Fist pumping during the opening theme song. Electric-guitar music for scenes with Dylan McKay. Baggy, high-waist jeans and floral-print dresses.
Beverly Hills 90210 was one of my favourite shows back in the 1990s, and it was one of the hottest things on TV.
All of my friends watched it, gushed about which guy they had a crush on, and even tried to emulate the fashion (which now is pretty comedic).
I have the first 4 seasons on DVD, and I’ve been watching a few episodes here and there when I feel like reminiscing.
Remember the gang? From left to right:
- Kelly Taylor
- Steve Sanders
- Andrea Zuckerman
- Brandon Walsh
- Brenda Walsh
- Dylan McKay
- Donna Martin
- David Silver
Here’s what I thought of each character:
Kelly Taylor
At the beginning, she was a superficial, boy-crazy, bad girl who flirted with risky business and had to deal with a drug-addicted mother. As the series progressed, she became a more thoughtful, caring, and selfless person. (I was really impressed with how the writers developed and transformed her character so dramatically.)
Steve Sanders
The first thing that comes to mind is the shirts he used to wear. They were often like blouses, and he always buttoned them right up to the neck, which I thought was hilariously conservative.
Andrea Zuckerman
Although she often had the best intentions, I found her character extremely annoying because she was too squeaky clean. I never found her believable as a student because she often acted more like a stereotypical teacher, and she was such a brown-noser.
Brandon Walsh
My friends had the biggest crush on Brandon Walsh because he was very easy on the eyes. But I was the odd one out – I thought that he was too much of a pretty boy, and I didn’t like how he often made self-righteous remarks.
Brenda Walsh
I absolutely adored her because out of all the female characters, she had the strongest backbone, spoke her mind, had incredible confidence, and her physical appearance was fierce! (Look at her strong eyebrows – awesome!) Also, even to this day, I think her speaking voice is the most attractive female voice I’ve ever heard.
Dylan McKay
He was the James Dean wannabe with a chip on his shoulder and many wrinkles on his forehead. (Hehe, I couldn’t resist mentioning the wrinkles.) He was a charmer, a risk taker, and an intelligent man who made bad decisions. I empathized with his pains of being misunderstood.
Donna Martin
She was the genuine, but slow-witted one in the group who was a good friend and always saw the perky side of life. But I didn’t connect with her character. Although I respected her decision to remain a virgin until marriage, I thought it was pretty funny how she was always the most scantily clad female in the group!
David Silver
Maybe I was a weirdo (probably), but my favourite guy was the nerdy, scrawny David Silver. It was probably because he reminded me a lot of a guy in my class who was socially awkward and girl-crazy. Haha, and at the time, I was smitten by his musical ventures.
Did you watch Beverly Hills 90210? Who were your favourite characters and why?
Another awesome trip down memory lane. I remember watching this series,… sometimes switching the channel when my parents came into the room (they made me lead a very sheltered life and this show was not exactly all pg rated in their opinion lol).
I have not watched the new 90210 – something tells me it won’t stand up to the original 😀
Brenda and Dylan were my favourites. Dylan because of his bad-boy image AND because of those wrinkles on his forehead (I have had major forehead wrinkles since I was 10… when I want to I can look like those wrinkled doggies 😀 lol)
Hey Marta!
Actually, I did exactly the same thing when I was younger because my parents also though that the show dealt with too much ‘mature content’. Haha, but when I watch re-runs now, it doesn’t actually have all that much ‘mature content’. And there are such wholesome messages projected throughout every episode.
I tried watching an episode of the new 90210 show, but I couldn’t sit through it all. It’s completely different (which is expected). I guess I really wanted it to have the same magic as the original.
Ahhhh the memories! I honestly don’t remember the Andrea Zuckerman character, everyone else is still vividly there. My favorite was Dylan, I was just entering into my grungy phase with Kurt Cobain being my demigod and Dylan was a natural choice for a favorite 😀
The fashion does seem hilarious now. I wonder what will we look like in 20 years time, when the things we wear now are funny.
