Beverly Hills, 90210
Encyclopedia
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox
and was produced by Spelling Television
in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise. The show followed the lives of a group of teenagers living in the upscale, star-studded community of Beverly Hills, California
and attending the fictitious West Beverly High School and, subsequently, the fictitious California University after graduation. The show was created by Darren Star
and executive producers Aaron Spelling
and E. Duke Vincent
. The "90210" in the title refers to one of the city's five ZIP codes.
The original premise of the show was based on the adjustment and culture shock that twins Brandon (played by Jason Priestley
) and Brenda Walsh (played by Shannen Doherty
) experienced when they and their parents, Jim (played by James Eckhouse
) and Cindy (played by Carol Potter
) moved from Minneapolis, Minnesota
to Beverly Hills. In addition to chronicling the friendships and romantic relationships of a close-knit group of teenagers, the show also addressed numerous topical issues including date rape
, alcoholism
, domestic violence
, gay rights, anti-Semitism
, gay parenting, drug abuse
, teenage suicide
, AIDS
, teenage pregnancy
, bulimia and abortion
.
The series 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 next season that fall. Viewership increased dramatically and the cast members, particularly Jason Priestley
and Luke Perry
, became teen idol
s, while the series would make actresses Shannen Doherty
, Jennie Garth
and Tori Spelling
household names in the US. The show also had many cast changes, though Garth, Spelling, Ian Ziering
and Brian Austin Green
were regulars during its entire run.
to Beverly Hills, California
as a result of Jim's job promotion. In the first episode, Brandon and Brenda began attending West Beverly Hills High School, where they were eventually introduced to several friends who composed the remainder of the cast: Kelly Taylor, Steve Sanders, Andrea Zuckerman, Dylan McKay, David Silver, Scott Scanlon, and Donna Martin. The show followed the dramatic lives of its characters through high school, college, and ultimately the adult world, while introducing several additional characters as its seasons progressed.
left the show at the end of the fourth season. 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 actually returned, despite being mentioned from time to time during the show's remaining seasons. She was replaced with former Saved by the Bell
star Tiffani-Amber Thiessen
, who played the bad-girl character Valerie Malone. Shannen Doherty has appeared as Brenda Walsh in the 2008 spin-off
series, 90210
along with former costars Jennie Garth
, Tori Spelling
, Ann Gillespie
, and Joe E. Tata
.
left the show following the fifth season.
Her character, Andrea Zuckerman, changed radically from high school to college. In high school, Andrea was the brainy editor of the West Beverly Blaze, had a crush on Brandon and secretly lived out of district. During the fourth season (freshman year of college), Andrea drops out of college (but later ends up still going to school to become a doctor), becomes pregnant, and gets married to someone she barely knows (Jesse Vasquez) before the year is out. While the pregnancy plot line 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 somewhat isolated from the other characters on the show. Andrea Zuckerman eventually left the show during the end of the fifth season because she decided to finally go to Yale.
After her original five-year contract ended, 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.
left Beverly Hills, 90210 towards the beginning of the sixth season.
Perry's character Dylan McKay plans to marry Antonia Marchette (Rebecca Gayheart
), the daughter of the mob boss (Stanley Kamel
) who ordered Dylan's father's death during the third season. Dylan had, at first, attempted to use Antonia to get to her father, but falls in love with her instead. Because Antonia's father is not comfortable with the idea of his daughter marrying Dylan, he orders Dylan's death. He hires a hitman
to kill Dylan, but inadvertently kills Antonia who is driving Dylan's car at the time of the planned hit.
Dylan is heartbroken and decides to leave town, after his father-in-law reluctantly agrees to a truce in the wake of his daughter's death. During the seasons where Perry is absent, it is explained that his character Dylan has reconciled with Brenda and is living with her in London.
Perry returned permanently during the ninth season of the show, but was credited as a "Special Guest Star"—much like Heather Locklear
was on Melrose Place. He admits on the beach to Kelly that he returned because he missed his friends, but most of all because he missed her.
left the show at the beginning of the ninth season. However, he remained credited as an executive producer
for 90210 until the end of the series, and directed occasional episodes. In the show, Brandon is still recovering from his aborted wedding with Kelly when he is offered a job in Washington which he accepts. Brandon was the third 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
Priestley was the first cast member to direct episodes of the show.
(credited as Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, late of Saved By the Bell
) replaced Shannen Doherty after her departure following the fourth season. Thiessen portrayed Valerie Malone, an old Walsh-family friend from Buffalo, New York who moves into Brenda's old room. While Valerie is meant as a replacement for Brenda, the characters are very different, and Valerie has a rocky relationship with most of the gang during her time on the show. Valerie leaves Beverly Hills soon after Brandon, saying that she is going to return home to Buffalo. Thiessen returned to the show for the series finale for Donna and David's wedding. Thiessen had discussed the option of leaving with Priestley and left two episodes after Priestley's departure. She was then replaced by Vannesa Marcil who plays Gina Kincaid, Donna Martin's half-sister (initially thought to be her cousin) and a former ice skating champion.
in Potomac
, Montgomery County
, Maryland
—a school with similar demographics to Beverly Hills High—as an inspiration. The show's episodes were originally issue-based until the producers decided it should become a teen soap opera.
Jennie Garth
had to audition fives times for the role of Kelly Taylor and was the first to be cast on the show. Gabrielle Carteris
felt that she was too old to play a high school student. She first auditioned for Brenda because she thought that being a real life twin would help her chances, but the producers felt that she would be better for the part of Andrea. When Tori Spelling
auditioned for the show, she used the name Tori Mitchell and auditioned for the role of Kelly Taylor, but she was eventually recognized and was instead cast as Donna Martin. Lyman Ward
was originally cast as Jim Walsh in the pilot but was replaced by James Eckhouse
, and the scenes were cut and re-shot with Eckhouse. Kristin Dattilo was also up for the role of Brenda Walsh, but she turned it down. She would later guest star as Melissa Coolidge in an episode of the first season. Additionally, Luke Perry
had auditioned for the role of Steve Sanders, but the role eventually went to Ian Ziering
before Perry was cast as Dylan McKay. His character was not an original cast member of the show, and he was first featured in the show's second episode. He was originally intended to only appear in one story arc, for one or two episodes. Fox was initially reluctant to have him included as a regular, but Aaron Spelling
felt differently and gave Perry a bigger role during the first two years until the network was won over.
In the first season, when Donna tries out for school D.J., she is referred to as Donna Morgan. Throughout the entire show, her name is Donna Martin. In addition to this, in the first season Donna's mother was named Nancy Martin and played by actress Jordana Capra. When she was reintroduced in season two, she was named Felice Martin and was played by actress Katherine Cannon
. In the pilot episode, the role of Jackie Taylor was first played by Pamela Galloway and then by Ann Gillespie
for the rest of the series. Terence Ford
and Arthur Brooks portrayed Dylan's father, Jack McKay, in two episodes before Josh Taylor
assumed the role.
The series was produced in Van Nuys, California. During the 10 years the series was in production it was filmed in a warehouse complex in Van Nuys, the interiors of the series as well as the exteriors of the Peach Pit parking lot and P.P.A.D. club entrance were all located off the 15000 block of Calvert St in Van Nuys, CA. An unmarked gated studio entrance now stands at this address, but the exterior brick facing of the P.P.A.D. is still visible down the alley on the side of the building. The studio building complex has since been the home to various projects including the CBS series Jericho, which guest starred James Eckhouse in one episode. Until February, 2010 the CW series Melrose Place
was also produced at the original 90210 Calvert studios. Post-production
services for Beverly Hills, 90210 were provided by LaserPacific
for all seasons.
Many changes were made after the pilot episode. The producers first used a location that was used only once during the pilot episode for the Walsh house that was located in a gated community of Brentwood, California
. After the pilot episode the Walsh house was moved to Altadena, California
. The house used for Dylan's home in the show, is also located in Altadena, California
, in the same neighborhood of the Walsh Home.
Three different locations were used for the frontage of "The Peach Pit" during the show's ten year history. The original location was only used in first few episodes of season one and is located on Pico Boulevard
in Los Angeles. It was changed to a different location for the rest of season one. When the Peach Pit was fictionally remodeled during season two, the producers used Rose City Diner in Pasadena, California
to film the exterior of the gang’s hangout and it remained the same throughout the rest of the show's run. Most of the filming during the second season of the summer season at the Beverly Hills Beach Club took place in Santa Monica, California
at the old Sand and Sea Beach Club. The beach club used in the show was the very same beach club that was used during one summer season of Saved by the Bell
.
Beverly Hills High School is actually located in the ZIP code 90212. There are three zip codes in Beverly Hills and the most affluent homes lie within the mostly residential 90210, while the high school does not. (Most of the 90210 zone is in fact the Beverly Hills Post Office
section of Los Angeles despite the name.) 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 middle class community of Torrance, California
at Torrance High School
located in the 90501 zip code. Torrance High can also be seen in other shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The characters later began attending the then-fictitious California University in the show's fourth season, and the scenes around campus were actually filmed at Occidental College
in Eagle Rock, California. Kelly and Donna's beach house used in the show is located in Hermosa Beach, California
.
The Golden Oak Ranch
outside Santa Clarita, Ca was also used for filming.
001- 05/26/1993- Beverly Hills, 90210: Behind the Scenes. This aired the week after the 3rd season finale. This special was hosted by Katie Wagner. It showed behind the scenes interviews with all 8 younger cast members. This special was included in the VHS release of "Graduation" from 1993, but has not been released on DVD.
002- 12/19/1994- Beverly Hills, 90210: A Christmas Special. This showed all of the 5th season cast members and what their plans for their Christmas holiday would include.
003- 01/24/1996- The Best Moments of Beverly Hills, 90210. Hosted by Tori Spelling. This was a retrospective of the first five and a half seasons.
004- 10/14/1998- Beverly Hills 90210: Our Favorite Moments. This was a retrospective of the first eight seasons.
005- 05/10/2000- Beverly Hills 90210: The Final Goodbye. This was a retrospective of the entire series and also filming the final episode.
006- 05/11/2003- Beverly Hills, 90210: 10 Year High School Reunion. This was a retrospective of the entire series. All of the primary cast members that were on the show in May 1993 were invited. This marks the first reunion of Shannen Doherty with her former cast mates in 9 years.
There was also a video that was released on September 18, 1992. It was called 90210...Behind the Zip Code. Unlike the above 6 specials, this never aired on television and was only available on VHS.
, who made his first appearance in the following episode "The Green Room". The theme music used here is later used in seasons 2 and 3, and was composed by John E. Davis.
, Shannen Doherty
, Jennie Garth
, Ian Ziering
, Gabrielle Carteris
, Luke Perry
, Brian Austin Green
, Douglas Emerson
, Tori Spelling
,
Carol Potter
and James Eckhouse
. The first two episodes of the season had a cold opening, but the opening credits started the show for the remaining episodes.
Noticeably missing is Douglas Emerson, whose character Scott Scanlon was dropped to recurring and then killed off midway through the second season. This caused the original footage of the cast that was taken from the photo shoot which Emerson participated in not to be used and replaced with the new footage. The episode in which he was killed off was the fourteenth of season 2, entitled "The Next 50 Years".
At the end of the opening, the cast is shown shaking hands and then walking away from the camera. In season 4, the footage is replaced with the ending scene from the show's third season finale, "Commencement". The opening(s) were designed by Luise Hollowell. The theme used is a remixed version of the Season 1 theme by John E. Davis, although it was also used in the pilot episode "Class of Beverly Hills". The theme is later remixed once again by John E. Davis in Season 4. The cast shown in these versions are Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Luke Perry, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling, Carol Potter, and James Eckhouse. A cold start was used for season 4, episode 3 but the opening credits started the show for the other episodes.
After Andrea (Gabrielle Carteris) and Jesse (Mark Damon Espinoza) left the series on the second to the last episode of the season, their footage remained in the opening for the next episode which was the season finale. The opening was designed by an unknown person, whose name is not listed in the end credits for this season, though William Brown has been speculated by many as the designer. The cast shown in these versions are Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Luke Perry, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling, Mark Damon Espinoza, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Carol Potter and James Eckhouse. From season 5-10, a cold start was used on every episode.
, Jamie Walters (Season 6, episodes 1–13 only) and Kathleen Robertson
.
(season 8, episodes 1–19 only) Vincent Young
, Lindsay Price (starting in season 9) and Daniel Cosgrove
(season 9).
(S9-S10, Ep. 1–17), Lindsay Price, Daniel Cosgrove, Joe E. Tata and Luke Perry (Special Guest Star beginning on S9, Ep. 7).
Entertainment Weekly
named the show #20 on its list of top 100 TV shows in the past 25 years. The magazine also named the theme song #15 on its list of top 25 TV theme songs in the past 25 years, and the "90210 Sideburns" #50 on its list of Pop Culture Moments that Rocked Fashion.
Shannen Doherty's departure from the show would be the longest the continuity had seen with a lead cast member not making another guest appearance after they had left the show. Spanning for a time of 14 years, Brenda Walsh was not seen in any 90210 incarnation until September 2, 2008 in which she reprised her role in the CW's spinoff, 90210
.
The initial diner used as The Peach Pit in the first episodes of the series is actually The Apple Pan
, a veritable Los Angeles institution. Located in West Los Angeles, it is blocks away from the city of Beverly Hills. The Peach Pit was fashioned after this restaurant.
In May 2003, a majority of the original cast came together for the retrospective television special, Beverly Hills, 90210: 10 Year High School Reunion. The special reunited Jason Priestley (Brandon Walsh), Shannen Doherty (Brenda Walsh), Jennie Garth (Kelly Taylor), Ian Ziering (Steve Sanders), Gabrielle Carteris (Andrea Zuckerman), and Luke Perry (Dylan McKay). James Eckhouse (Jim Walsh), Carol Potter (Cindy Walsh), and Joe E. Tata
(Nat Bussichio) joined the reunion during the last segment. Douglas Emerson (Scott Scanlon), Brian Austin Green (David Silver), and Tori Spelling (Donna Martin) did not appear on this TV special. This marks the first reunion of the Walsh family since Doherty's departure nine years earlier in 1994. The reunion took place in a mocked set of the Walsh living room and even had a Walsh family photo on a table. The photo is from circa 1990.
in the United States; SoapNet
currently airs reruns seven days a week. Unlike the DVD releases, the syndicated episodes still feature the show's original music. SoapNet is scheduled to go off the air in January 2012.
Various networks around the world subsequently aired Beverly Hills, 90210. In the United Kingdom, ITV
showed the first two seasons until the satellite channel Sky1 acquired the rights for the rest of its run from Seasons 3–9; Season 10 was never shown. Five later acquired the repeat rights of Seasons 1–4 . Australia aired the show on Network Ten
, Fox8
and their now ceased Fox Kids
. In Canada, the show's later seasons aired on Global
. It was also shown on TVA
(in French), and aired in syndication on TVtropolis
. It is shown in Denmark on TV2
. In Spain, the show was aired on Tele 5
from 1991 to 2005.
In Indonesia
it aired on RCTI
, and has also aired on Indosiar
from August 1993 to December 2000. In the Philippines
, the show was aired on ABS-CBN
from 1991 to 1996 then on Studio 23
from 1996 to 2000.
In Malaysia the series is now airing through 8TV
beginning Jun 14 onwards every Saturday.
In Italy
, Beverly Hills, 90210 began airing in November 1992 in primetime and soon became one of the most popular teenager/young adult shows ever. Ratings were very strong till the first eleven episodes of season six. Then, the series was moved to late afternoon (where it did proper ratings again). Series finale aired on December 2000. Reruns aired successfully on Italia Uno and on It! Italia Teen Television. Currently the series is repeated with different seasons on Rai 4 and SkyUno in the afternoon and on Italia Uno in early mornings.
Slovenia
is airing all seasons of the show every day at 4:10 pm until April 9, 2009 (when last episode will be shown). POP TV
, however, was the first Slovenian TV station to broadcast the series, in the 1990s.
In Macedonia
the series was aired on the national Macedonian Radio Television during the 1990s.
In Spain
the series aired all its ten seasons on commercial station telecinco
. The series began airing in Spain a few months after its US debut, originally in a Sunday access primetime slot, but due to the show's popularity, it was quickly promoted to primetime, where it aired a few seasons in the very popular Friday night slot, attracting an average of 4.5 million viewers, an excellent result for a US import during those years. Eventually, with Telecinco screening episodes close to US broadcast, the series had to resort to constant reruns which only served to confuse the audience and erode ratings. Following a strike in the dubbing industry, season 6 was delayed by many months, and on its return, this time with double episodes, the series was transferred to Sunday afternoons where it managed to hold a steady yet smaller audience. The series remained in the slot various years, with Telecinco opting to delay the new episodes in subsequent years to the spring, thus allowing for double airings the entire Spring. The final two seasons saw a massive ratings erosion prompted by the cast changes, and in the end the series was relegated to Saturday and Sundays in a breakfast slot (730am) where it eventually aired all its episodes, this time with a year delay from the US. Throughout its entire run, BH 90210 was paired up with Melrose Place in the schedules (since the launch of Melrose Place), both keeping their airings at the same pace they originally aired in in the US.
In Spain, BH 90210 was originally retitled Sensacion de vivir (Sensation of life), although early in season one, the series title was changed to 90210:Sensacion de vivir.
In Turkey
The series were aired first on Interstar, then Kanal D and finally on Cine 5. And The title was Evimiz Hollywood'da, which can be translated as "Our House is in Hollywood".
In Finland
The series was aired on MTV(later named MTV3). The first season was renamed to "L.A. Beat" but changed from Season 2 onward till the end as Beverly Hills 90210. When TVTV!(later named SubTV) began airing reruns in 2001 all seasons carried through under the name Beverly Hills 90210.
Season 2 and Season 3 featured all new summer episodes that aired during July and August before the regular fall episodes started in September.
At the beginning of the third season, in July and August 1992, all new summer episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210 were playing during the series new time slot of Wednesdays at 8pm but viewers could see repeats from Beverly Hills, 90210' s first season in the original time slot of Thursday's at 9pm. The Fox Network was heavily promoting the new time slot so the viewers could find the show.
The 7th season started earlier than usual because of the 1996 Olympics and the MLB Playoffs on FOX during the month of October.
Thursday's at 9pm (1990–1992)
Prior to the Premiere of Beverly Hills, 90210, "Glory Days" was airing on Thursday's at 9pm.
After Beverly Hills, 90210 moved to its new night, "The Heights" with future 90210 star Jamie Walters, took over the timeslot.
Wednesday's at 8pm (1992–2000)
Prior to Beverly Hills, 90210, Fox did not have regular programing on Wednesday nights. The network looked to Beverly Hills, 90210 to anchor a new night of programming. (NOTE: Beverly Hills, 90210 3rd Season premiere started on July 15, 1992. The prior week did have programing but it was to make place for the 90 minute pilot of Melrose Place which 90210 was paired with for the 92-93 season.)
After Beverly Hills, 90210 left the air in 2000, it was replaced with "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Normal, Ohio" for the 2001-2001 season.
