Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 | |
---|---|
Format | Teen drama/Soap opera |
Created by | Darren Star |
Starring | see Cast |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | 296 |
Production | |
Running time | 44 minutes (60 including commercials) |
Broadcast | |
Original channel | FOX |
Original run | October 4, 1990 – May 17, 2000 |
External links | |
IMDb profile | |
TV.com summary |
Beverly Hills, 90210 is a primetime television soap opera that aired from October 4, 1990, to May 17, 2000, on FOX in the United States and subsequently on various networks around the world. The show followed the lives of a group of teenagers living in the posh, star-studded community of Beverly Hills, California and attending the fictitious West Beverly Hills High School and then-fictitious California University. The show was created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling. The "90210" in the title refers to one of the suburb's postal codes (or Zip Code).
Originally the central characters were fraternal twins Brandon (played by Jason Priestley) and Brenda Walsh (played by Shannen Doherty), who moved with their parents, Jim and Cindy, from Wayzata, Minnesota, a Minneapolis suburb, to Beverly Hills. However, during the show's run, its focus shifted substantially. The show addressed many topical issues like date rape, alcoholism, drug abuse, teenage suicide and teenage pregnancy.
The show gained popularity during the summer of 1991, when FOX aired a special "summer season" of the show while most other series were in reruns. The series became one of FOX's top shows when it began its season that fall. Viewership increased dramatically and the cast members, particularly Jason Priestley and Luke Perry, became teen idols, while the series would make actresses Shannen Doherty and Tori Spelling household names.
Contents |
Cast
- Jason Priestley as Brandon Walsh
- Shannen Doherty as Brenda Walsh
- Jennie Garth as Kelly Taylor
- Luke Perry as Dylan McKay
- Ian Ziering as Steve Sanders
- Gabrielle Carteris as Andrea Zuckerman
- Brian Austin Green as David Silver
- Tori Spelling as Donna Martin
- Carol Potter as Cindy Walsh
- James Eckhouse as Jim Walsh
- Douglas Emerson as Scott Scanlon
- Joe E. Tata as Nat Bussichio
- Kathleen Robertson as Clare Arnold
- Tiffani-Amber Thiessen as Valerie Malone
- Hilary Swank as Carly Reynolds
- Vanessa Marcil as Gina Kincaid
- Lindsay Price as Janet Sosna
- Daniel Cosgrove as Matt Durning
- Mark Damon Espinoza as Jesse Vasquez
- Jamie Walters as Ray Pruit
- Vincent Young as Noah Hunter
Characters
- Brandon Walsh: Brandon and Brenda were born November 1974. Consistent protagonist of 90210; twin-brother of Brenda; aspiring journalist; sympathetic good guy; had a problem with sports gambling; Student Body President and TV station correspondent at CU; romantically involved with Kelly, Nikki, Emily, Lucinda (secretly as she was a married university professor), Susan and Tracy; nearly marries Kelly, but they decide not to go through with it at the altar. Moved to Washington D.C. after graduating from college.
- Brenda Walsh: Twin sister of Brandon; one-time girlfriend of Dylan; generally a good girl, but is known as the rebellious twin; was held up at gunpoint by an armed robber; had both breast cancer and pregnancy scares; fell-out with best friend Kelly over Dylan; arrested for breaking and entering an animal laboratory at the university in protest of animal rights, but was not charged; moved to London after first year of college to pursue an acting career. She would never appear in another episode after moving to London. While the character is mentioned as getting back together with Dylan after he leaves the show to the point of Brandon and Kelly planning to vacation with Brenda and Dylan as part of their honeymoon (which never took place due to Kelly and Brandon deciding not to get married), this continuity is forgotten as Dylan claims to have left Brenda two years prior to his return to Beverly Hills in the ninth season.
- Kelly Taylor: Kelly Marlene Taylor was born March 1974. Brenda and Donna's best friend; romantically linked to Steve, Dylan, Brandon, Colin and Matt. Reunited with Dylan at the end of series after breaking up years earlier. Mother suffered from cocaine and alcohol abuse; became David's stepsister and has had two half sisters: Erin by her mother and Joy by her father; was the victim of rumors and gossip during high school, Seventeen Magazine covergirl; burned during an electrical fire that broke out at a house rave party, was brainwashed and joined a cult under the direction of a rogue university professor; had problems with diet pills and later became addicted to cocaine; went to rehab and recovered with help of her friends. Kelly was later stalked and held at gunpoint by her roommate from rehab. Became pregnant by Brandon, but had a miscarriage due to endometriosis, was shot in a robbery gone-bad at LAX and subsequently had amnesia; volunteered at AIDS hospice and later worked at a free clinic where she faced sexual harassment by a doctor but was able to overcome it with the support of Brandon. Almost married Brandon but changed her mind right before walking down the aisle. Was raped in an alley when attempting to locate Dylan, shot and killed her rapist, but murder charges were never filed against her, and she's forgiven by his parents for her actions. Was on show for all ten seasons.
