TVSquad

(S01E01 / S01E02) Wow. So, within the first five minutes it becomes abundantly clear that this is not your momma's 90210. First of all, there are actual non-whites at West Beverly High! Er, well, at least one. But he's a main character! Secondly, kids at West Beverly don't just hang out at the Peach Pit or whatever before class, they perform sexual acts in their big, shiny SUVs!

Other things are the same, however, such as the fact that being a new kid still sucks: even if you're an impossibly skinny girl with perfect teeth and hair like a shiny, pretty labradoodle, like Annie Wilson. People still call you Farm Girl, and Kelly Taylor's sister posts mean blogs about you. Meanwhile, if you're her brother, even being a lacrosse star can end badly, when jealous kids get you kicked off the team.

90210's premiere is a little uneven, but also oddly entertaining. One thing that everyone can agree on though, is that Jessica Walter is still awesome.

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

(S01E01) Some shows come out of the gate with such a power that you can't help but stand up and take notice. For the far too few of us who happened to catch Arrested Development when it premiered, it quickly established that it was going to be something a little different than the other comedy fare on the television. The trend at the time was moving toward the single camera format, that's almost become the norm for comedies nowadays (The Office, My Name is Earl, hell NBC's entire Thursday night lineup).

There was a time when audiences were less receptive to this kind of television. It was funny, but minus a laugh track. So while shows like The King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond and even According to Jim had this comfortable format with the basic house set and laughter to cue us into the funny bits, AD was something a bit more challenging. Perhaps it was just a few years ahead of its time, or perhaps it was on the wrong network (FOX), or perhaps it was just too smart for its own good.

As we all know by now, Friday is 99.9999999% more than likely the last time any new episodes of Arrested Development will ever air on Fox. Whether or not Showtime picks it up, I've relegated myself to the fact that this is a good thing. Fox has treated this brilliant show like garbage. Hopefully though, we'll get an announcement some time within the next week or two officially canceling the show, which will then lead to an official announcement from Showtime. Well, one can hope. So to celebrate Friday's swan song, we here at TV Squad will be having a Live Arrested Development Chat.  Will George Michael and Maebe maybe hook up? Will Lucille 2 make her triumphant return? What will become of the banana stand? I honestly don't know, but I can't wait to see, and I hope you all join me. Check back here on Friday at 8pm EST, it's gonna be one wild ride off into the sunset.