The series focuses on the original cast members of Beverly Hills, 90210—Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling, and Shannen Doherty—playing heightened, fictionalized versions of themselves.

Having parted ways 19 years after the original series ended, they reunite to get a reboot up and running, and must reconcile their new lives with the complications of their histories together.

Jennie Garth returned in a heavily recurring role, while Tori Spelling and Shannen Doherty also made appearances and Jason Priestley directed an episode.

that he had attempted to sell a "loosely scripted" reunion special in which the original cast members appeared as themselves at a dinner party at his house, with a target airdate of September 2, 2010 to commemorate the show's numerical title; however, he failed to find a network interested in buying the project.

In March 2018, it was reported that Garth and Spelling had partnered with CBS Television Studios to produce a 90210-related series in which they would play "exaggerated versions of themselves.

[39] That same day, CBS Television Studios confirmed the project was still in "early development" and called it "an untraditional take on a reboot with some of the original cast.

[43] According to Spelling, the creative team's intention was to do a continuing series, but the network opted for a limited episodic order so they could expedite production for a summer debut.

"[10] Garth and Spelling then approached the original cast about appearing, leading to months of creative conversations to flesh out the concept and develop fictionalized versions of themselves.

[53] While the writers looked to other shows with similar concepts, such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and Episodes, as examples, Chessler considered this series more challenging because it featured an entire ensemble playing themselves rather than just one actor.

[52] Garth stated the new series would ignore the CW revival, on which she was prominently featured, as they aimed "to move away from that sort of image and go back to the original concept.

[14] Costume designer Mandi Line collaborated heavily with each actor to develop their wardrobe, which included recreations of specific outfits worn on the original series.

We always kind of envisioned it as an event… So we felt like to do it as a short-term event where you could just catch up with these actors that you love and do something that was wildly different was a great way to honor the legacy of the show.

"[69] Carteris indicated that the series was being shopped elsewhere,[70] Garth also stated they were working on finding a new network for the show, and added the confusion over its cancellation could help fuel future storylines.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Though BH90210's strange take on the 'reboot' doesn't always hit its mark, it still proves an endearingly wild trip thanks to its committed cast's continued chemistry.

[5][82][83] Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the series a 'B' grade in her review, calling it "a poignant and funny meditation on midlife mortality.

"[84] Uproxx's Kimberly Ricci thought the series "presents an interesting (and refreshing) perspective because it kind of hates itself", and praised the performances for their "self-mockery.

"[85] Judy Berman of Time gave a positive review and praised the series' novel premise, dubbing it "the audiovisual equivalent of a beach read that’s smarter than it needs to be.

"[86] Anne Easton of Forbes gave the episodes a favorable review, complimenting the "witty, quippy, and snarky" writing and opining that Spelling "matured in her thespian abilities, showing more range in both her comedic, and, well, intentional overdramatic moments.

[88] Kelly Lawler of USA Today wrote that although the series does not reach the heights of the original, "in a world in which revivals or remakes of popular stories is inevitable, at least this one is weirdly fun.

"[5] In a separate review ranking BH90210 among other television reboots, Lawler wrote, "it's just a middling soap opera about slightly washed-up celebrities trying to have one last ride," and placed it at number 14 out of 17 shows.

[89] Linda Holmes of NPR called the series "cute" and "strange," and wrote that she found it challenging "to give a proper critique of something [that's] more like a bonus feature on a DVD than anything else.

[91] Though Willa Paskin of Slate gave the series an "A for effort," she criticized its "try-hard playfulness" and called it "not funny or smart" despite its clever premise.

"[92] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe felt that the series would be stronger as a half-hour sitcom, and criticized the storylines as "fairly dumb," opining that, "there was little to entice those who tuned in for the premiere, to get a glimpse at everyone, to return for more.