- Dylan McKay: Born: Dylan Michael McKay in October 1974. Rich, motorcycling, surfing school rebel; lived by himself in the BelAge Hotel and then in his own house and when he returned in the ninth season he was back to living at the hotel again. Romantically linked to Brenda, Kelly, Valerie, Antonia, and Gina; wife, Antonia, murdered; always had a soulmate connection with Kelly but couldn't commit to domestic life; father in prison for white-collar crimes and later, supposedly killed in a car explosion in 1993 but Dylan finds out in 2000 that he is alive and well and in the Witness Protection Program. They reunite briefly. Hippie mother in Hawaii; they had a strained relationship but apparently reconciled. Found out he had a half-sister who was later found to have become a prostitute in LA by Kelly and Brandon. During the early run of the series, Dylan reveals he is an alcoholic and regularly attends AA meetings. However, when Dylan returns in the ninth season, his character is now a heroin addict rather than an alcoholic, and no one ever says anything during the many scenes that show Dylan drinking in spite of the large inconsistency with character development; Dylan is no longer seen attending AA meetings. Dylan is also part-owner of the Peach Pit, which caused Brandon to be jealous, during the fourth season. He later buys Peach Pit After Dark to save it from being bought by a greedy restaurateur. He and Kelly apparently got back together in the final episode after breaking up years before.
- David Silver: Becomes the West Beverly High School D.J.; On-again-off again boyfriend of Donna but later marries her; dated Ariel (who he cheated on Donna with), Claire, Valerie, Sophie, Camille and Gina. Aspiring music video director and musician; initially he is a year younger and thought of a geek by the others, but eventually became their friend and thus part of the in-crowd. Took extra courses in high school to graduate on time with his friends; once took crystal meth; later in the show, his friends became worried about him when he was diagnosed with manic depression, but he overcame that problem. Experimented with boys. On the show for all ten seasons.
- Donna Martin: Born: December 25, 1974. Best friend of Kelly and Brenda; dated David; longtime virgin; suffered abuse at hands of boyfriend Ray; almost failed to graduate high school due to alcohol consumption at Senior Prom. Had a learning disability of partial dyslexia. Was almost raped by Garrett Slan, a campus rapist and later stalked and taken hostage at the college TV station by the obsessed cameraman, Evan. Romantically involved with David, Griffin Stone, Ray Pruit, C.U. quarterback Joe Bradley and Noah Hunter. Finally had sexual intercourse for the first time with David on the night they graduated from college. Briefly abused prescription drugs before opening her own clothing store. Married David in the final episode. Like Kelly, Steve, and David remained with show for entire 10-year run.
- Steve Sanders: Steven M. Sanders was born May 15, 1975. Friend of Brandon, and was Kelly's one-time high school boyfriend; adopted by TV star Samantha Sanders and her husband Rush; learns Rush is his biological father but that his birth mother died. Once took steroids; party-planning athletic fraternity member; had brief romance with Celeste, whom he met on a TV dating show. Once had a near encounter with a transgendered model. As an adult, romantically involved with Clare and Janet; Became magazine editor and later married Janet; had a daughter with Janet named Madeline and became stay-at-home father. On the show for all ten seasons.
- Andrea Zuckerman: Class Valedictorian; school newspaper editor; secretly commuting to Beverly Hills from Van Nuys; Brandon's best friend while harboring a not so secret crush on him; teen hotline volunteer worker; almost had sex with Brandon at the end of the first season and at the senior prom. Romantically linked to Jay, Dan, Jesse and Peter, with whom she later had an extramarital affair. Married Jesse, they had a baby girl named Hannah, and left Beverly Hills and California University to attend Yale while Jesse pursued his law career, they would later divorce. She was the show's conscience. Wore glasses for the first two seasons, then switched to contact lenses.
- Scott Scanlon: Nerdy and socially awkward best friend of David; grew apart from David when David started to become close with the school's core group; accidentally killed himself in front of David while playing with a gun at his birthday party. David and his friends buried a time capsule in his memory. Scott was a main character during the first season of the show, but his role was reduced to recurring just prior to the character's death in the second season.
- Emily Valentine: Troubled newcomer to West Beverly; drugged Brandon with euphoria (4-methylaminorex) at a rave; spent time at a mental hospital after threatening to torch herself, along with a parade float, along with writing threatening letters to West Beverly and leaving obscene phone messages on the Walshes' answering machine; met up with Brandon later in San Francisco during the fourth season before moving to study in France. Briefly returned during the fifth season of the show and almost had an affair with Brandon at the same time Kelly was burned in a fire.
- Nikki Witt: Brandon's milquetoast, freshman girlfriend during his senior year in high school. Flirted with David while Donna was in Paris but later became friends with the group. Had an abusive ex-boyfriend at which time Brandon came to her aid. Wore down Brandon's defenses, then began dating him. Moved back to San Francisco after reconciling with her parents.
