Reading the tabloids is no longer necessary for knowing about former presidential candidate John Edwards’ recent visit with his former mistress at a Beverly Hills hotel. The only reason to bring this up is that this meeting took place in the wee hours at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, on the penultimate day of the national TV critics press tour at the same location. Apparently, not one TV journalist caught wind of this rendezvous, thereby missing the biggest story to emerge from the scene of the summer TV press tour.

Instead, we had to endure the drone of TV executives talking incessantly about their wonderful slate of new shows for the fall season. One of the networks presenting its wares at the Beverly Hilton was the CW Network, which is known affectionately in some circles as the “love child” of two former networks, UPN and the WB. I know this union has nothing to do with a former North Carolina senator, but it seems too ironic to ignore altogether.

Before I digress any further, let’s look at where we are now with the CW Network, which having dropped “WWE Smackdown,” seems more firmly in the grip of its target demographic audience, namely younger adult women.

Dawn Ostroff, president of Entertainment at the CW, told the gathering of TV critics that in assessing the appeal of its shows, the network doesn’t look at households, but flatly stated that “what we go after is the 18- to 34 year-old woman.”

You can’t argue with that point, when it’s obvious that the biggest show on the CW is “Gossip Girl,” one that I would not watch under gunpoint, which is about privileged teenage girls at an elite private school in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Even the advertising for this show looks a little risqué, focusing on steamy sex scenes.

Adhering to its target demographic, one of the CW’s new fall series is “Privileged,” the story of one young woman navigating the treacherous waters of high society in Palm Beach. Twenty-three-year-old Megan Smith (JoAnna Garcia) has a Yale education in journalism she’s putting to good use slaving away at a tabloid rag. Then, in one whirlwind day, she gets fired, meets cosmetics mogul Laurel Limoges (Anne Archer), and becomes the live-in tutor for Laurel’s twin teen granddaughters in the swank Florida town.

“Privileged” has the CW Network written all over it, as our young heroine gets caught up in the heady world of wealth and power. The girls under her tutelage aren’t too thrilled, but Megan enjoys the perks of a private suite, nice car and live-in chef. She catches the eye of Will Davis (Brian Hallisay), the super-rich dilettante who lives on the estate next door and just happens to be dating Megan’s estranged sister Lily (Kristina Apgar). The plot is bound to thicken, and if you’re an 18- to 34-year-old female, you may want to tune in to “Privileged.”

Another new series to begin in early September is the edgy, contemporary spin-off of the iconic drama “Beverly Hills, 90210.” The new show is titled simply “90210,” because everyone who is hip knows this zip code belongs to that exclusive Southern California city with its pedigree of wealth and prestige.

The new “90210” looks at life through the eyes of Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes) and her brother Dixon (Tristan Wilds), whose first day at West Beverly Hills High School leaves no doubt they’re not in Kansas anymore.

The Wilson family, including dad Harry (Rob Estes) and mom Debbie (Lori Loughlin), has relocated to this nice zip code to keep an eye on Harry’s mother Tabitha (Jessica Walter), a feisty but faded former television star and a charter member of the Betty Ford Clinic. It’s awkward for the new kids at school when their dad has taken the job of high school principal. Jennie Garth, an original student on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” is now the beautiful guidance counselor Kelly Taylor. Kelly’s former classmate, Donna Martin (Tori Spelling, another original student), owns a local clothing boutique.

At the TV critics press tour, it was announced that Shannen Doherty’s Brenda Walsh will guest star in multiple episodes as a successful theater actress returning to her alma mater as a guest director for the school’s musical production.

Coming to the schedule at the end of October is a new reality show called “Stylista.” Eleven aspiring fashion enthusiasts vie for a much-coveted editorial job with “Elle” magazine. The contestants work as assistants to the magazine’s fashion news director, Anne Slowey, a demanding but well-respected fashion icon. The competitors carry out an assistant task and a fashion editorial assignment in each episode.

Each week, Slowey fires one person, until the last assistant standing gets “promoted” to the coveted real-life job opportunity. The grand prize includes a paid editorial position at “Elle,” a paid lease on a great apartment in Manhattan, and a clothing allowance, all for one year, valued at $100,000. “The Devil Wears Prada” should be considered required viewing for any prospective contestant.

During her remarks to TV critics, Dawn Ostroff announced a reality show called “13 – Fear is Real,” which is described as “The Blair Witch Project” turned into a competition show. The participants get bumped off and are never seen again, at least on the show. To create a spooky climate, the filming takes place in the remote bayous of Louisiana. I believe the contest winner will get to live in a FEMA trailer in Plaquemines Parish.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

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