Beverly Hills, 90210 Discussion Thread

[Chris 2]

After the first couple of seasons, Brandon generally came across as an arrogant little turd. I don’t know how much of that was the writing vs the actor.

[Khan]

DId anyone on this show just STFU and play what was written in the scripts?

[te.]

Shannen, ironically.

[Chris B]

I can’t with this show. So now Dylan and Andrea are being put in a lot of scenes together and she’s over at his house, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. Of course they have chemistry, but instead of letting her have an affair with him, they bring on a new character to pawn her off with. It’s crazy because they claimed she had to go, but they keep showing ways she could’ve stayed long term, they just never pursue what *they* set up. 

[Vee]

I remember the Dylan/Andrea stuff. Why they never pulled the trigger on her and Brandon or this is beyond me, except I know the real reason.

[DRW50]

Whenever I think of  Shannen and 90210 I end up thinking of when she hosted SNL in  her last season with the show. SNL was probably  at an all time low at that point in how women were treated, and had a toxic backstage atmosphere, yet there is  no  real distance in the goodnights - she could have just been faking of  course, but she really seems to have enjoyed her time, and she has a big bear hug with Chris Farley that makes me feel a bit sad now. It makes me wonder if the 90210 set was so awful for  her by that point she was just thrilled at the escape. 

(if you want to see it you can find it on Archive - it is, of  course, very 1993)

[John]

Spill the tea please

[Vee]

It's just the stuff we've all discussed re: how they handled Gabrielle Carteris and the character over the years.

[Khan]

I'll just come right out and say it: I think Shannen Doherty gets the worst rap for being that rare breed of performer who is not here for anyone's bullshit.

[John]

Gotcha

100

[Khan]

I'm just saying.  Is she (Shannen Doherty) the greatest actress ever?  No.  When she's good, she's very good; and when she's not, she's...not.  But, either way, she makes. You watch.  Love her or hate her, but you'll never, ever forget her.

ETA: In a world more perfect than this one, she, and not Sarah Michelle Gellar, would have taken daytime by storm as Erica Kane's long-lost, illegitimate daughter on AMC.  (And unlike the Once and Future Vampire Slayer, she would've been the right age for it, too, lol.)

Edited February 14, 2022 by Khan

[kalbir]

Beverly Hills 90210 was such a big part of my teen years yet I somehow don't feel nostalgic for it and have a longing to rewatch it. The first four seasons were the best. I lost interest early in the 5th season and never went back to it.

[Khan]

"90210" is like much of Aaron Spelling's output.  If you're watching it again at all, it's because you DO have residual nostalgia for it.  Otherwise, it doesn't hold up at all.

[FrenchBug82]

Yeah...
Prompted by the revival of this thread I have watched a whole bunch of stuff online the past few days and while the acting is better than I remembered, the dialogue is so so much worse.
I had to stop because I was cringeing so hard. The Suite Life of Zach and Cody had more depth in its dialogue and was more subtle in its moralizing than this.

I had also forgotten that Michelle Phillips was playing Val's mother in denial about her husband having molested her which considering subsequent revelations about John Phillips is hella awkward to rewatch

[John]

Plus lets be honest Tori didnt like Shannen anymore and she is the bosses daughter, so he let Shannen go. But even Aaron realized the talent Shannen has & put her in Charmed.