- Stuart Carson: Brenda's wealthy, twenty something year old, suitor shortly after starting college. Proposes to Brenda after knowing her for a short time and they almost wed in Vegas but both come to their senses. Brenda later breaks up with him when she realizes she's still in love with Dylan.
- Jesse Vasquez: Bartender; Law student; became husband to Andrea after only dating her for a short time after she became unexpectedly pregnant. Had one night stand during business trip during Andrea's affair with Peter, who was also married. He moved to Connecticut with Andrea, and they later divorced.
- Clare Arnold: Met the group while she was a senior in high school and they were college freshman. She stayed through a few middle seasons; known for her high IQ; wild daughter of a wealthy diplomat and college chancellor; aggressively, yet unsuccessfully pursued Brandon while she was still a high school student and he was in college; Kelly and Donna's roommate/friend. Started California University as a college sophomore. Changed throughout the show, at first she was wild, however, she eventually became part of the gang. Romantically involved with David and Steve; she was the first girl to nail Steve's feet to the ground. Once almost moved in with Steve, but ended up moving to France with her father.
- Valerie Malone: A classic-type bad girl; very sociopathic and a pathological liar; old family friend of the Walshes from Minnesota before moving to Buffalo, New York. Slept with or dated: Steve, Dylan, David, Ray, Colin and Noah; manager/part-owner of the Peach Pit After Dark. A regular cigarette and marijuana smoker; periods of suicidal tendencies; had an HIV scare; became romantically involved with her married accountant Kenny and later blackmailed him by pretending to be pregnant; was sexually abused as a child; nemesis of Kelly's until they reached a truce right before she moved away. Reveals that she murdered her father to get revenge on him for molesting her; it was thought for years that he committed suicide. Returned in the final episode for Donna and David's wedding.
- Ray Pruit: Blue collar construction worker; up and coming singer/songwriter who becomes the house musical act at the Peach Pit After Dark shortly after it first opens; romantic interest of Donna; comforted Donna after her break up with Griffin; becomes sexually involved with Valerie after becoming frustrated with Donna's vow of virginity; became physically abusive to Donna and stalked her after she broke up with him. Went to therapy to make up for it and wrote a song for her in apology. After apologizing to Donna and recovering, he became engaged to Wendy Stevens.
- Joe Bradley: All-star quarterback at California University; came to Donna's aid after Ray became abusive to her; had surgery for a heart-condition and was cut from the football team; dated Donna and proposed to her, but she rebuffed him and he returned to his hometown to coach his high school football team.
- Antonia "Toni" Marchette: Daughter of Dylan's father's supposed killer and mobster Tony Marchette; became romantically involved with, and eventually married to, Dylan as he initially tried to use her to get to her father, he later truly fell in love with her; accidentally killed by a hitman that was hired by her father to kill Dylan the day after their wedding.
- Colin Robbins: New York artist who meets Kelly during her internship in New York; moves to L.A. to begin relationship with her; old boyfriend of Valerie's; Colin's lifestyle is secretly supported by a female gallery owner in exchange for physical favors; has a cocaine problem and drags Kelly into it; jumps bail after Valerie posts her club assets for his bond and is sentenced to two years in prison for drug possession and fleeing arrest.
- Gina Kincaid: Was born February 25, 1975. Former ice skater; Kelly and Donna's roommate; dated David and Dylan; loved Dylan but Dylan loved Kelly; resented Donna for her privileged childhood; at first she is portrayed as Donna's cousin, but later it is revealed that she is Donna's half-sister after Dr. Martin had a drunken one night stand with her mother, Felice's sister. Left Beverly Hills after Dr. Martin's death.
- Janet Sosna: Steve's Japanese girlfriend and later wife; parents nearly disowned her due to interracial relationship; journalist at Brandon and Steve's newspaper; married Steve and has daughter with him named, Madeline.
- Matt Durning: Engaged to Kelly late in the final seasons; Lawyer. Secretly married to a mentally ill woman who later divorces him, engagement is broken off after he reveals he cheated on Kelly while under the influence of LSD.
- Noah Hunter: Met the gang in Hawaii during Donna's fashion photo shoot at beginning of the eighth season; secretly rich; accidentally killed his girlfriend Beth when he was driving drunk in the Hollywood Hills; romantically involved with Valerie and Donna; father committed suicide; struggled with alcohol problem.
- Susan Keats: Editor of the college paper, self-proclaimed feminist, love interest of Brandon, was impregnated by ex-boyfriend Jonathan Caston, had an abortion and later won an award for her article on the right to choose. Moved to Washington, D.C. to work on the Clinton/Gore campaign. Brandon broke up with her because of this decision.
- Tracy Gaylian: News anchor for TV Station at CU. Dated Brandon for most of the seventh season, but Brandon breaks up with her when he realizes his true feelings for Kelly. Later met up with the gang during their trip to Hawaii and learned she is engaged.
- Carly Reynolds: Single mother who moved to Beverly Hills to get a fresh start; waitress at the Peach Pit; love interest to Steve. Moved back to her home in Montana with her son to care for her sick father.
