Once upon a time, TV networks actually wanted critics to write about their shows.

But the CW seems to be taking a different tack with 90210, its reboot/continuation of Fox's classic '80s teen soap Beverly Hills 90210, announcing Monday that it would send no screeners to media of the new show, apparently counting on industry buzz to build viewership.

My hunch: The show's so bad, hanging-by-a-thread CW would rather take chances with old school fan buzz -- debuting in a week where everything from Gossip Girl to Prison Break and The Shield is coming back to new episodes -- than see its biggest hope for survival drown in a flood of wiseacre putdowns. And there's always the chance some geek will stick the pilot on BitTorrent, ensuring that the knot of fans currently anticipating this may scratch their itch before the show even airs.

The statement: ""The CW and our studio partner CBS Paramount Network Television have made the strategic marketing decision not to screen "90210" for any media in advance of its premiere.  We're not hiding anything . . . simply keeping a lid on 90210 until 9.02, riding the curiosity and anticipation into premiere night, and letting all our constituents see it at the same time."

Contrast that with Lost/Alias mastermind J.J. Abrams, who sent critics an advance screening of his highly-anticipated show for Fox, Fringe, despite the fact that a version of the pilot was already on BitTorrent (the DVD arrived in my mail Monday with a way-cool digital recorder featuring a short monologue from the coolest character actor on TV now, Lance Reddick).

Seems somebody has a bit more confidence in his new show than some other people. That's all I'm saying...Check the only thing either of us may get to see of 90210 before the premiere -- the latest promo: