Reality TV goes back to school

For all of you old enough to remember the ever-popular “Beverly Hills, 90201” and the more tame version, “Saved By the Bell,” reality TV has crossed another line and brought us back to the days of hall passes and home room.

With the WB no longer in existence, TV Land and the creator of “The Bachelor” have brought back “High School Reunion” by taking a group of high school classmates from J.J. Pearce High School in Dallas and bringing them together for a 20-year reunion.

The network has made sure that every clique is represented in “High School Reunion” with the jock, class bully and clown, the scrawny kid that no one would date, the awkward girl, the drama queen, and of course, miss popular.

But this time around, things are a little different. Most of the cast of characters hasn’t seen each other in 20 years, with the exception of one now-divorced couple of high school sweethearts who keep things interesting in the house that the contestants share.

The producers also try their hand at matchmaking by providing hall passes throughout the show for one guy or girl to pick a classmate to go out with on a date – and some of them do attempt to round a few bases.

Not only are there new romances in the house as both the men and women discover that they’re not the gawky teens they once were, but rivalries also come to the surface. With age and experience comes the ability to be yourself, not a stereotype, and these 1980s grads aren’t afraid to show each other who they have become.

Kat comes out of the closet to reveal that she’s a lesbian and had to pretend not to be in high school. Matt is struggling with the recent death of his wife. Once scrawny Justin hit a post-high school growth spurt and now has the attention of some of the ladies (much to the disgust of Rob, the class stud).

I’m not saying it’s great or compelling, but if you’re bored and want to become addicted to the lives of other people, tune in to TV Land tonight at 6 and again at 7.