- Camille Desmond: David's final girlfriend before he realized his true feelings for Donna; clothing designer; worked for Donna and Kelly at their boutique.
- Nat Bussichio: A former movie actor and fatherly operator/part-owner of the Peach Pit Diner; often serves as a voice of reason and source of advice to the younger characters, especially Brandon. Nat later married his sweetheart Joan and had a baby boy with her.
- Jim and Cindy Walsh: Brandon and Brenda's parents; later moved to Hong Kong when Jim was promoted. Jim served as Dylan's business manager on and off despite rocky relations between the two at times. Down to earth Cindy is seen as not only a loving and sympathetic mother to her children but also to her children's troubled friends, especially Dylan and Kelly.
- Jackie Taylor: Kelly's mother; former model, married multiple times. During the first season of the show, Jackie was addicted to drugs and alcohol, which led to her making a scene at the mother/daughter fashion show. Jackie then entered rehab, and remained clean through out the rest of the series. Later married David's father in the second season and had a baby with him. They then divorced when Mel was caught cheating, but later got back together and broke up again. Kelly sometimes found her to be overbearing. Jackie continued to make appearances throughout all ten seasons of the show.
- Dr. John and Felice Martin: Donna's parents; Personified wealthy, conservative, social climbing Beverly Hills socialites. Straight-laced mother Felice: who was caught by Donna having an affair once, more often than not proved to be an obstacle in her daughter's ambitions. For example, Felice disapproved of her daughter mixing with the likes of Kelly and David and once even supported West Beverly's decision to suspend her daughter prior to graduation. Overprotective and uptight, she often tried to sabotage Donna's relationships with David, Ray, and Noah. Donna's father finally admitted that he was Gina Kincaid's natural father and died from a massive stroke a few episodes later. Felice finally gave in to Donna's relationship with David and even helped get them back together at the end of the series.
- Mrs. Teasley: Assistant principal at West Beverly who frequently gave motherly advice to the "gang". Was in attendance at the going away party when Andrea left for Yale. Attended Donna's bachelorette party in the final episode.
- Other cast parents: Kelly's absent father was shown occasionally at events like high school graduation, he got arrested at Kelly's lavish college graduation party which he threw for her. He also almost married Valerie's mother but stood her up at the altar. David's unfaithful father Mel was shown in the middle of the series when he married and divorced Jackie Taylor, then lived with her again until Gina blackmails him; David's mother was shown as sweet and loving but suffers from manic depression. She attempts suicide and she later would come to David's aid when he is hospitalized. Dylan's father Jack had a brief run after being released from prison but was then apparently killed only to later reappear after secretly being enrolled in the Witness Protection Program; Dylan's negligent new-age following mother Iris occasionally appears but lives in Hawaii; Steve's adoptive mother Samantha, who loves him as her own, shown early in the series as a former sitcom star and in later episodes as a lesbian; Steve's father Rush shown as a doting overbearing distant parent. Although it was thought for years he was his adoptive father, Steve learns that Rush is indeed his real father.
Departures and decline
Shannen Doherty
The show's later years had some controversy and frequent casting changes: most notably when Shannen Doherty left the show at the end of the fourth season over her reported diva-like behavior, and her feud with fellow cast member Jennie Garth. Reportedly, Shannen met with the show's producers in December 1993, and all parties agreed that Shannen should leave the show. Doherty's character, Brenda Walsh, was written off the show as moving to London to attend school at the Royal Academy for Dramatic Arts. While the character's absence was originally described as only being for a year, she never returned. She was replaced with former Saved by the Bell star Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, who played bad girl character Valerie.
Luke Perry
Perry left 90210 voluntarily towards the beginning of the sixth season to pursue other interests. Luke Perry's controversial send-off features his character Dylan marrying Antonia (Rebecca Gayheart), the daughter of the mob boss who ordered his father's death during the third season. Before the marriage, Dylan attempted to use Antonia to get to her father, but falls in love with her instead. Her father, uncomfortable with the marriage, orders Dylan's death. The hired hitman inadvertently kills Antonia instead due to the fact that she is driving Dylan's car at the time of the planned hit, and is wearing a hooded raincoat, so the hitman cannot see who he is shooting. Dylan leaves town heartbroken, after his father-in-law reluctantly agrees to a truce in the wake of his daughter's death. It is revealed later in the series that Dylan's father was not really murdered and that he had faked his death in order to enter the Witness Protection Program. Perry returned permanently during the ninth season of the show, but was now credited as a "Special Guest Star," much like Heather Locklear was on Melrose Place.
Perry's sixth season departure (in episode 154, "One Wedding and a Funeral," aired 08-Nov-1995) was derided by some television critics, who felt the story line was too contrived to be believable for the character [citation needed] and over-the-top to be taken seriously.