Ratings for the tenth season declined to an average of 10 million viewers per episode (according to a May 2000 issue of Us Weekly
). The ratings were small compared to previous seasons. The lower ratings, along with the high costs associated with any television show in its later seasons led Fox to end the series in January 2000. Though there were many cast changes, over 25 million people tuned in to watch the final episode which aired in May 2000. All of the original younger cast, excluding Shannen Doherty and Douglas Emerson, appeared in the series finale. Gabrielle Carteris and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen also returned in the series finale.
from the show, as actor Grant Show
(who played Jake on Melrose Place) appeared for a multi-episode run at the end of the series second season as Kelly's love interest, and a friend of Dylan's. Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering made appearances as their Beverly Hills, 90210 characters in the first few episodes of Melrose Place.
Network on September 2, 2008.
In guest appearances, Jennie Garth
, Shannen Doherty
and Tori Spelling
reprised their roles as Kelly Taylor, Brenda Walsh and Donna Martin, respectively. Joe E. Tata
also reprised his role as Nat, owner of the Peach Pit, diner turned coffee house, for a couple of episodes at the beginning of the show's first season.
on May 21, 2009. The show is an updated version of Melrose Place, featuring a group of young adults living in a West Hollywood apartment complex. Smallville
producers Todd Slavkin
and Darren Swimmer
wrote the pilot script and became the executive producers on the series. The series was canceled on May 20, 2010.
released an EP titled Beverly Kills 50187
which featured a song titled "Beverly Kills" describing member Violent J
killing the series' characters for being rich and prejudiced toward the "lower class".
Darren 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.
The short-lived The Ben Stiller Show
did a parody of this show, The Heights
and Melrose Place called Melrose Heights 90210-2420 that portrayed the cast as superficial, self-absorbed, and self-pitying. A typical episode's "issue" was a character getting a headache, which affected all the other characters. Each episode would end the same upbeat song (resembling The Heights hit single "How Do You Talk To An Angel") performed by the whole cast with new lyrics for each episode.
Another aspect of the show that was the subject of parody was the fact that a number 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. Carteris was 29 during filming of the first season, Perry was 23, Jason Priestley turned 21 prior to the show's premiere, and Ian Ziering was 26. Brian Austin Green (then 17), Shannen Doherty (19), Tori Spelling (17) and Jennie Garth (18) were the only cast members to have started the show as teenagers who grow older later on in the show. This was the premise of the Family Guy
parody, where Andrea is portrayed as a senile elderly woman.
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 to 90210 after protest.
The Fox 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.
The Mickey Mouse Club did a parody sketch called Beverly Hillbillies 90210, combining the characters of both 90210 and The Beverly Hillbillies
. In 1999, Christina Aguilera
from the Mickey Mouse Club made a cameo performance on Beverly Hills 90210 as herself performing at the PPAD for David Silver's surprise birthday party, season 10 episode 2: "Let's Eat Cake". Music from former MMC members Justin Timberlake
and JC Chasez of 'N Sync
also was originally used during several opening title sequences during the mid to late seasons of 90210.
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 (Pat Kilbane
), 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 Tele Tele made parody of the show known as "Heverly Debils". Three mini-episodes (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.
A VH1
promo for I Love the 90s featured Hal Sparks
and Michael Ian Black
sitting in the Peach Pit, with Beverly Hills, 90210s theme music playing. Joe E. Tata also appears in the promo as Nat.
In 2009, The Simpsons
aired an episode called "Waverly Hills 9021-D'oh", which features Lisa wanting to go to a better school and finding it in the very posh town of Waverly Hills.
Actors Ian Ziering
and Brian Austin Green
played parodies of themselves in director Tony Scott
's film Domino, portraying themselves as stereotypical self-involved Hollywood actors.
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
and was produced by Spelling Television
Spelling Television
Spelling Television Inc. was a television production company that produced popular shows such as Charmed, Beverly Hills, 90210, 7th Heaven, Dynasty and Melrose Place. The company was founded by television producer Aaron Spelling in 1969...
in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise. The show followed the lives of a group of teenagers living in the upscale, star-studded community of Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
and attending the fictitious West Beverly High School and, subsequently, the fictitious California University after graduation. The show was created by Darren Star
Darren Star
Darren Bennett Star is an American producer, director and writer for film and television. He is best known for creating the hit TV shows Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sex and the City.-Career:...
and executive producers Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
and E. Duke Vincent
E. Duke Vincent
E. Duke Vincent is an American television producer. He is a former producing partner of Aaron Spelling and an executive at various Spelling production company entities...
. The "90210" in the title refers to one of the city's five ZIP codes.
The original premise of the show was based on the adjustment and culture shock that twins Brandon (played by Jason Priestley
Jason Priestley
Jason Bradford Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s....
) and Brenda Walsh (played by Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
) experienced when they and their parents, Jim (played by James Eckhouse
James Eckhouse
James Hays Eckhouse is an American actor known for playing Jim Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990 to 1995. He also directed three episodes of the show...
) and Cindy (played by Carol Potter
Carol Potter (actress)
Carol Potter is an American actress best known for playing Cindy Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210. She was a regular on the show from 1990 to 1995...
) moved from Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
to Beverly Hills. In addition to chronicling the friendships and romantic relationships of a close-knit group of teenagers, the show also addressed numerous topical issues including date rape
Date rape
"Date rape", often referred to as acquaintance rape, is an assault or attempted assault usually committed by a new acquaintance involving sexual intercourse without mutual consent....
, alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
, gay rights, anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, gay parenting, drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, teenage suicide
Teenage suicide
Teenage suicide in the United States remains comparatively high in the 15 to 24 age group with 4,000 suicides in this age range in 2004, making it the third leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 24...
, AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, teenage pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy is a pregnancy of a female under the age of 20 when the pregnancy ends. It generally refers to a female who is unmarried and usually refers to an unplanned pregnancy...
, bulimia and abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
.
The series 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 next season that fall. Viewership increased dramatically and the cast members, particularly Jason Priestley
Jason Priestley
Jason Bradford Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s....
and Luke Perry
Luke Perry
Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...
, became teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
s, while the series would make actresses Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
, Jennie Garth
Jennie Garth
Jennifer Eve "Jennie" Garth is an American actress and director, best known for starring in the prominent role of Kelly Taylor throughout the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
and Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
household names in the US. The show also had many cast changes, though Garth, Spelling, Ian Ziering
Ian Ziering
Ian Andrew Ziering is an American actor best known for playing Steve Sanders on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:...
and Brian Austin Green
Brian Austin Green
Brian Austin Green is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of David Silver on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990 to 2000. Green also starred in the sitcom Freddie and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Since 2009, he has appeared in a recurring...
were regulars during its entire run.
Series overview
The series began with the introduction of the Walsh family—Jim, Cindy, Brandon, and Brenda—who had recently moved from MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
to Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
as a result of Jim's job promotion. In the first episode, Brandon and Brenda began attending West Beverly Hills High School, where they were eventually introduced to several friends who composed the remainder of the cast: Kelly Taylor, Steve Sanders, Andrea Zuckerman, Dylan McKay, David Silver, Scott Scanlon, and Donna Martin. The show followed the dramatic lives of its characters through high school, college, and ultimately the adult world, while introducing several additional characters as its seasons progressed.
Cast
| |Actor | |Seasons | Jason Priestley Jason Priestley Jason Bradford Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s.... | Brandon Walsh Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
1 – 9 | 1990–1998 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shannen Doherty Shannen Doherty Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,... |
Brenda Walsh Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
1 – 4 | 1990–1994 | |||||
| Jennie Garth Jennie Garth Jennifer Eve "Jennie" Garth is an American actress and director, best known for starring in the prominent role of Kelly Taylor throughout the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise... |
Kelly Taylor Kelly Taylor (90210) Kelly Taylor, portrayed by Jennie Garth, is a fictional character who was the female lead of Beverly Hills, 90210 for the majority of the show's duration. Initially presented as a "spoiled teen vixen", the role was gradually expanded by producers... |
1–10 | 1990–2000 | |||||
| Ian Ziering Ian Ziering Ian Andrew Ziering is an American actor best known for playing Steve Sanders on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:... |
Steve Sanders Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
1–10 | 1990–2000 | |||||
| Gabrielle Carteris Gabrielle Carteris Gabrielle Anne Carteris is an American actress known for her role as Andrea Zuckerman on the early seasons of the 1990s television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:... |
Andrea Zuckerman Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
1–5 | 1990–1995 | |||||
| Luke Perry Luke Perry Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his... |
Dylan McKay Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
1–6; 9–10 | 1990–1995; 1998–2000 | |||||
| Brian Austin Green Brian Austin Green Brian Austin Green is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of David Silver on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990 to 2000. Green also starred in the sitcom Freddie and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Since 2009, he has appeared in a recurring... |
David Silver Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
1–10 | 1990–2000 | |||||
| Douglas Emerson Douglas Emerson Douglas Emerson is an American former child actor who played Scott Scanlon on Beverly Hills, 90210 in the show's first and second seasons and played Eddie Beckner in The Blob.... |
Scott Scanlon Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
1-2 | 1990–1991 | |||||
| Tori Spelling Tori Spelling Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?... |
Donna Martin Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
1–10 | 1990–2000 | |||||
| Carol Potter Carol Potter (actress) Carol Potter is an American actress best known for playing Cindy Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210. She was a regular on the show from 1990 to 1995... |
Cindy Walsh Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
1–5 | 1990–1995 | |||||
| James Eckhouse James Eckhouse James Hays Eckhouse is an American actor known for playing Jim Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990 to 1995. He also directed three episodes of the show... |
Jim Walsh Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
1–5 | 1990–1995 | |||||
| Joe E. Tata Joe E. Tata Joe E. Tata is an American television actor. He is known for his regular role as Nat Busschio, the owner and operator of the Peach Pit diner, in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210... |
Nat Bussichio Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
1-10 | 1990–2000 | |||||
| Mark Damon Espinoza Mark Damon Espinoza Mark Damon Espinoza played "Jesse Vasquez" in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1994 to 1995. He also appeared in Married..... |
Jesse Vasquez Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
4-5 | 1994–1995 | |||||
| Kathleen Robertson Kathleen Robertson Kathleen Robertson is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Clare Arnold in Beverly Hills, 90210 .-Career:Robertson started taking acting classes when she was ten, and had roles in local theater productions... |
Clare Arnold Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
4-7 | 1994–1997 | |||||
| Tiffani-Amber Thiessen Tiffani Thiessen Tiffani Thiessen is an American actress best known for her roles as Kelly Kapowski in Saved by the Bell and as Valerie Malone in Beverly Hills, 90210. She is also known for her role on Fastlane as Wilhelmina 'Billie' Chambers... |
Valerie Malone Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
5–9 | 1994–1998 | |||||
| Jamie Walters | Ray Pruit Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
5-6 | 1994–1996 | |||||
| Hilary Swank Hilary Swank Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi... |
Carly Reynolds Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
8 | 1997–1998 | |||||
| Vincent Young Vincent Young (actor) Vincent Young is an American actor best known for playing "Noah Hunter" on the TV Series Beverly Hills, 90210. He was on the show from 1997 to 2000.... |
Noah Hunter Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
8–10 | 1997–2000 | |||||
| Lindsay Price | Janet Sosna Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
8–10 | 1997–2000 | |||||
| Daniel Cosgrove Daniel Cosgrove Daniel Cosgrove is an American actor. He is known for his role as Scott Chandler # 3 on All My Children, Bill Lewis on Guiding Light and for his role as Christopher Hughes II on As the World Turns.Cosgrove has been a cast member during the series finale of three consecutive cancelled soap operas:... |
Matt Durning Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
9–10 | 1998–2000 | |||||
| Vanessa Marcil Vanessa Marcil Vanessa Marcil is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Brenda Barrett Corinthos on General Hospital, Gina Kincaid on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sam Marquez on Las Vegas.... |
Gina Kincaid Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210 The following is a list of characters from the first series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.-Main cast:*Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series , maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured... |
9–10 | 1998–2000 |
Departures
The show was known for frequent casting changes. This was especially true during the show's later years:Shannen Doherty
Following reported on-set friction, Shannen DohertyShannen Doherty
Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
left the show at the end of the fourth season. 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 actually returned, despite being mentioned from time to time during the show's remaining seasons. She was replaced with former Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
star Tiffani-Amber Thiessen
Tiffani Thiessen
Tiffani Thiessen is an American actress best known for her roles as Kelly Kapowski in Saved by the Bell and as Valerie Malone in Beverly Hills, 90210. She is also known for her role on Fastlane as Wilhelmina 'Billie' Chambers...
, who played the bad-girl character Valerie Malone. Shannen Doherty has appeared as Brenda Walsh in the 2008 spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series, 90210
90210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
along with former costars Jennie Garth
Jennie Garth
Jennifer Eve "Jennie" Garth is an American actress and director, best known for starring in the prominent role of Kelly Taylor throughout the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
, Ann Gillespie
Ann Gillespie
Ann Gillespie is an actress.She received a BA from Goddard College in 2003.She has used the following alternative names: Ann H. Gillespie, Mother Ann Gillespie and Rev. Ann Gillespie...
, and Joe E. Tata
Joe E. Tata
Joe E. Tata is an American television actor. He is known for his regular role as Nat Busschio, the owner and operator of the Peach Pit diner, in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210...
.
Gabrielle Carteris
Gabrielle CarterisGabrielle Carteris
Gabrielle Anne Carteris is an American actress known for her role as Andrea Zuckerman on the early seasons of the 1990s television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:...
left the show following the fifth season.
Her character, Andrea Zuckerman, changed radically from high school to college. In high school, Andrea was the brainy editor of the West Beverly Blaze, had a crush on Brandon and secretly lived out of district. During the fourth season (freshman year of college), Andrea drops out of college (but later ends up still going to school to become a doctor), becomes pregnant, and gets married to someone she barely knows (Jesse Vasquez) before the year is out. While the pregnancy plot line 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 somewhat isolated from the other characters on the show. Andrea Zuckerman eventually left the show during the end of the fifth season because she decided to finally go to Yale.
After her original five-year contract ended, 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 and 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 and Cindy Walsh played secondary roles, offering advice to Brenda and Brandon, along with their friends, but were rarely given plot lines of their own (one exception to this would be the episode "The Seventeen-Year Itch," during season one). 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. Even though all the Walshes eventually left the show, the Walsh home continued to play a central role in the series. The show explained this by having Brandon tell Steve his parents had given the green light for Steve to keep living in the house.Luke Perry
Luke PerryLuke Perry
Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...
left Beverly Hills, 90210 towards the beginning of the sixth season.
Perry's character Dylan McKay plans to marry Antonia Marchette (Rebecca Gayheart
Rebecca Gayheart
-Early life:Gayheart was born in Hazard, Kentucky and raised in Pine Top, Kentucky, the daughter of Floneva , who worked as a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant, and Curtis Gayheart, a miner and coal truck driver. She is of Irish, Italian, and German descent...
), the daughter of the mob boss (Stanley Kamel
Stanley Kamel
Stanley Kamel was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Charles Kroger on the American television series Monk.-Biography:...
) who ordered Dylan's father's death during the third season. Dylan had, at first, attempted to use Antonia to get to her father, but falls in love with her instead. Because Antonia's father is not comfortable with the idea of his daughter marrying Dylan, he orders Dylan's death. He hires a hitman
Contract killing
Contract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may...
to kill Dylan, but inadvertently kills Antonia who is driving Dylan's car at the time of the planned hit.
Dylan is heartbroken and decides to leave town, after his father-in-law reluctantly agrees to a truce in the wake of his daughter's death. During the seasons where Perry is absent, it is explained that his character Dylan has reconciled with Brenda and is living with her in London.
Perry returned permanently during the ninth season of the show, but was credited as a "Special Guest Star"—much like Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J...
was on Melrose Place. He admits on the beach to Kelly that he returned because he missed his friends, but most of all because he missed her.
Jason Priestley
Jason PriestleyJason Priestley
Jason Bradford Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s....
left the show at the beginning of the ninth season. However, he remained credited as an executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
for 90210 until the end of the series, and directed occasional episodes. In the show, Brandon is still recovering from his aborted wedding with Kelly when he is offered a job in Washington which he accepts. Brandon was the third 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
Priestley was the first cast member to direct episodes of the show.
Tiffani Thiessen
Tiffani ThiessenTiffani Thiessen
Tiffani Thiessen is an American actress best known for her roles as Kelly Kapowski in Saved by the Bell and as Valerie Malone in Beverly Hills, 90210. She is also known for her role on Fastlane as Wilhelmina 'Billie' Chambers...
(credited as Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, late of Saved By the Bell
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
) replaced Shannen Doherty after her departure following the fourth season. Thiessen portrayed Valerie Malone, an old Walsh-family friend from Buffalo, New York who moves into Brenda's old room. While Valerie is meant as a replacement for Brenda, the characters are very different, and Valerie has a rocky relationship with most of the gang during her time on the show. Valerie leaves Beverly Hills soon after Brandon, saying that she is going to return home to Buffalo. Thiessen returned to the show for the series finale for Donna and David's wedding. Thiessen had discussed the option of leaving with Priestley and left two episodes after Priestley's departure. She was then replaced by Vannesa Marcil who plays Gina Kincaid, Donna Martin's half-sister (initially thought to be her cousin) and a former ice skating champion.
Development
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 SchoolWinston Churchill High School (Montgomery County, Maryland)
Winston Churchill High School, often referred to as WCHS or Churchill, is a high school in Potomac, an unincorporated section of Montgomery County, Maryland....
in Potomac
Potomac, Maryland
Potomac is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, named for the nearby Potomac River. The population was 44,822 at the 2000 census. The Potomac area is known for its very affluent and highly-educated residents. In 2009 CNNMoney.com listed Potomac as the fourth...
, Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
—a school with similar demographics to Beverly Hills High—as an inspiration. The show's episodes were originally issue-based until the producers decided it should become a teen soap opera.
Jennie Garth
Jennie Garth
Jennifer Eve "Jennie" Garth is an American actress and director, best known for starring in the prominent role of Kelly Taylor throughout the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
had to audition fives times for the role of Kelly Taylor and was the first to be cast on the show. Gabrielle Carteris
Gabrielle Carteris
Gabrielle Anne Carteris is an American actress known for her role as Andrea Zuckerman on the early seasons of the 1990s television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:...
felt that she was too old to play a high school student. She first auditioned for Brenda because she thought that being a real life twin would help her chances, but the producers felt that she would be better for the part of Andrea. When Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
auditioned for the show, she used the name Tori Mitchell and auditioned for the role of Kelly Taylor, but she was eventually recognized and was instead cast as Donna Martin. Lyman Ward
Lyman Ward
Lyman Ward is a Canadian actor.-Biography:Ward was born and raised in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada and graduated from Saint Malachy's Memorial High School in the class of 1958, and then in 1963 from St...
was originally cast as Jim Walsh in the pilot but was replaced by James Eckhouse
James Eckhouse
James Hays Eckhouse is an American actor known for playing Jim Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990 to 1995. He also directed three episodes of the show...
