BEVERLY HILLS 90210: The Ultimate Collection (Spelling/Torand Productions, 1990-2000) CBS/Paramount
When TV producer extraordinaire, Aaron Spelling
elected to leave the uber-glamorous world of the super-rich behind with the
retirement of his megawatt colossus, Dynasty (1981-89) he did so with
the understanding that his prolific career as television’s king-maker was only
half over, and moreover, that the formula he had helped cultivate and refine
for the prime-time soaper could be reapplied with a fresh coat of drama to the
younger generation. The result was Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-2000), a
frothy franchise to celebrate sexy young things cavorting about the moneyed playgrounds
of that hallowed zip code. Eventually, the fish-out-of-water social angst and
more teen-skewed relevancy was supplanted by the ultra-gloss and over-the-top
melodrama that had made Spelling’s other network product so gosh-darn
appealing. And with a host of firm bodies paraded before the camera, Spelling
was assured a new generation to latch on to his particular brand of plush and palatial
escapism. The creation of Darren Star, who also furnished Spelling with its
most successful spin-off, Melrose Place (1992-99), Beverly Hills
90210 began its journey into small screen immortality by following the
exploits of the close-knit Walsh family, twins - Brenda and Brandon (played affectingly
by Shannen Doherty and Jason Priestley) and their parents, Cindy (Carol Potter)
and Jim (James Eckhouse) with the uber-sage wisdom of mum and dad, shortly
thereafter, to be thrown under the bus as the kids ventured out on their own to
explore their posh new digs. To suggest Beverly Hills was a culture shock to this
corn-fed clan is an understatement. Alas, Spelling’s decision, with Starr’s
complicity, to eventually shift the focus to an ensemble format that had buoyed
the likes of a good many Spelling shows (The Love Boat, Fantasy
Island, Hotel, T.J. Hooker and The Colbys among them) caused
a wrinkle of distress with his core cast as ‘fringe’ characters began to get
their own intricate, and oft more prescient storylines. More on this in a
moment.
Running a whopping 10-years, Beverly Hills 90210
also spawned a cottage industry for Spelling, who would later attempt to set 5
more franchises in this haughty and exclusive co-op, but with only the similarly
launched Melrose Place having any genuine lasting appeal. 90210’s
early episodes dealt mostly with the ‘Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas
anymore’ relocation of Brandon and Brenda. But if trading Minneapolis,
Minnesota for Beverly Hills, California seemed to be a definite ‘step up’ for
the twins, the series was quick to begin unearthing the city’s seedy side as
the façade of these supposed ‘beautiful people’ was steadily chipped away, to
deal with such topical issues as May/December romance, premarital sex and
pregnancy, date rape, cancer, drug abuse, homophobia, AIDS, alcohol and drug
abuse, domestic violence, eating disorders, etc. etc. but with a yen for the
melodrama superseding the message to be derived. To be fair, Spelling and Star
tried it the other way first, writing a good, solidly-premised program about
two teens roughing it in the wiles of Beverly Hills. Poor ratings during Season
1 convinced Spelling the series needed a makeover to appeal to his core
audience – teens - more interested in the latest fashion than social
significance. To this end, Spelling slickly assembled a ‘summer season’ to run
on Fox while virtually every other TV franchise was on hiatus, thereby exclusively
becoming the only game in town for viewers eagerly in search of new content.
As a direct result, 90210 garnered a whole new
following between June and August, returning in the fall as Fox’s #1 hit series
and, from thereon, quickly to escalate into a pop culture phenomenon. Well past
his teenage prime, age 21, Canadian-born Jason Priestley, having failed to gel
in walk-on parts in Airwolf (1984-87) and 21 Jump Street
(1987-91), as well as to belly-flop in his own series, Sister Kate
(1989-90) suddenly found himself riding the crest of super-stardom as TV’s
latest crew-cut and perpetually pouty heartthrob – a moniker he comfortably
shared with the late, Luke Perry – 3-years Priestley’s senior (cast as 90210’s
lanky and sideburn-sporting James Dean knock-off, Dylan McKay – the show’s
resident rebel, with a motorcycle to prove it). Initially, Perry auditioned for the role of
Steve Sanders – the part filled by the buff and largely ego-driven Ian Ziering
with other leading roles filled by Jennie Garth (as Brenda’s sometimes best
friend and Steve’s main squeeze, Kelly Taylor), Gabrielle Carteris (Brandon’s
book-smart love interest, Andrea Zuckerman), Brian Austin Green, as high school
nerd, David Silver (later to come into his own as potential ‘stud’ material in
the 90210’s waning years), and, in a show of a family nepotism, Tori
Spelling as the perpetually uncomfortable wannabe, Donna Martin – for whom the
entirely student body turned out to champion her graduation in Season 4.
Of the cast, only Garth, Spelling, Green, and Ziering
would last the full 10-years. Interestingly, Garth had to audition for the role
of Kelly five times. Also noteworthy, the character of Dylan McKay was never
intended to become a main staple of the cast. Indeed, the network did not think
much of Luke Perry’s audition and cautioned Spelling against using him in
anything beyond a few episodes. But Spelling had faith in Perry and eventually
grew his part and his fan base, the latter, much to the network’s relief. Shannen Doherty was the first casualty,
exiting after 4 tumultuous years where she seemed to willfully engage in chronic
and career-crushing conflict with cast and producers almost on a daily basis,
culminating in her ill-timed decision to pose nude for Playboy in 1993
and 1994. Executive producer, Charles Rosin pulled no punches, reflecting on Doherty’s
behavior as “appalling” with a “callous attitude (of) indifference.” The
rumor mills sparked a rivalry between Doherty and Garth while quietly underplaying
the fact Doherty was sorting through personal demons in the face of her father’s
illness. Initially, Doherty agreed with producers to have her character
gradually ‘phased out’ of Season 4, but then, suffering a change of
heart – or perhaps, a sudden awareness that the paychecks would stop coming and
thus put a period to her hedonistic lifestyle, she pleaded with Spelling to remain
a relevant cast member rather than a supporting player. Spelling obliged until
Doherty arrived on the set one day, sporting a completely different haircut, to
screw with the continuity of an episode already half-way completed; an incident,
directly to lead to her permanent dismissal.