Gabrielle Carteris
Gabrielle Carteris left the show following the fifth season. Her character, Andrea Zuckerman, changed radically during the transition from high school to college. In high school, Andrea was the brainy editor of the West Beverly Blaze, who had a crush on Brandon and secretly lived out of district. During the fourth season, the character's freshman year of college, Andrea drops journalism, becomes pregnant, and gets married to someone she barely knows before the year is out. While the pregnancy plotline was written at Carteris' request, so as to incorporate her real life pregnancy, this was a major shift for the character, and also caused her to become isolated from the other characters on the show. At the end of her original five year contract, Carteris voluntarily left 90210 for her own self-titled talk show, which lasted only one season. Carteris returned to 90210 for guest appearances during the sixth, eighth, and tenth seasons.
James Eckhouse & Carol Potter
Both actors left the show following the fifth season at the end of their original five year contracts. During the high school years of the show, Jim & Cindy Walsh played a secondary role on the show, offering advice to Brenda and Brandon, along with their friends, but were rarely given plotlines of their own. They generally would spend most of their time reacting to various things that Brenda, Brandon and later Valerie did. As the show entered the college years, Jim and Cindy were moved even farther into the background as the show took on a much more soap operatic tone and the characters grew up, reducing their need for parental oversight. Following the fifth season, both characters left Beverly Hills for Hong Kong, making occasional guest appearances in the sixth, seventh and eighth seasons. Strangely enough, even though all the Walshes eventually left the show, the Walsh home continued to play a central role in the series. For example, after Brandon moved to Washington D.C., the house was occupied by Steve, his wife Janet, and their infant daughter.
Jason Priestley
Jason Priestley stopped acting on the show at the beginning of the ninth season. However, he remained an Executive Producer for 90210 through the end of the series. In the show, Brandon is still reeling from his aborted marriage to Kelly, and is offered a job in Washington, D.C., which he accepts. Brandon was the last Walsh family member to leave Beverly Hills, and his only other appearance on the series following his departure is by video to Donna and David at the time of their wedding.
Decline and cancellation
When 90210 began, the show was heavily issue-oriented with Brenda and Brandon facing a different teen issue nearly every week in largely self contained episodes. As the show progressed, it became more character driven with the characters entering into various love triangles, while dealing with general high school issues. As the show moved into the characters' college years, the writing changed and episodes were now largely plot driven and much more soap operatic than they previously had been. While remaining popular in the ratings, the critical acclaim that the show garnered during its early years waned as it became more of a standard night time soap opera.
Another issue was the steady and sometimes questionable cast changes as the years went on. Brenda begat Valerie who begat Gina. Brandon begat Matt. Dylan begat Noah. Andrea begat Susan. Clare begat Carly who begat Janet. By the time the show ended, many of the original characters had left, and the very premise of the show, a Minnesota family adjusting to life in Beverly Hills, had long since been abandoned.
Due to the various cast changes and changes behind the scenes, ratings for the tenth season declined to an average of 10 million viewers per episode (according to the May 2000 issue of US weekly). The ratings were small compared to the millions who had watched previous seasons. The lower ratings, along with the high costs associated with any television show in its later seasons led Fox to cancel the series in January 2000. The final episode aired in May 2000. However, even with all the cast changes, the series finale of the show attracted a large amount of viewership. In fact, the finale placed in the top 15 for the week it aired with over 25 million viewers.
Since then there has been a special reunion episode in 2003 to celebrate the 10 years of class of '93, featuring Jennie Garth, Luke Perry, Jason Priestley, Gabrielle Carteris, Ian Ziering and unexpectedly Shannen Doherty but not either Tori Spelling or Brian Austin Green. Reunion episodes being quite rare, this shows how much impact the show has had on television.
Melrose Place connection
The series Melrose Place was initially a spinoff from the show, as actor Grant Show (who played Jake on Melrose Place) appeared for a multi-episode run as Kelly's love interest, and a friend of Dylan's. Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling and Brian Austin Green also made appearances as their 90210 characters in the first few episodes of Melrose Place. In later seasons, Melrose Place's development into an ultra-sensationalistic soap opera influenced its predecessor, which headed off into the same direction.
However, the initial failure of Melrose Place during its first season created a ban on future 90210 spinoffs; plans to split 90210 into two shows (one focusing on the main cast and another focusing on a new group of high school students) upon the graduation of the main cast from high school were aborted, and the characters brought in during 90210's third season for this purpose (the freshman students at West Beverly who were mentored by the 90210 cast during their senior year) were dropped.
Parodies
The Rap duo, Insane Clown Posse, released an EP titled, Beverly Kills 50187, obviously regarding the show
Star later produced a series Grosse Pointe, which satirized the production of a high-school soap opera being filmed in Los Angeles. The show was clearly a 90210-style show.
Another aspect of the show that was the subject of parody was the fact that many of the show's cast members were in their mid-to-late 20s and not teenagers. In particular, Luke Perry and Gabrielle Carteris were singled out for most of the criticism regarding being too old to play teenage characters.