, and the scenes were cut and re-shot with Eckhouse. Kristin Dattilo was also up for the role of Brenda Walsh, but she turned it down. She would later guest star as Melissa Coolidge in an episode of the first season. Additionally, Luke Perry
Luke Perry
Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...
had auditioned for the role of Steve Sanders, but the role eventually went to Ian Ziering
Ian Ziering
Ian Andrew Ziering is an American actor best known for playing Steve Sanders on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:...
before Perry was cast as Dylan McKay. His character was not an original cast member of the show, and he was first featured in the show's second episode. He was originally intended to only appear in one story arc, for one or two episodes. Fox was initially reluctant to have him included as a regular, but Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
felt differently and gave Perry a bigger role during the first two years until the network was won over.
In the first season, when Donna tries out for school D.J., she is referred to as Donna Morgan. Throughout the entire show, her name is Donna Martin. In addition to this, in the first season Donna's mother was named Nancy Martin and played by actress Jordana Capra. When she was reintroduced in season two, she was named Felice Martin and was played by actress Katherine Cannon
Katherine Cannon
Katherine Cannon is an American actress.She is best known for playing Donna Martin's stuck-up, racist, and cheating mother, Felice Martin, on the long-running teen series, Beverly Hills, 90210....
. In the pilot episode, the role of Jackie Taylor was first played by Pamela Galloway and then by Ann Gillespie
Ann Gillespie
Ann Gillespie is an actress.She received a BA from Goddard College in 2003.She has used the following alternative names: Ann H. Gillespie, Mother Ann Gillespie and Rev. Ann Gillespie...
for the rest of the series. Terence Ford
Terence Ford
Terence Ford is an American actor turned photographer.Born in Chicago, Illinois of one quarter Irish, one quarter German and half Russian-Jewish descent, he became interested in photography at an early age. However, like his father, grandfather and older brother, he became an actor. Unlike his...
and Arthur Brooks portrayed Dylan's father, Jack McKay, in two episodes before Josh Taylor
Josh Taylor
Josh Taylor is a long-time American comedy and dramatic television actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Chris Kositchek and Roman Brady on the long-running American dramatic serial Days of our Lives and as Michael Hogan, the father figure on NBC's long running situation comedy The...
assumed the role.
Filming
Melrose Place (2009 TV series)
Melrose Place is an American television series broadcast on The CW Television Network from September 8, 2009 to April 13, 2010. The fifth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise, it is an updated version of the 1990s Fox prime time drama of the same name, featuring a group of young adults...
was also produced at the original 90210 Calvert studios. Post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
services for Beverly Hills, 90210 were provided by LaserPacific
LaserPacific
LaserPacific Media Corporation, formerly owned by Eastman Kodak, is a post-production facility in Hollywood offering a variety of end-to-end services for the entertainment industry....
for all seasons.
Many changes were made after the pilot episode. The producers first used a location that was used only once during the pilot episode for the Walsh house that was located in a gated community of Brentwood, California
Brentwood, California
Brentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population is 51,481 as of 2010....
. After the pilot episode the Walsh house was moved to Altadena, California
Altadena, California
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California...
. The house used for Dylan's home in the show, is also located in Altadena, California
Altadena, California
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California...
, in the same neighborhood of the Walsh Home.
Three different locations were used for the frontage of "The Peach Pit" during the show's ten year history. The original location was only used in first few episodes of season one and is located on Pico Boulevard
Pico Boulevard
Pico Boulevard is a major Los Angeles street that runs from the Pacific Ocean at Appian Way in Santa Monica to Central Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA...
in Los Angeles. It was changed to a different location for the rest of season one. When the Peach Pit was fictionally remodeled during season two, the producers used Rose City Diner in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
to film the exterior of the gang’s hangout and it remained the same throughout the rest of the show's run. Most of the filming during the second season of the summer season at the Beverly Hills Beach Club took place in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
at the old Sand and Sea Beach Club. The beach club used in the show was the very same beach club that was used during one summer season of Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
.
Beverly Hills High School is actually located in the ZIP code 90212. There are three zip codes in Beverly Hills and the most affluent homes lie within the mostly residential 90210, while the high school does not. (Most of the 90210 zone is in fact the Beverly Hills Post Office
Beverly Hills Post Office
Beverly Hills Post Office is the name given to a section of Los Angeles, California, that lies within the 90210 ZIP code, which is assigned to the Beverly Hills Post Office. Mailing addresses with the ZIP code 90210 are written as "Beverly Hills, CA 90210", though the properties themselves lie...
section of Los Angeles despite the name.) 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 middle class community of Torrance, California
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
at Torrance High School
Torrance High School
Torrance High School is a high school located in Torrance, California. Founded in 1917, it is one of the oldest high schools in continuous use in California and is the oldest of the four high schools in the Torrance Unified School District. Four of its buildings are listed on the U.S...
located in the 90501 zip code. Torrance High can also be seen in other shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The characters later began attending the then-fictitious California University in the show's fourth season, and the scenes around campus were actually filmed at Occidental College
Occidental College
Occidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
in Eagle Rock, California. Kelly and Donna's beach house used in the show is located in Hermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,506 at the 2010 census, up from 18,566 at the 2000 census....
.
The Golden Oak Ranch
Golden Oak Ranch
The Walt Disney Company’s Golden Oak Ranch is a movie ranch that serves as an interior and exterior filming location. The ranch is off of Placerita Canyon Road in Canyon Country, California, less than an hour north of Los Angeles; its entrance is about from Placerita Canyon Road's intersection...
outside Santa Clarita, Ca was also used for filming.
Specials
Beverly Hills, 90210 also yielded 6 specials that were produced during and after the show's run.001- 05/26/1993- Beverly Hills, 90210: Behind the Scenes. This aired the week after the 3rd season finale. This special was hosted by Katie Wagner. It showed behind the scenes interviews with all 8 younger cast members. This special was included in the VHS release of "Graduation" from 1993, but has not been released on DVD.
002- 12/19/1994- Beverly Hills, 90210: A Christmas Special. This showed all of the 5th season cast members and what their plans for their Christmas holiday would include.
003- 01/24/1996- The Best Moments of Beverly Hills, 90210. Hosted by Tori Spelling. This was a retrospective of the first five and a half seasons.
004- 10/14/1998- Beverly Hills 90210: Our Favorite Moments. This was a retrospective of the first eight seasons.
005- 05/10/2000- Beverly Hills 90210: The Final Goodbye. This was a retrospective of the entire series and also filming the final episode.
006- 05/11/2003- Beverly Hills, 90210: 10 Year High School Reunion. This was a retrospective of the entire series. All of the primary cast members that were on the show in May 1993 were invited. This marks the first reunion of Shannen Doherty with her former cast mates in 9 years.
There was also a video that was released on September 18, 1992. It was called 90210...Behind the Zip Code. Unlike the above 6 specials, this never aired on television and was only available on VHS.
Opening sequence
The opening credits of Beverly Hills, 90210 went through various changes during its ten-year run.Pilot
The pilot episode shows Brandon and Brenda Walsh driving to West Beverly High on their first day of school. The title card appears on the screen as various videos of Beverly Hills are shown. The opening credits begin rolling as the scene gradually shifts to West Beverly High, where the rest of the lead cast members make their first appearances as students arriving at the school. The only name missing was that of Luke PerryLuke Perry
Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...
, who made his first appearance in the following episode "The Green Room". The theme music used here is later used in seasons 2 and 3, and was composed by John E. Davis.
Season 1
The opening credits start with a postal worker walking up to the Walsh home in Minnesota. The worker then writes "Please forward to 953 Hillcrest Drive Beverly Hills CA, 90210." The text "Beverly Hills, 90210" then jumps from the letter onto the screen on top of various videos of Beverly Hills (this was later removed after a couple of episodes). Then, footage from the show of each cast member is shown with their names. The last few scenes in the opening are of the Walsh family together. The theme was composed by John E. Davis and the opening was designed by Kathie Broyles. The cast shown in this version are Jason PriestleyJason Priestley
Jason Bradford Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s....
, Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
, Jennie Garth
Jennie Garth
Jennifer Eve "Jennie" Garth is an American actress and director, best known for starring in the prominent role of Kelly Taylor throughout the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, Ian Ziering
Ian Ziering
Ian Andrew Ziering is an American actor best known for playing Steve Sanders on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:...
, Gabrielle Carteris
Gabrielle Carteris
Gabrielle Anne Carteris is an American actress known for her role as Andrea Zuckerman on the early seasons of the 1990s television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:...
, Luke Perry
Luke Perry
Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...
, Brian Austin Green
Brian Austin Green
Brian Austin Green is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of David Silver on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990 to 2000. Green also starred in the sitcom Freddie and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Since 2009, he has appeared in a recurring...
, Douglas Emerson
Douglas Emerson
Douglas Emerson is an American former child actor who played Scott Scanlon on Beverly Hills, 90210 in the show's first and second seasons and played Eddie Beckner in The Blob....
, Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
,
Carol Potter
Carol Potter (actress)
Carol Potter is an American actress best known for playing Cindy Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210. She was a regular on the show from 1990 to 1995...
and James Eckhouse
James Eckhouse
James Hays Eckhouse is an American actor known for playing Jim Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990 to 1995. He also directed three episodes of the show...
. The first two episodes of the season had a cold opening, but the opening credits started the show for the remaining episodes.
Seasons 2–4
The opening credits start with the younger cast gathered around a white background (mainly playing around and having fun). The opening then flashes white (turning the live action film into a still picture) and then goes to a title card. Footage from the show (and during the summer episodes, footage from a beach photo shoot taken in 1991) is shown with the word "starring". Then video taken from a photo shoot (from the shows first and fourth seasons respectively) of the cast is shown with each cast members' name.Noticeably missing is Douglas Emerson, whose character Scott Scanlon was dropped to recurring and then killed off midway through the second season. This caused the original footage of the cast that was taken from the photo shoot which Emerson participated in not to be used and replaced with the new footage. The episode in which he was killed off was the fourteenth of season 2, entitled "The Next 50 Years".
