As SMALLVILLE fans know all too well, the CW is never slow to jump on a product placement opportunity. Which is why this TV Addict has spent the better part of Wednesday scratching his head as to how the fledgling network completely missed the ball when it comes to 90210 and the loads of cash they could be making from the incredibly obvious cell phone tie in.
Let’s face it, if Emmy’s were given out this early in the season for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama, Kelly and Brenda’s cellphone carrier would most definitely have to be considered a top five candidate. Thanks to brilliance that is Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile and/or AT&T’s cellphone network [See how easy that was? To paraphrase 30 ROCK’s Tina Fey, can theTVaddict.com have our money now!?], 90210 showrunners Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah have managed to keep fans, not to mention Kelly and Brenda connected to original cast members Brandon and Dylan without (a) having pay them or (b) having to beg, plead and grovel to get them back on the show that made them famous.
Where’s the blatant cell phone shot following Kelly’s reveal that she is taking a leave of absence for two weeks to see if Dylan has changed once and for all? Why no obvious tag-line promoting the fact that [Insert Cell Phone Carrier that ponied up the most cash] has brought frenemies Brenda and Kelly back together? Is Donna in Brenda’s MyFive!Essentially, if 90210 is going to continue down this incredibly frustrating path of revealing major plot points like the identity of Kelly’s baby daddy and the fact that Brandon has a family of HIS OWN via one sided cell phone conversations, should the CW, at the very least, not be making money off a blatant product placement?
Has 30 ROCK executive vice president and pioneer of Seinfeld Vision™ Jack Donaghy not taught CW executives anything? 
Photo Credit: Jaimie Trueblood / The CW @2008