Saturday Night Live did their own parody of the show when Jason Priestley hosted in 1992. In the episode, it is announced that the zip code 90210 would be changed to 90218. Several of the kids took offense to it and reacted in different ways (Kelly and Donna go shopping, Dylan gets drunk, Brandon keeps taking everyone's keys and putting them in a lock box feeling they are not able to drive, etc.). In the end, the zip code reverts back to 90210 after protest.
The Short-lived Fox Television sketch show The Edge did a parody of 90210 that mocked Tori Spelling. During the sketch, the character of Tori constantly says, "I can do whatever I want because this is my daddy's show." Aaron Spelling took offense to this, and asked for an apology from the producers of the show (he never got one).
The Mickey Mouse Club did a parody sketch called Beverly Hillbillies 90210, combining the characters of both 90210 & The Beverly Hillbillies.
MADtv made its own parodies of the show as Beverly Hills, 90210 B.C. set in prehistoric Beverly Hills. When Luke Perry made his high profile return to the series, MADtv did a second parody entitled Beverly Hills 9021-H20 which had the characters being stalked and killed off by Luke Perry, who had rejoined the cast as a masked killer who was a parody of Michael Myers of the Halloween film series.
Czech TV Nova parody show made parody of the show known as "Heverly Debils". Three miniepisodes (about 10 minutes each) were filmed.
GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan released a song called Killah Hills 10304, an ironic reference to the show's title in a song about crime and a rough neighborhood.
Ratings
- Season 1 (1990 - 1991) - #115
- Season 2 (1991 - 1992) - #49
- Season 3 (1992 - 1993) - #44
- Season 4 (1993 - 1994) - #51
- Season 5 (1994 - 1995) - #58
- Season 6 (1995 - 1996) - #62
- Season 7 (1996 - 1997) - #70
- Season 8 (1997 - 1998) - #68
- Season 9 (1998 - 1999) - #82
- Season 10 (1999 - 2000)- #89
Episodes
Influences on popular culture
- The punk rock band Relient K refers to the show "90210" in their song "Hoopes, I Did It Again."
- The Canadian rock band Boys Night Out named one of their songs from their 2003 full-length debut release (Make Yourself Sick) "It's Dylan, You Know The Drill" after the message on Dylan's answering machine.
- Switchfoot refer to "the 90210" in their song "Poparazzi" from the album Learning to Breathe.
- As a result of the show, 90210 is the most familiar ZIP code for people who live outside the United States. It is often used to sign up for services intended only for U.S. residents.
- Hard rock band Wednesday 13 refer to the show 90210 in the title of their album Transylvania 90210: Songs of Death Dying and the Dead.
- In Sweden, the names Dylan and Brandon suddenly became popular in 1992 through 1994. Both names are awkward to pronounce for the average Swede and were almost completely unknown before the show started airing in the country.
- Many people have been poking fun at the cast's ages during the run of the show. On Family Guy, when Peter must go without TV for weeks, he constructs a TV out of a box he can look out of and goes to his daughter's high school, thinking it's West Beverly. Seeing Meg Griffin there, he mentions that the producers must be desperate to keep getting guest stars for the tenth season. (This episode aired during 90210's final season). During Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, Stewie Griffin mentions the old kid on 90210, and it cuts to a scene of the cast with an elderly, and possibly senile old woman named Angela.
- In American Dad!, Roger the Alien entertains his Arab husband with tales of "the Land of West Beverly, where all the teenagers are in their thirties".
- In an episode of Nickelodeon's Doug, upon watching an episode of "Teen Heart Street", a 90210 parody, all of Doug's friends start wearing his casual attire, which is referred to as the "Dylan Farhnam look", which was a take on Brandon Walsh and Dylan McKay.
- In its initial broadcast in the Philippines in 1991, the local TV network ABS-CBN mistakenly pronounced the series title as Beverly Hills NINETY-TWO-TEN (instead of the normal "Nine-Oh-Two-One-Oh"). To this day, many Filipinos recall the series as "Ninety-two-ten", even though the error was corrected.
- The show is referenced briefly by name in a song in A Goofy Movie, created by Disney.
- The show name is also mentioned in the Salt-N-Pepa Song "It's None of Your Business."
- Sideburns were widely grown after about 1991 as a result of this television show.
- In an episode of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air from 1993, where Will and Carlton attempt to join a college fraternity, there is a scene where the pledge leader asks Carlton where he is from and he mentions Bel-Air, right across the street from the producer of 90210. The pledge leader mentions that he doesn't watch it, and then Carlton mentions that he doesn't know what he's missing, as that Dylan is on the verge of getting back with Brenda. Will then tells him to knock it off, as they're in enough trouble as it is, then quickly asks if its true or not.
- In the Pearl Jam music video for Jeremy, 90210 appears as text as a part of the collage effect of the video.
- In 1994, DC Comics had each annual special published as an Elseworlds story. In the L.E.G.I.O.N. Annual #5, written by Tom Peyer, one of the stories in the annual was a parody of 90210 called L.E.G.I.O.N., 90210, which had the cast of L.E.G.I.O.N. filling the roles of 90210.