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Hey Iris!
Andrea Zuckerman was the only one who wore glasses. Remember, she was always gung-ho on the school newspaper? No? Hehe, that’s okay – she was rather annoying! Hahahaha!
Yeah, I wonder if our current fashion will be laughed at. But I don’t think anything can top the crazy, Technicolour fashion of the 1980s. And then in the 1990s, the jeans were just awful! Haha!
I’m too young to have watched this when it aired, but I’ve caught reruns and totally love it!
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Hey Madeline!
It speaks volumes when a show withstands the test of time. Glad that you like it! 🙂
Have you watched the new 90210 series? How do you think it compares?
I use to watch this show all the time! Reruns of course haha. There was a channel on television that played episodes every morning or something like that. My sister and me use to watch the new version a lot, but I still like this one a whole lot better. I’m going to need to buy the season sets eventually!
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Hey Melissa!
Okay, so it’s not just me. The original 90210 just had a lot of chemistry between the characters that the new version doesn’t seem to have. (Then again, I only tried watching one episode of the new version…)
The first 4 seasons of the original 90210 were my favourites because after that, Brenda Walsh isn’t there anymore. She was my favourite!
Oh, it has been so long since I’ve even thought of this show. I think David was my fave too 🙂
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Hey Anutka!
Hehehe, okay, so I’m not alone in liking David back then. 😉 All my friends thought I was crazy because they drooled over Brandon and Dylan.
I used to love this show!!! I had to sneak to watch it because I was still pretty young and my parents DID NOT want me looking at it. I really like Brandon and Brenda. I was in love with Dylan. He was such a cutie.
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Hey Marisa!
Hehehehe, it’s funny how your parents (and mine) thought that the show was too racy. If you compare this show to the ones on TV now, 90210 is really tame!
I know right!!! That was rated G compared to now, lol.
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Imagine what shows will be like 20 years from now! How will they take it to the next level? It scares me sometimes when I think about it.
Now don’t laugh – I watched all 10 or so seasons for the first time last year. It was quite amazing. Have you read Tori Spelling’s first book? It has some interesting insight to what was going on backstage! 🙂
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Hey jennstaz!
You know, I don’t think I’ve watched every episode for all the seasons. After Brenda Walsh was no longer in the episodes, I strayed.
No, I haven’t read Tori Spelling’s first book, but I may check it out at the library. Do you remember any funny things she wrote about?
Okay, this is embarrassing….I watch this show almost every day! It’s on Soapnet and it’s my guilty pleasure. I like the seasons when they’re out of high school best
Hey Ashley!
Hehe, it’s not embarrassing at all. I understand how it can be addictive! (I’ve watched 4 episodes back-to-back before since I got the first 4 seasons on DVD.) 😀
I LOVED LOVED LOVED this show!! I used to have a picture of Luke Perry (Dylan) on my bedroom door. I was always Team Kelly, Brenda seemed too bitchy and too catty for a high schooler. Thank you for this amazing post!!!! I <3 90210!!!!!
Hey Arlyn!
Hahaha, it was BECAUSE of Brenda’s bitchiness that I loved her so much! 😉
You’re welcome – glad that you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane.
Oh, wow. The nostalgia! I think I was still in gradeschool when this show came out but I watched it faithfully, week after week. Like you, I was Team Brenda as I felt she was the only female character with a backbone. I was rooting for her and Dylan! I even had some of those binder folders of both of them in my Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper (I had one with dolphins on it). Remember those? Hahaha!
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Hey Carmela!
Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper! Oh my gosh – that really takes me back. (I also had the one with dolphins on it!)
I still watch this when it’s on TV or even on Netflix. It definitely brings back tons of memories!
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Hey lacquerloon!
And the fashion is so funny – especially Steve’s. Even when I was in grade school watching 90210, I thought that his attire was hilarious.