At the end of the opening, the cast is shown shaking hands and then walking away from the camera. In season 4, the footage is replaced with the ending scene from the show's third season finale, "Commencement". The opening(s) were designed by Luise Hollowell. The theme used is a remixed version of the Season 1 theme by John E. Davis, although it was also used in the pilot episode "Class of Beverly Hills". The theme is later remixed once again by John E. Davis in Season 4. The cast shown in these versions are Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Luke Perry, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling, Carol Potter, and James Eckhouse. A cold start was used for season 4, episode 3 but the opening credits started the show for the other episodes.
Season 5
With Shannen Doherty as Brenda now gone, the opening credits went through some remodeling. The theme song was cut down to 58 seconds instead of 1 minute and 38 seconds. And new cast members Tiffani-Amber Thiessen and Mark Damon Espinoza were added. Also, a new logo and text effect. Jennie Garth also moved up to the lead actress spot in the opening (vacated by Doherty). The opening originally featured scenes from the show, but this was later replaced by more footage from a photo shoot.After Andrea (Gabrielle Carteris) and Jesse (Mark Damon Espinoza) left the series on the second to the last episode of the season, their footage remained in the opening for the next episode which was the season finale. The opening was designed by an unknown person, whose name is not listed in the end credits for this season, though William Brown has been speculated by many as the designer. The cast shown in these versions are Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Luke Perry, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling, Mark Damon Espinoza, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Carol Potter and James Eckhouse. From season 5-10, a cold start was used on every episode.
Seasons 6 and 7
With new executive producers, the opening once again went through some major changes. In were Kathleen Robertson (Clare Arnold), Jamie Walters (Ray Pruit), and for the first time Joe E. Tata (Nat Bussichio). Out was Darren Star's name at the end of the credits (due to Star's selling of all his shares in both Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place). A new logo was introduced (which unlike previous logos, overlaid on top of a cast shot), as well as another text effect (which was very similar to the one used in Season 5). The opening(s) were designed by William Brown. The cast shown in these versions are Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Luke Perry (Season 6, episodes 1–10 only) Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling, Tiffani Thiessen, Joe E. TataJoe E. Tata
Joe E. Tata is an American television actor. He is known for his regular role as Nat Busschio, the owner and operator of the Peach Pit diner, in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210...
, Jamie Walters (Season 6, episodes 1–13 only) and Kathleen Robertson
Kathleen Robertson
Kathleen Robertson is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Clare Arnold in Beverly Hills, 90210 .-Career:Robertson started taking acting classes when she was ten, and had roles in local theater productions...
.
Season 8 and 9
With a new executive producer, the departure of Kathleen Robertson, and the cast of characters now out of school, the opening credits were once again revamped. New cast members Hillary Swank (Carly Reynolds) and Vincent Young (Noah Hunter) were added (and later Daniel Cosgrove and Lindsay Price in season 9). And footage of the cast together at a photoshoot received a blue hue, instead of the traditional grainy film look. The opening(s) were designed by Brian Dollenmayer. The cast shown in these versions are Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling, Tiffani Thiessen, Joe E. Tata, Hilary SwankHilary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi...
(season 8, episodes 1–19 only) Vincent Young
Vincent Young (actor)
Vincent Young is an American actor best known for playing "Noah Hunter" on the TV Series Beverly Hills, 90210. He was on the show from 1997 to 2000....
, Lindsay Price (starting in season 9) and Daniel Cosgrove
Daniel Cosgrove
Daniel Cosgrove is an American actor. He is known for his role as Scott Chandler # 3 on All My Children, Bill Lewis on Guiding Light and for his role as Christopher Hughes II on As the World Turns.Cosgrove has been a cast member during the series finale of three consecutive cancelled soap operas:...
(season 9).
Season 9 and 10
With the departure of the series leading man Jason Priestley (Season 9, Episode 5), the opening credits were once again revamped, starting in Episode 6 of the ninth season. This time featuring more or less the same effects from previous seasons (blue hues, grainy film effects). Season 9 also saw the departure of Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (Season 9, Episode 7). There were also two additions to the cast: Vanessa Marcil and the return of Luke Perry (now being credited as a special guest star). Season 10 saw the departure of Vanessa Marcil (Episode 17) and the on-again/off-again presence of Joe E. Tata in the opening credits. S9, Ep. 6-S10 cast: Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling, Tiffani Amber Thiessen (S9, Ep. 6–7), Vincent Young, Vanessa MarcilVanessa Marcil
Vanessa Marcil is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Brenda Barrett Corinthos on General Hospital, Gina Kincaid on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sam Marquez on Las Vegas....
(S9-S10, Ep. 1–17), Lindsay Price, Daniel Cosgrove, Joe E. Tata and Luke Perry (Special Guest Star beginning on S9, Ep. 7).
Additional notes
Torand Productions was a dba used by the production company for several seasons on the show. Torand productions came from the first three letters of Aaron Spelling's first child, Tori and the first four letters of his second child, Randy's, name.Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
named the show #20 on its list of top 100 TV shows in the past 25 years. The magazine also named the theme song #15 on its list of top 25 TV theme songs in the past 25 years, and the "90210 Sideburns" #50 on its list of Pop Culture Moments that Rocked Fashion.
Shannen Doherty's departure from the show would be the longest the continuity had seen with a lead cast member not making another guest appearance after they had left the show. Spanning for a time of 14 years, Brenda Walsh was not seen in any 90210 incarnation until September 2, 2008 in which she reprised her role in the CW's spinoff, 90210
90210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
.
The initial diner used as The Peach Pit in the first episodes of the series is actually The Apple Pan
The Apple Pan
The Apple Pan is a restaurant located at 10801 West Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles. It opened in 1947 and is locally famous for its hamburgers and apple pies served with vanilla ice cream. It consists of a single, U-shaped counter surrounding the central food preparation area. Closed on...
, a veritable Los Angeles institution. Located in West Los Angeles, it is blocks away from the city of Beverly Hills. The Peach Pit was fashioned after this restaurant.
In May 2003, a majority of the original cast came together for the retrospective television special, Beverly Hills, 90210: 10 Year High School Reunion. The special reunited Jason Priestley (Brandon Walsh), Shannen Doherty (Brenda Walsh), Jennie Garth (Kelly Taylor), Ian Ziering (Steve Sanders), Gabrielle Carteris (Andrea Zuckerman), and Luke Perry (Dylan McKay). James Eckhouse (Jim Walsh), Carol Potter (Cindy Walsh), and Joe E. Tata
Joe E. Tata
Joe E. Tata is an American television actor. He is known for his regular role as Nat Busschio, the owner and operator of the Peach Pit diner, in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210...
(Nat Bussichio) joined the reunion during the last segment. Douglas Emerson (Scott Scanlon), Brian Austin Green (David Silver), and Tori Spelling (Donna Martin) did not appear on this TV special. This marks the first reunion of the Walsh family since Doherty's departure nine years earlier in 1994. The reunion took place in a mocked set of the Walsh living room and even had a Walsh family photo on a table. The photo is from circa 1990.
Broadcast
Beverly Hills, 90210 originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States; SoapNet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
currently airs reruns seven days a week. Unlike the DVD releases, the syndicated episodes still feature the show's original music. SoapNet is scheduled to go off the air in January 2012.
Various networks around the world subsequently aired Beverly Hills, 90210. In the United Kingdom, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
showed the first two seasons until the satellite channel Sky1 acquired the rights for the rest of its run from Seasons 3–9; Season 10 was never shown. Five later acquired the repeat rights of Seasons 1–4 . Australia aired the show on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
, Fox8
FOX8
Fox8 is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms...
and their now ceased Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
. In Canada, the show's later seasons aired on Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
. It was also shown on TVA
TVA (TV network)
TVA is a privately owned French language television network in Canada. The network is currently owned by Groupe TVA Inc. , a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media...
(in French), and aired in syndication on TVtropolis
TVtropolis
TVtropolis is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Shaw Media and Rogers Media.The channel operates two time shifted feeds: East and West .-Programming:...
. It is shown in Denmark on TV2
TV 2 (Denmark)
TV 2 is a publicly owned television station in Denmark based in Odense. The station began broadcasting on 1 October 1988, thereby ending the television monopoly previously exercised by the Danmarks Radio ....
. In Spain, the show was aired on Tele 5
Tele 5
Tele 5 is a commercial television channel in Germany. The channel is largely known for showing classic American films and series, Japanese Anime and Shows.Tele 5 broadcasts from the Astra 1H, 1M, and 3A satellites and is uplinked by ASTRA Platform Services....
from 1991 to 2005.
In Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
it aired on RCTI
RCTI
RCTI is Indonesia's first privately owned television network and is based in West Jakarta. RCTI broadcasts Indonesian Idol as well as sinetron , films, news and current affairs, reality shows and religious programs...
, and has also aired on Indosiar
Indosiar
Indosiar is a publicly owned national television station in Indonesia, and has been operating from West Jakarta since 1994. It was listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange in 2004. Citibank Singapore has an 8.5 percent shareholding...
from August 1993 to December 2000. In the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, the show was aired on ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
from 1991 to 1996 then on Studio 23
Studio 23
Studio 23 is a Filipino television network owned by the ABS-CBN Corporation. The network is named for its flagship station in Metro Manila, DWAC-TV, which is carried on UHF channel 23...
from 1996 to 2000.
In Malaysia the series is now airing through 8TV
8TV (Malaysia)
8TV is a private Malaysian Chinese television station, previously known as MetroVision Channel 8. Metrovision closed on 1 November 1999. 8TV was officially launched on Thursday, 8 January 2004 as 8TV after being acquired by Media Prima Berhad....
beginning Jun 14 onwards every Saturday.
In Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Beverly Hills, 90210 began airing in November 1992 in primetime and soon became one of the most popular teenager/young adult shows ever. Ratings were very strong till the first eleven episodes of season six. Then, the series was moved to late afternoon (where it did proper ratings again). Series finale aired on December 2000. Reruns aired successfully on Italia Uno and on It! Italia Teen Television. Currently the series is repeated with different seasons on Rai 4 and SkyUno in the afternoon and on Italia Uno in early mornings.
Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
is airing all seasons of the show every day at 4:10 pm until April 9, 2009 (when last episode will be shown). POP TV
POP TV
POP TV is a Slovenian commercial television station operated by the multi-media company PRO PLUS d.o.o.It is a TV channel with the highest ratings in Slovenia , and at the same time the most popular and trustworthy...
, however, was the first Slovenian TV station to broadcast the series, in the 1990s.
In Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
the series was aired on the national Macedonian Radio Television during the 1990s.
In Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
the series aired all its ten seasons on commercial station telecinco
Telecinco
Telecinco is a Spanish commercial television channel operated by Mediaset España. Launched in 1990 as Tele 5, it was the fifth of the national terrestrial television channels. In 1997, Tele 5 was rebranded as Telecinco, dropping the flower logo seen in other Mediaset channel...
. The series began airing in Spain a few months after its US debut, originally in a Sunday access primetime slot, but due to the show's popularity, it was quickly promoted to primetime, where it aired a few seasons in the very popular Friday night slot, attracting an average of 4.5 million viewers, an excellent result for a US import during those years. Eventually, with Telecinco screening episodes close to US broadcast, the series had to resort to constant reruns which only served to confuse the audience and erode ratings. Following a strike in the dubbing industry, season 6 was delayed by many months, and on its return, this time with double episodes, the series was transferred to Sunday afternoons where it managed to hold a steady yet smaller audience. The series remained in the slot various years, with Telecinco opting to delay the new episodes in subsequent years to the spring, thus allowing for double airings the entire Spring. The final two seasons saw a massive ratings erosion prompted by the cast changes, and in the end the series was relegated to Saturday and Sundays in a breakfast slot (730am) where it eventually aired all its episodes, this time with a year delay from the US. Throughout its entire run, BH 90210 was paired up with Melrose Place in the schedules (since the launch of Melrose Place), both keeping their airings at the same pace they originally aired in in the US.
In Spain, BH 90210 was originally retitled Sensacion de vivir (Sensation of life), although early in season one, the series title was changed to 90210:Sensacion de vivir.
In Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
The series were aired first on Interstar, then Kanal D and finally on Cine 5. And The title was Evimiz Hollywood'da, which can be translated as "Our House is in Hollywood".
In Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
The series was aired on MTV(later named MTV3). The first season was renamed to "L.A. Beat" but changed from Season 2 onward till the end as Beverly Hills 90210. When TVTV!(later named SubTV) began airing reruns in 2001 all seasons carried through under the name Beverly Hills 90210.
Seasonal ratings in the United States
| Season | Timeslot (EDT) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Beverly Hills, 90210 (season 1) Season 1 of Beverly Hills, 90210, an American teen drama television series, began airing on October 4, 1990 on FOX television network. The season concluded on May 9, 1991 after 22 episodes.... |
Thursday 9:00 P.M. (October 4, 1990 – Aug 20, 1992) | October 4, 1990 | May 9, 1991 | 1990–1991 | #88 | 14.2 |
| 2 Beverly Hills, 90210 (season 2) Season 2 of Beverly Hills, 90210, an American teen drama television series, began airing on July 11, 1991 on FOX television network. The season concluded on May 7, 1992 after 28 episodes.... |
July 11, 1991 | May 7, 1992 | 1991–1992 | #48 | 17.6 | |
| 3 Beverly Hills, 90210 (season 3) Season three of Beverly Hills, 90210, an American teen drama television series, began airing on July 15, 1992 on FOX television network. The season concluded on May 19, 1993 after 30 episodes.... |
Wednesday 8:00 P.M. (July 15, 1992 – May 17, 2000) | July 15, 1992 | May 19, 1993 | 1992–1993 | #42 | 18.3 |
| 4 Beverly Hills, 90210 (season 4) Season four of Beverly Hills, 90210, an American teen drama television series, began airing on September 8, 1993 on FOX television network. The season concluded on May 25, 1994 after 32 episodes.... |
September 8, 1993 | May 25, 1994 | 1993–1994 | #41 | 21.7 | |
| 5 Beverly Hills, 90210 (season 5) Season five of Beverly Hills, 90210, an American teen drama television series, began airing on September 7, 1994 on FOX television network. The season concluded on May 24, 1995 after 32 episodes.... |
September 7, 1994 | May 24, 1995 | 1994–1995 | #46 | 14.7 | |
| 6 | September 13, 1995 | May 22, 1996 | 1995–1996 1995-96 United States network television schedule This was the United States broadcast television schedule on all six commercial television networks for the Fall season beginning in September 1995. All times are Eastern and Pacific.New series highlighted in bold.... |
#53 | 14.5 | |
| 7 | August 21, 1996 | May 21, 1997 | 1996–1997 1996-97 United States network television schedule This was the United States broadcast television schedule on all six commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1996. All times are Eastern and Pacific.New series highlighted in bold.... |
#61 | 13.2 | |
| 8 | September 10, 1997 | May 20, 1998 | 1997–1998 | #59 | 11.4 | |
| 9 | September 16, 1998 | May 19, 1999 | 1998–1999 | #75 | 9.7 | |
| 10 | September 8, 1999 | May 17, 2000 | 1999–2000 | #82 | 8.33 |
Season 2 and Season 3 featured all new summer episodes that aired during July and August before the regular fall episodes started in September.
At the beginning of the third season, in July and August 1992, all new summer episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210 were playing during the series new time slot of Wednesdays at 8pm but viewers could see repeats from Beverly Hills, 90210
The 7th season started earlier than usual because of the 1996 Olympics and the MLB Playoffs on FOX during the month of October.
Thursday's at 9pm (1990–1992)
Prior to the Premiere of Beverly Hills, 90210, "Glory Days" was airing on Thursday's at 9pm.
After Beverly Hills, 90210 moved to its new night, "The Heights" with future 90210 star Jamie Walters, took over the timeslot.
Wednesday's at 8pm (1992–2000)
Prior to Beverly Hills, 90210, Fox did not have regular programing on Wednesday nights. The network looked to Beverly Hills, 90210 to anchor a new night of programming. (NOTE: Beverly Hills, 90210 3rd Season premiere started on July 15, 1992. The prior week did have programing but it was to make place for the 90 minute pilot of Melrose Place which 90210 was paired with for the 92-93 season.)
After Beverly Hills, 90210 left the air in 2000, it was replaced with "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Normal, Ohio" for the 2001-2001 season.
Series ending
When Beverly Hills, 90210 began, the show was heavily issue-oriented with the Walsh twins 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 adult issues.Ratings for the tenth season declined to an average of 10 million viewers per episode (according to a May 2000 issue of Us Weekly
Us Weekly
Us Weekly is a celebrity gossip magazine, founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986. The publication covers topics ranging from celebrity relationships to the latest trends in fashion, beauty, and entertainment...
). The ratings were small compared to previous seasons. The lower ratings, along with the high costs associated with any television show in its later seasons led Fox to end the series in January 2000. Though there were many cast changes, over 25 million people tuned in to watch the final episode which aired in May 2000. All of the original younger cast, excluding Shannen Doherty and Douglas Emerson, appeared in the series finale. Gabrielle Carteris and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen also returned in the series finale.
Melrose Place
The series Melrose Place was a spin-offSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
from the show, as actor Grant Show
Grant Show
Grant Alan Show is an American actor best known for his role on Melrose Place as Jake Hanson, which he played from 1992 to 1997.-Early life:...
(who played Jake on Melrose Place) appeared for a multi-episode run at the end of the series second season as Kelly's love interest, and a friend of Dylan's. Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering made appearances as their Beverly Hills, 90210 characters in the first few episodes of Melrose Place.
Models Inc
Models Inc., a series about the personal and professional struggles of several young models, spun off from Melrose Place. The series was introduced via the characters Hillary Michaels, the mother of Melrose Places Amanda Woodward, and model Sarah Owens—both of whom had appeared in a multi-episode run on MP. In addition to his role in Melrose Place, Jake Hanson was the only character to appear in both Beverly Hills, 90210 and Models Inc.90210 A third spin-off premiered in 2008, focusing on a family from Kansas who move to Beverly Hills when the children's grandmother suffers from alcohol addiction. It premiered on The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
Network on September 2, 2008.
In guest appearances, Jennie Garth
Jennie Garth
Jennifer Eve "Jennie" Garth is an American actress and director, best known for starring in the prominent role of Kelly Taylor throughout the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
and Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
reprised their roles as Kelly Taylor, Brenda Walsh and Donna Martin, respectively. Joe E. Tata
Joe E. Tata
Joe E. Tata is an American television actor. He is known for his regular role as Nat Busschio, the owner and operator of the Peach Pit diner, in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210...
also reprised his role as Nat, owner of the Peach Pit, diner turned coffee house, for a couple of episodes at the beginning of the show's first season.
Melrose Place (2009)
A fifth series was officially picked up by The CWThe CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
on May 21, 2009. The show is an updated version of Melrose Place, featuring a group of young adults living in a West Hollywood apartment complex. Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
producers Todd Slavkin
Todd Slavkin
Todd Slavkin is an American screenwriter and producer, most famous for working on the American television program Smallville. As of October 6, 2006 he has written or co-written 18 episodes of Smallville.- Smallville :*Writer...
and Darren Swimmer
Darren Swimmer
Darren Swimmer is an American screenwriter and producer, most famous for working on the American television program Smallville. As of October 6, 2006 he has written or co-written 18 episodes of Smallville.-Smallville:*Writer...
wrote the pilot script and became the executive producers on the series. The series was canceled on May 20, 2010.