Trivia
- There was not a single character that appeared in all 296 episodes of the show, however, Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth are the cast members with the most appearances with 292 episodes followed by Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green both with 291. Kelly Taylor is the character who has appeared in most episodes, 294 in total, counting her Melrose Place appearances.
- Talks about 90210: The New Class began towards the end of the show in 2000, but the project was eventually cancelled.
- Beverly Hills High School is actually located in ZIP code 90212. There are three zip codes in Beverly Hills and the most affluent homes lie within the mostly residential 90210, where the High School does not. However, the characters attended the completely fictitious West Beverly High School, which could have been located in any ZIP code. The filming location for West Beverly High School was in the less affluent lower middle class community of Torrance, CA at Torrance High located in the 90501 zip code. Torrance High can also be seen in other shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
- Tentative titles for the show included Class of Beverly Hills (which would end up being the name of the first episode) and Potomac 20854, with Star's actual high school, Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Montgomery County, Maryland—a school with similar demographics to Beverly Hills High—as an inspiration.
- Tori Spelling was not originally given a significant role in the show. In the pilot episode, and during much of the first season, she is simply another member of the supporting cast.
- Luke Perry is not an original cast member of the show; he was not featured in the pilot at all. His character Dylan McKay was originally intended to only appear in one story arc. Fox was initially reluctant to have him included as a regular, but Aaron Spelling felt differently and paid Perry's salary himself during the first two years until the network was won over.
- Lyman Ward was originally cast as Jim Walsh and played him in the original pilot but his scenes were reshot. The reshoots are especially noticeable as Jason Priestley's hair changes length, and the Walsh house sets change in appearance (from the original Walsh house used in the pilot to the Walsh house used in the rest of the series) between the original pilot and the reshoots.
- The cast were juniors in high school during the first and second season. Fox specifically asked that the characters be kept in high school as long as possible.
- In the first season, the Walshes hire a Hispanic maid named Ana. She is never seen in any other seasons nor is it mentioned what happens to her.
- Tori Spelling and Kathleen Robertson reunited in the film Scary Movie 2 in 2001.
- Although Brandon and Brenda moved to Beverly Hills from Wayzata, Minnesota, Brenda pronounced it incorrectly when explaining where she was from. She pronounced it as WAY-z-ah-ta as opposed to WHY-zeh-ta.
- Shannen Doherty's role in 90210 was referenced during both her appearances in movies by Kevin Smith. In both Mallrats and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, she is greeted by a character who exclaims "Brenda?!" to which she angrily answers "Dick!".
- In an episode of What I Like About You, Jennie Garth and Jason Priestly re-unite. When they first see each other, Jason's character asks Jennie's character, "Didn't we go to high school together?"
- Brandon tries out for the Basketball team in the first season, named "Wildcats" which is also the name of Mary's Basketball team on 7th Heaven.
DVD Releases
Single releases
DVD Name | Ep # | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | Additional features |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Pilot Episode | 1 | June 15, 2004 | None |
Season releases
DVD Name | Ep # | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | Additional features |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Complete First Season | 21 | November 7, 2006 | November 13, 2006 | August 17, 2007 | "Beginnings With Darren Star" "Meet the Class of West Beverly High" "90210 Behind the Scenes" "Looking Back: Season One - The Recap" Darren Star audio commentaries. *No audio commentaries on region 4 DVDs. |
The Complete Second Season | 28 | May 1, 2007 | May 28, 2007 | TBA | "Our Favourite Valentine" "Everything You Need to Know About Beverly Hills, 90210 Season 2" "Meet the Walshes" |
The Complete Third Season | 30 | December 11, 2007 | November 13, 2007 | TBA | "7 Minutes in Heaven" "The World According to Nat" "Everything You Need to Know About Beverly Hills, 90210 Season 3" Episode guides (menu-based). |
- Most of the original music has been changed for the DVD releases, as well as (starting with season 2) some episodes edited from their original broadcast versions.[1]
International
- In Australia, the show was shown on Network Ten and reruns on cable channel, FOX 8 and their now ceased Fox Kids.
- In Austria, the show was shown on ORF1.
- In Flanders (Belgium), the show was broadcasted in 1991 on the nation's first commercial channel VTM
- In Brazil, the show was shown on Globo under the name "Barrados No Baile" and repeated on Sony Entertainment Television .
- In Bulgaria, the show was shown on Nova TV. Now, the seventh season is being shown on Diema TV since September 2007.
- In Canada, the show's first few seasons aired on CTV different days and times and then the later seasons aired on Global alongside FOX. It was also shown on TVA (in French).
- In the Czech Republic, the show was shown on TV Nova and TV Prima.
- In Croatia, the show was shown on HRT.
- In Denmark, the show is in repeats on TV 2 (Denmark) every weekday.
- In Finland, the show was shown on MTV3.
- In France, the show was shown on TF1.
- In Germany, the show was shown on RTL every Saturday.
- In Greece, the show was shown on Mega Channel.
