Going into last night's premiere of the new "90210" I was pretty ambivalent. I was never a huge fan of the original, although a former roommate was, so I had a decent handle on at least the first four seasons. Remakes of popular TV shows are historically problematic (see: last year's "Bionic Woman," the WB's Tim Curry-as-Mr. French "Family Affair," and the revamped "Fantasy Island" from almost 10 years ago). And to be honest, the casting for this show - especially the new teens -- left a lot to be desired.

But surprise, surprise: I actually didn't hate it. I'm tempted to say I even liked it, although parts were boring and I think it has some serious problems to work out.

But first, the good stuff:

-The adult cast of the show is fantastic. Rob Estes (Kyle from "Melrose Place") and Lori Laughlin (Aunt Becky from "Full House") play the Mr. and Mrs. Walsh-type characters, in that their family has just relocated to the Hills from the Midwest. In a smart twist that will hopefully keep the parental figures from becoming as extraneous as the Walshes did, Estes' character plays the new principal of West Beverly High, so he's much more entangled in the school drama. Both he and Laughlin are great, and are believable as a couple, and as parents to two teenage kids. (And they're admirable parents too, not too strict, but not letting their kids run wild in their new social universe either.)

-But neither of them compare to Jessica Walters, late of "Arrested Development," as Estes' character's mother, an aging, alcoholic movie actress. I was wary when I first heard about her character. I feared it would be all depressing, melodramatic Norma Desmond stuff. Instead, Walters is essentially still playing Lucille Bluth - and I wouldn't have it any other way. She was MAGNIFICENT, at turns delightfully dismissive, cheeky, and scheming (but in a good-natured way). More, please.

-I don't know how long it's going to work, but I just LOVED seeing the original castmembers back. Jenny Garth's Kelly will apparently be a recurring character, as she's now the school guidance counselor. (She looked amazing, by the way.) They're already setting up a couple plots for her, including the romantic advances from the scruffy English teacher, her budding friendship with the new principal (I really liked the dynamic between the two of them), and the mystery father of her 4-year-old son. Dylan? Brendan? We shall see. But regardless, I LITERALLY SQUEALED when Shannen Doherty came on the screen - in the PEACH PIT no less - as Brenda Walsh. The scenes between Brenda and Kelly were so damned cute (take a note, new kids; this is how it's done), and even though Shan's looking rough and only had a few bits and pieces this ep, it was good to see her back. Again, more please.

As for what needs work, as I said, the casting for the new teens is pretty suspect. As Nu Brenda (I'm sorry, I don't remember the character's actual name, that's all I can call her), Shenae Grimes left me conflicted. She got better as the episode went on (two episodes, actually, back to back), but at first I thought she was trying way too hard. I still find the scenes with her adoptive brother to be terribly forced. But I will say that she has Brenda's knack for acting na�ve and innocent while simultaneously stirring the shit pot with vigor; by episode's end she had pissed off nearly everyone on the cast.

I was a big fan of Nu Kelly (Naomi, I think? The rich bitch who immediately takes Nu Brenda under her wing, and then screws her over) when she was Eden on "Nip/Tuck," and I like the actress a lot. But she's totally unbelievable as a 16-year-old. She's barely believable as double that. The costuming department does her no favors by dressing her up like an erstwhile Jackie O, and her make-up can best be described as "tranny chic." Still, she's got chops, and that slap she delivered was Alexis Carrington caliber.

Teen girls looking for dreamy hunks to moon over will fine none here. Ethan, the school jock, appears to be balding, and resembles Ben Folds more than Luke Perry. The rest of the boys are similarly underwhelming. Was there a dreamboat famine in the past year that I was unaware of?

That said, the girls sure are cute. I'm a huge fan of Silver, the now-teen baby sis of David and Kelly from the original show (I liked that continuity nod, and the appearance by Andrea's unfortunate-looking daughter in journalism class). She's a troublemaker, but you can tell she's a decent human being under all the faux emo crap. Her nasty vlogs were a highlight of the first two eps. I'm hoping drug-addict drama girl Adriana totally flies off the handle and goes acid-in-the-face nuts, because right now she's kind of a little boring. Stealing a Chanel purse? Honey, you can do better than that. This isn't "7^th Heaven."

I have my doubts about how long they can keep integrating the original cast with the new cast before it all starts to seem like two different shows. The producers are clearly going for a "Degrassi: The Next Generation" thing here, but right now the Brenda arc (at the very least) smacks of blatant nostalgia-baiting. Not that I mind. I just don't know how long it can be sustained.

As for the boring part...yeah. There were long stretches last night where I could not care less about what was happening on screen (mostly having to do with Nu Brendan and getting kicked off the lacrosse team - twice). But I have to say, I thought the premiere episode was much better than the S1 premiere of "Gossip Girl," and after that show found its footing around episode 4 or 5, it developed into one of the most compulsively watchable series on TV. I kind of doubt that the new "90210" will ever approach that level - I just don't think it's smart, or campy, enough - but it certainly has some room to grow. I'm definitely willing to turn in again next week.

Now, let's see what we can do about getting Tori Spelling on...