BH90210 premiere ratings off to a great start for Fox

The first ratings are in for the BH90210 premiere, and despite some of the polarizing reviews that are out there, Fox has to be pleased with these numbers.

Overall, the first episode drew close to 4 million total viewers and a 1.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic — that is, by far, the best performance that we’ve seen for any scripted show so far this summer on network TV. This is the sort of performance that suggests that this revival could somehow become a little bit more permanent … but you have to remember that when it comes to revivals few things are ever really permanent. Because nostalgia is a chief driving force behind them, they all have a tendency to fall once viewers get their fix and/or realize that the show is not what it once was. That is likely to be even more the case with this series in particular.

The thing that makes this show’s performance even stranger are all of the question marks surrounding audience expectations. This was not a straight-laced revival of Beverly Hills, 90210 at all. Instead, this was a new meta-comedy featuring the actors playing modified versions of themselves. It was a weird sort of premise for a show like this and while there will be references aplenty to the original show, we’re not altogether sure how this will work in the long-term. If there is a season 2, for example, will that be the actual revival of the show, or will it continue to be watching these actors making something like season 1?

Either way, Fox has to be giddy with the performance one episode in, especially since we haven’t even see the DVR ratings just yet. The premiere ended with a tribute to the late Luke Perry, who was presumably going to be a part of it in some form even though he was a series regular over on Riverdale. Dylan will be missed no matter what the future of BH90210 looks like.

Because this season of BH90210 is so short (only six episodes), Fox is going to have a pretty small pool of episodes to make a decision on in regards to the future — we’ll see if they make the right choice.

What do you think about the BH90210 premiere ratings?

Do you think that Fox is going to be angling for a season 2 quickly on the other side of this? Be sure to share in the comments, and remember to stick around for more news. (Photo: Fox.)