- In Hungary, the show was shown on TV2 every weekday.
- In Iceland, the show was shown on Stöð 2. It is currently shown on Skjár Einn
- In India, the show was shown on STAR TV (now renamed Star World)
- In Indonesia, the show was shown on RCTI and became one of the most popular shows during the 90s, beside MacGyver.
- In Ireland, the show was shown on RTÉ.
- In Israel, the show was shown on Channel 3 and Kids Channel.
- In Italy, the show was shown on Italia 1.
- In Japan, the show was shown on NHK.
- In Mauritius, the show was shown on MBC1 on Sunday Nights at 8:00pm during the mid-late 90s in French. Named "Show of the Year", four straight years 95-99.
- In New Zealand, the show was shown on TV2 and is currently being re-run weekday afternoons on Prime.
- In the Netherlands, the show was shown on Veronica, currently called RTL 7.
- In Norway, TV3 Viasat had and still owns the right to broadcast the show. It's been in reruns twice 2005-2006.
- In the Philippines, it was shown on ABS-CBN Channel 2's Primetime Block in 1991.
- In Poland, the show was shown for the first time on TVP2 (Seasons 1-4 only). Afterwards all seasons were shown on TVN. Now, the first season is being shown on TV4 (Poland).
- In Portugal, the show was shown on RTP1 and the final season on RTP2.
- In the Republic of Macedonia, the show was shown on Makedonska Televizija (MTV).
- In Romania, the show was shown on TVR 1.
- In Russia, the show was shown on STS.
- In Serbia, the first season of the show was shown on RTS in the 1991-92 TV season. The subsequent seasons were shown on RTV Pink, but with several years of delay due to UN economic sanctions that banned all imports.
- In Slovakia, first the show was shown on STV but later episodes were aired on TV Markiza.
- In Slovenia, the show was shown for the first time on Kanal A.
- In Spain, the show was shown in Spanish on Tele5 and was called "Sensación de Vivir" and on TV3 in Catalonia. Nowadays the emission is repeated on channel 33 in Catalonia.
- In Sri Lanka, it was shown on Independent Television Network (Sri Lanka).
- In Sweden, it was TV4 (Sweden)'s first big hit in 1991, it has later been shown on TV3 (Sweden).
- In Taiwan, the show was shown on Chinese Television System.
- In Turkey, the show was shown for the first time on Kanal D.
- In the United Kingdom, ITV1 showed the first two seasons on Saturdays before Sky One acquired the rights for the rest of its run from Seasons 3-9 with repeats of Seasons 1 & 2. Season 10 was never shown. It was rumoured ITV1 never showed it in ascending order and missed a number of episodes. It was originally scheduled for BBC1 in 1991 to be on simultaneously as Baywatch (which was on 5:20pm over on ITV1) to see which would receive ratings as both were highly popular.
- In Venezuela it was first aired on VTV in 1992 and then on RCTV since 1993 under the name "Sueños de Juventud". Currently airs on Televen Monday to Friday at 11:00am.
Repeats/Syndication
- In Brazil, the show was shown on Globo TV in the 1990s. Now, it is shown on Sony Entertainment Television.
- In Canada, in syndication on TVtropolis, everday at 4pm E/P (different season on the weekends and each weekday episode repeated the following day at 3am E/P, Tuesday - Friday).
- In Denmark it is shown at 16:15 every weekday on TV 2. The show is currently on its 9th rerun.
- In France, it now replays on TF1, Monday-Friday at 10:15am.
- In Germany, it airs at 6:10pm on Das Vierte.
- In Iceland, it airs at 4:45pm, every weekday on Skjár 1.
- In Italy it airs Monday-Friday at 3:00pm on Italia 1 (July 2007).
- In Latin America, it is also being shown on Sony Entertainment Television.
- In Mexico, it was transmitted in Canal 5 of the Televisa Network, once a week at 9:00 pm.
- In Norway on TV3
- In Poland, it airs on TV 4, Monday-Thursday at 3:50pm.
- In Slovenia, it airs on TV3 Slovenia weekdays at 5:00pm.
- In Sweden it air on TV3 (Sweden).
- In Ukraine was shown on 1+1 national TV channel in 1998-1999 TV season.
- In the United Kingdom occasional repeats are shown on Sky One (Seasons 1-9) as well as Five (Seasons 1-4).
- In the United States, in syndication on SoapNet, Monday-Friday from 3:00pm-5:00pm ET and Saturday from 10:00am-Noon ET.
- In Venezuela it airs on Televen Monday to Friday at 11:00am. It airs on Sony Channel, at 5:00am and 7:00am (two different episodes).
References
- ^ Trad Mag Reports That Some Tunes Will Be Replaced. TVShowsonDVD.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-01.
External links
- Beverly Hills, 90210 at TV.com
- Beverly Hills, 90210 at the Internet Movie Database
- The Beverly Hills 90210 Directory
- SOAPnet 90210 Page.
- Official DVD Release Home page.
T.D. Weber has the largest home in Beverly Hills