By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Feb 27, 2019 at 3:31 PM

Today, with the help of a not particularly informative mini teaser trailer posted above, FOX announced the return of the popular '90s primetime soap "90210." But networks mining a popular series for a reboot – particularly from the '90s – is nothing new or novel. I mean, the CW just revived "90210" barely a decade ago. So why are we here?

It's not that the show is coming back; it's HOW that's raising eyebrows.

In the six-episode limited series, "90210" will bring back almost all of the original cast – who, you will be amazed to hear, were available: Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, Jason Priestley, Brian Austin Green, Ian Ziering and Gabrielle Carteris. Notably missing are Luke Perry, who's currently on a primetime soap throwback of a different variety, "Riverdale," and Shannen Doherty – though, according to Entertainment Weekly, the door is open for a return for them as well. 

OK, that's fun – but that's still nothing special. It's not like this is the cast of "Friends," big names that graduated to other big projects; most of these people have either disappeared from the spotlight  or clung to it via reality shows, Hallmark movies and "Sharknado."

Here's where the interesting part comes in: The returning cast will not come back as their old "90210" characters. Instead, they'll be playing versions of their real-life selves coming back together for – wait for it – a fictional "90210" series reboot, with all of the off-screen and on-screen drama that implies. 

Will this meta twist make for a fun guilty pleasure? Or is this just a mega-disaster, a '90s corpse just dressed up in some new ripped jeans and Keds? I guess we'll find out when the mini-series returns this summer. One thing's for certain, though: Heather Locklear and Thomas Calabro just called their agents to ask about a "Melrose Place" reboot. Wait, we already tried that? Well, served me right for underestimating Hollywood's aversion to original concepts!

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.