Beverly Hills, 90210, or 90210 as referred to by fans, is a teen drama aired on the Fox network. Created by Dareen Star and produced by Aaron Spelling, the series had ten seasons with 293 episodes and aired from October 1990 to May 2000.
The series is the first one in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.
Cast
Although the series had several cast changes, the initial main cast included Jason Priestly as Brandon Walsh, Shannen Doherty as Brenda Walsh, and Jennie Garth as Kelly Taylor.
Ian Ziering as Steve Sanders, Brian Austin Green as David Silver, and Tori Spelling as Donna Martin completed the show’s constant lead cast.
Other actors in the show’s leading roles include Gabrielle Carteris, Luke Perry, Douglas Emerson, James Eckhouse, Carol Potter, Joe E. Tata, Mark Damon Espinoza, Kathleen Robertson, and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen.
Jamie Walters, Hillary Swank, Lindsay Price, Daniel Crosgrove, and Vanessa Marcil were also a part of the show’s cast.
Overview
Beverly Hills 90210 revolves around the lives of some friends living in Beverly Hills. The ‘90210’ in the title is one of the five ZIP codes of Beverly Hills.
The series introduces the Walsh family, consisting of Jim, Cindy, Brenda, and Brandon. The Walsh family has recently relocated to Beverly Hills from Minneapolis due to Jim’s job promotion.
After relocating to Beverly Hills, Brenda and Brandon attend the West Beverly Hills High School and make several friends. The duo’s friends include Kelly Taylor, Steve Sanders, Andrea Zuckerman, Donna Martin, Dylan McKay, David Silver, and Scott Scanlon.
The show follows the friends’ transition from high school to college to adulthood.
Initially, the storyline focused on how the twins Brenda and Brandon Walsh were coping with their relocation to Beverly Hills. Their friendships and relationships gave rise to several subplots on the show.
Apart from the regular storylines, the series also touched upon several topical issues, such as animal rights, alcoholism, drug abuse, date rape, sex, eating disorders, domestic violence, racism, homophobia, teenage pregnancy, teenage suicide, and AIDS.
Reception
Beverly Hills 90210 received poor ratings for its debut season. However, it gained popularity after the Fox network aired a summer season of the show in 1991. This increased viewership led to the series becoming one of the top shows on Fox.
The series became a global phenomenon, and cast members Luke Perry and Jason Priestley became teen idols. Actresses Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty became household names in the U.S.
Beverly Hills 90210 led to the popularity of the teen soap genre and inspired many more series in that genre.
The low ratings for the tenth season made Fox end the show in January 2000. Despite the various changes in the cast, the viewership for the final episode was over 25 million.
A reboot titled ‘BH90210’ premiered on the Fox network in August 2019. It is the sixth spin-off in the franchise.
Accolades
The series received several nominations and awards during its long run.
Beverly Hills 90210 received nominations at several award shows, including the Teen Choice Awards, the Emmy Awards, the TV Land Awards, the BMI Film & TV Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Young Artist Awards.
Several cast members won awards at various award ceremonies.