Parodies
The rap duo Insane Clown PosseInsane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
released an EP titled Beverly Kills 50187
Beverly Kills 50187
Beverly Kills 50187 is the first EP by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released in 1993 by Psychopathic Records. It is the first "sideshow" entry in the group's Dark Carnival saga...
which featured a song titled "Beverly Kills" describing member Violent J
Joseph Bruce
Joseph Frank "Joe" Bruce is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler and actor. Bruce is most commonly known as Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse . He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow ICP rapper Joseph Utsler and their former manager,...
killing the series' characters for being rich and prejudiced toward the "lower class".
Darren 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.
The short-lived The Ben Stiller Show
The Ben Stiller Show
The Ben Stiller Show was the name of two sketch comedy television shows that aired on MTV from 1990 to 1991, and then on Fox from September 1992 to January 1993. The Fox show starred Ben Stiller, Andy Dick, Janeane Garofalo and Bob Odenkirk. Character actor John F. O'Donohue also appeared in every...
did a parody of this show, The Heights
The Heights (TV series)
The Heights is an American musical drama series that aired on the Fox network from August to November 1992.-Synopsis:The Heights centers on a fictional band made up of mostly middle-class young adults...
and Melrose Place called Melrose Heights 90210-2420 that portrayed the cast as superficial, self-absorbed, and self-pitying. A typical episode's "issue" was a character getting a headache, which affected all the other characters. Each episode would end the same upbeat song (resembling The Heights hit single "How Do You Talk To An Angel") performed by the whole cast with new lyrics for each episode.
Another aspect of the show that was the subject of parody was the fact that a number 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. Carteris was 29 during filming of the first season, Perry was 23, Jason Priestley turned 21 prior to the show's premiere, and Ian Ziering was 26. Brian Austin Green (then 17), Shannen Doherty (19), Tori Spelling (17) and Jennie Garth (18) were the only cast members to have started the show as teenagers who grow older later on in the show. This was the premise of the Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
parody, where Andrea is portrayed as a senile elderly woman.
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
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 to 90210 after protest.
The Fox 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.
The Mickey Mouse Club did a parody sketch called Beverly Hillbillies 90210, combining the characters of both 90210 and The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
. In 1999, Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
from the Mickey Mouse Club made a cameo performance on Beverly Hills 90210 as herself performing at the PPAD for David Silver's surprise birthday party, season 10 episode 2: "Let's Eat Cake". Music from former MMC members Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
and JC Chasez of 'N Sync
'N Sync
N Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
also was originally used during several opening title sequences during the mid to late seasons of 90210.
MADtv
MADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
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 (Pat Kilbane
Pat Kilbane
Patrick F. "Pat" Kilbane is an American comic actor. He first appeared in a 1996 episode ofSeinfeld , in which he played Feldman, Bizarro Kramer. Kilbane appeared for several seasons on MADtv, most notably the spokesperson for MADtv's fictitious company, Spishak...
), who had rejoined the cast as a masked killer who was a parody of Michael Myers
Michael Myers (Halloween)
Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then fifteen years later returns home to murder more teenagers...
of the Halloween
Halloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
film series.
Czech TV Nova parody show Tele Tele made parody of the show known as "Heverly Debils". Three mini-episodes (about 10 minutes each) were filmed.
GZA
GZA
Gary Grice , better known by his stage names GZA and The Genius, is an American hip hop artist and founding member of the seminal hip hop group the Wu-Tang Clan. He has also appeared on his fellow clan members' solo projects and has maintained a successful solo career...
of the Wu-Tang Clan released a song called "Killah Hills 10304
Liquid Swords
Liquid Swords is the second solo studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member GZA, released November 7, 1995, on Geffen Records. Recording sessions for the album began mid-way through 1995 at producer RZA's basement studio in Staten Island New York...
", an ironic reference to the show's title in a song about crime and a rough neighborhood.
A VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
promo for I Love the 90s featured Hal Sparks
Hal Sparks
Hal Harry Magee Sparks III is an American actor, comedian, musician and television personality. He is known for his contributions to VH1, hosting E!'s Talk Soup, and the role of Michael Novotny on the American television series Queer as Folk.-Early life:Sparks was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but...
and Michael Ian Black
Michael Ian Black
Michael Ian Black is an American comedian, actor, writer and director. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including The State, Ed, Viva Variety, Stella and Michael & Michael Have Issues. He is also a prominent poker player, appearing on Celebrity Poker Showdown several times...
sitting in the Peach Pit, with Beverly Hills, 90210s theme music playing. Joe E. Tata also appears in the promo as Nat.
In 2009, The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
aired an episode called "Waverly Hills 9021-D'oh", which features Lisa wanting to go to a better school and finding it in the very posh town of Waverly Hills.
Actors Ian Ziering
Ian Ziering
Ian Andrew Ziering is an American actor best known for playing Steve Sanders on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:...
and Brian Austin Green
Brian Austin Green
Brian Austin Green is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of David Silver on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990 to 2000. Green also starred in the sitcom Freddie and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Since 2009, he has appeared in a recurring...
played parodies of themselves in director Tony Scott
Tony Scott
Anthony D. L. "Tony" Scott is an English film director. His films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Unstoppable...
's film Domino, portraying themselves as stereotypical self-involved Hollywood actors.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best New Family Television Comedy Series | |
| Won | Best Young Actor Supporting or Re-Occurring Role for a TV Series | Douglas Emerson Douglas Emerson Douglas Emerson is an American former child actor who played Scott Scanlon on Beverly Hills, 90210 in the show's first and second seasons and played Eddie Beckner in The Blob.... |
||
| Nominated | Best Young Actor Supporting or Re-Occurring Role for a TV Series | Brian Austin Green Brian Austin Green Brian Austin Green is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of David Silver on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990 to 2000. Green also starred in the sitcom Freddie and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Since 2009, he has appeared in a recurring... |
||
| Nominated | Best Young Actress Supporting or Re-Occurring Role for a TV Series | Jennie Garth Jennie Garth Jennifer Eve "Jennie" Garth is an American actress and director, best known for starring in the prominent role of Kelly Taylor throughout the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise... |
||
| Nominated | Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Series | Shannen Doherty Shannen Doherty Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,... |
||
| 1992 | Won | Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Television Series | |
|
| Nominated | Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series | Shannen Doherty | ||
| Won | Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television Series | Brian Austin Green | ||
| Won | Best Young Actress Co-starring in a Television Series | Jennie Garth | ||
| Nominated | Best Young Actress Co-starring in a Television Series | Tori Spelling Tori Spelling Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?... |
||
| 1993 | Won | Favorite Young Ensemble Cast in a Television Series | Jason Priestley Jason Priestley Jason Bradford Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s.... , Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering Ian Ziering Ian Andrew Ziering is an American actor best known for playing Steve Sanders on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:... , Gabrielle Carteris Gabrielle Carteris Gabrielle Anne Carteris is an American actress known for her role as Andrea Zuckerman on the early seasons of the 1990s television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:... , Luke Perry Luke Perry Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his... , Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling |
|
| Nominated | Best Young Actor Recurring in a Television Series | Cory Tyler Cory Tyler Cory Tyler is an American actor and dancer. He is best known for his role as Terrence Taylor, the son of Col. Taylor on the sitcom A Different World. In 1989, he co-hosted the pilot episode of the former Nickelodeon series Wild & Crazy Kids with Matt Brown and Leslie Hibbard... |
||
| Won | Best Young Actress Recurring in a Television Series | Dana Barron Dana Barron Dana Barron is an American actress who has starred in film and on television. Barron is best known for her role as the original Audrey Griswold in the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation which she reprised in 2003's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure for NBC television.-Early... |
||
| 1994 | Nominated | Best Youth Actress Guest Starring in a Television Show | Sabrina Wiener | |
| 1998 | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Drama Series – Guest Starring Young Actress | Danielle Keaton | |
| 1992 | Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... |
Nominated | Best TV-Series – Drama | |
| 1993 | Nominated | Best TV-Series – Drama | |
|
| Nominated | Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series – Drama | Jason Priestley | ||
| 1995 | Nominated | Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series – Drama | Jason Priestley | |
| 1992 | TP de Oro TP de Oro The TP de Oro is a Spanish award given since 1973, to honour, mostly, Spanish, but also foreign television series. The TP de Oro is considered to be the most prestigious Spanish awards for television.-External links:* *... |
Won | Best Foreign Series | |
| 1993 | Won | Best Foreign Series | |
|
| 1995 | ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Won | Top TV Series | |
| 1995 | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Nominated | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Milton Berle Milton Berle Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr... |
| 1996 | BMI Broadcast Music Incorporated Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed... Film & TV Awards |
Won | BMI TV Music Award | |
| 1999 | Teen Choice Awards Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with... |
Nominated | TV – Choice Actress | Jennie Garth |
| 2004 | TV Land Awards TV Land Awards The TV Land Awards is an American television awards ceremony that generally commemorates shows now off the air, rather than in current production as with awards such as the Emmys. It is presented in a manner that spoofs other entertainment award ceremonies... |
Nominated | Favorite Greasy Spoon | |
| Nominated | Favorite Teen Dream – Male | Luke Perry | ||
| 2006 | Nominated | Most Happening Greasy Spoon or Hangout | |
|
| 2007 | Nominated | Break Up That Was So Bad It Was Good | Luke Perry and Shannen Doherty |
External links
- Beverly Hills 90210 on SOAPnet.com
- CBS.com Classics Beverly Hills 90210 at CBS.comCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
- 90210 locations