time grabbing the spotlight. Most of the chatter about "90210" has centered around which of the original actors from the hit Fox series will be participating.

This is slightly troubling to Lori Loughlin, the "Full House" vet who plays Debbie Wilson, matriarch of the new show's central family.

"My concern is the people who will turn it on and say 'Wait a minute, where's Luke Perry?' But I think if you know going in that it's a new show, you're not disappointed."

Unfortunately, the CW compounded the problem by deciding to withhold advance screeners from television critics, who could have alerted viewers to the distinctions between the original and new recipes.

On paper, it doesn't sound like the CW is altering the formula all that much. "Beverly Hills 90210," which ran on Fox from 1990-2000, chronicled the fish-out-of-water travails of the Walsh family following their move from Minnesota. "90210" concerns the transition being made by the Wilsons - parents Debbie (Loughlin) and Harry ("Melrose Place" alum Rob Estes), daughter Annie (Shenae Grimes), and adopted son Dixon (Tristan Wilds) - from Kansas.

So far, so much the same, with an African-American twist courtesy of Wilds, changing scenery dramatically from his previous role on "The Wire." But with their background in poignantly comic dramas, Sachs and Judah promise alterations have been made.

"We're examining how does this family come from Kansas to Beverly Hills, and this whole new world, and keep its moral center?" says Judah.

In one way, "90210" will distinguish itself by hewing to conventions that have cropped up in recent series that took inspiration from the original - shows like "The O.C." and "Gossip Girl," where the parents have juicier roles.

"Our generation of parents, we've done everything [our kids] have done, so it's a lot harder for them to get away with stuff and it's a lot harder for us to judge them," says Judah of risqué storylines involving sex and drugs. "We also have the POV that a lot of this generation of parenting has been throwing money at kids, and if they give them a car or they give them clothes that's parenting. We don't believe that's parenting."

"I think [original show producer] Darren Star is brilliant, but we won't be perhaps as one-dimensional as those characters," says Loughlin of the ever-understanding Jim and Cindy from the original. Plus there will be a grandparent on the show, a rehabbing grandma played by the indomitable Jessica Walter. (When asked about the similarities between tippler Tabitha Wilson of "90210" and the lush Lucille Bluth of Walter's last series, "Arrested Development," she quips, "Lucille liked vodka and Tabitha likes scotch.")

The primary difference, say Sachs and Judah, will be one of tone, however. Out with the after-school-special moralizing and mild camp of the Aaron Spelling original. In with the more realistic vibe of "Freaks and Geeks," they promise.

"We want kids in Michigan to say, 'That's how I felt when my mom yelled at me, that's how I felt when that guy didn't ask me out,' " says Judah. "That's the central thesis: Kids are kids and they're made by their parents. The other stuff is sort of glitz that goes around it."

Links to the first show come with the recurring appearance of Jennie Garth as Kelly Taylor, now a West Beverly High guidance counselor; Shannen Doherty, in a multi-episode appearance as Brenda Walsh, now a guest drama teacher; and Peach Pit proprietor Nat, as played by Joe E. Tata.

Jessica Stroup co-stars as a character named Silver, who will probably be revealed as Erin, the younger half-sister of original characters David Silver (Brian Austin Green) and Garth's Taylor.

New cast members all say they understand fans' obsession with their predecessors. But they are determined to make a cultural mark of their own.

"It's understandable that everybody's going to talk about the original cast that made the footprints for us," says Wilds. "The only job that we have to do now is show them that we're making footprints as well."

No matter how deep those footprints go, at least Sachs and Judah know they won't have to dip into their own bank accounts to boost the fortunes of "90210." But with great marketing comes great expectations.

Given the alternative, says Sachs with a laugh, "We'll take it."

Sarah Rodman can be reached at srodman@globe.com