Mystery Girls

Spelling and Garth were and are [a real team]. Mystery Girls is silly, with broad humor, but the nostalgic appeal of these two broads being back together is no mystery.

Most of the show’s meta so far is an expected but amusing sketch of celebrity has-been-ism.

Mystery Girls is silly, tongue-in-cheek fun where we’re all in on the gag. How long it can be sustained is the question. But for now, at the very least, it’s a much better look for Tori Spelling.

There is some joy in seeing Spelling and Garth together again, and in some decent bitchy lines (Garth to Spelling: "I see you're still using more makeup than a geisha"). But the only mystery worth investigating is why the series isn't better.

The show (co-created by Spelling) is standard-issue cable sitcom, with acting that's too broad (Garth is the exception here) and a laugh track that's loud and awkward.

Mystery Girls has some fun with viewer knowledge of rumors of disharmony on the “90210” set (yes, Shannen Doherty gets a shout-out) even if it all plays to cat-fighting women stereotype. Spelling comes off both worse (she’s mistaken for a prostitute twice in the first 10 minutes) and funnier (she gets the best lines; Ms. Garth plays the straight woman).

A few more stabs at 1990s pop culture would go a long way in making this better.

Ultimately, the show is a silly, flimsy, and occasionally fun summer diversion for Spelling-Garth fans. Everyone else can pass on solving this Mystery.

We have a hollow, laugh-enhanced comedy in which the biggest draw is Tori Spelling proving she will do anything to remain on television.