When happily married costar, Gabrielle Carteris, age
34, announced she was pregnant at the start of Season 5, producers
scrambled to concoct a ‘pregnancy’ storyline for her alter ego. But the
decision quickly soured as Spelling’s intent was to keep the entire cast hermetically
sealed in a sort of pubescent time warp for the run of the show. Hence, after
having her baby, the character of Andrea Zuckerman was written out. In the part
of Ray, Donna’s abusive boyfriend to enter the picture in Season 6,
actor, Jamie Walters signed an impressive million-dollar deal that quickly
turned to chalk when fans began writing in complaints about Donna’s ‘stupidity’
regarding her loyalty to a man who would hit her. The original intent, for Ray
to see the light and be rehabilitated by the love of a good woman, was canceled.
Instead, an angry Spelling promptly informed his latest addition he would not
be returning to the show. While Walters kept his hefty salary, the line between
fiction and reality had been irrevocably blurred. The moniker of ‘abuser’ stuck
to his persona, impugning his ability to find suitable work elsewhere. By Season
8, Beverly Hills 90210 had run its course. Sensing the good years were
behind him, Jason Priestley bowed out after producers hinted of a storyline
that would have had Garth’s Kelly fall for Brandon.
For the first 3 seasons, Spelling used the name, Torand
Productions to produce the show, an amalgam of the name of his children, Tori
and Randy. Mercifully, the original
pilot, shot under the working title, ‘Doing Time in Beverly Hills’, then
revamped to ‘Class of Beverly Hills’ gave way to the trendier, Beverly
Hills 90210. As with most hit series, inevitable hiccups and revisions were
part in parcel of the creative process. Much of the interiors were shot in a
warehouse complex in Van Nuys, as well as exteriors for the cast’s popular
hangout, the Peach Pit and the P.P.A.D. club, all located on the 15000 block of
Calvert Street. The Brentwood home reserved for the Walsh clan only appeared in
the pilot episode, before being relocated to Altadena, California for the rest
of the series, and, only a few blocks away from the home where the fictional Dylan
McKay resided. The original Peach Pit was an exterior on Pico Boulevard in Los
Angeles, fictionally remodeled during Season 2 and actually the Rose
City Diner in Pasadena, California. And the Beverly Hills Beach Club was
actually the Sand and Sea Beach Club in Santa Monica, which had previously
played host to the cast of Saved by the Bell (1989-93). The fictional West
Beverly High School was later to be seen in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
(1997-2003) but was actually Torrance High School, located in the 90501-zip
code, while scenes depicting the fictional California University after Season
4 were shot at Occidental College in Eagle Rock.
Like so many of Spelling’s classic TV shows, it is the
sum total of the experience, rather than the individual episodes one recalls
most in retrospect; the absolute perfect storm of personalities brought
together to make for a memorable ‘must see’ experience that kept viewers coming
back for more…that, and, of course, the idea that audiences love to watch
beautiful people put through the daily rigors of life, hyper-intensified for
the camera. It’s not a quotable series by any means, despite being written by a
small army of writers, most totaling a contribution of less than 5 episodes to
the lengthy run, with the gold standard bearer being Daniel Attias, who put his
personal stamp on 20 episodes. The constant flux of writing talent speaks to
Spelling’s desire to keep the show fresh with the vital spark of teenage
exhilaration, despite the fact much of his cast were well past those ‘wonder’
years. Of all the cast to appear – and disappear – from the show, Jason
Priestley seems to have regretted his decision to prematurely depart. For 8
seasons and four episodes, we watched as Brandon Walsh matured from a part-time
Peach Pit and Beverly Hills Beach Club employee into a budding journalist,
written out, presumably to take on an entrepreneurial job as a reporter for the
Washington Bureau of the New York Chronicle. Almost immediately, the actor’s
departure created a seismic ripple in the Nielsen Ratings. Without Brandon’s
Eagle Scout virtue to offset all the drama and chaos of his tainted cohorts, 90210
fast began to spin itself into a soapy ‘hot mess’. Besides, the show’s basic
premise, to follow the trials and tribulations of the Walsh clan in relation to
their new surroundings had been removed, leaving the episodic comings and goings
of the rest of the cast fairly rudderless. Priestley, who then believed he had
done everything possible with the character, left Spelling and his writers
holding the proverbial bag on a plot line that ought to have seen Brandon and
Kelly become lovers in the end. Indeed, one of the show’s unforgettable moments
was Kelly’s ‘I choose me’ declaration, effectively to put an end to her
being romantically pursued by both Brandon and Luke Perry’s Dylan McKay. And,
in hindsight, Priestley believed his insistence to be written out of this
thoroughly soapy subplot, deeply wounded his relationship with Spelling, whom
he greatly admired. Spelling had, in fact, afforded Priestley the opportunity
to direct 5 of 90210’s episodes including Season 6’s shocker in
which Dylan’s new bride, Toni Marchette (Rebecca Gayheart) is murdered by the
Mafia in a case of mistaken identity as well as the Season 7’s finale
where Donna and David finally consummate their long-suffering relationship.
So, what exactly has remained Beverly Hills 90210’s
magical appeal over these past 21 years since it went off the air? Fair enough,
it provided a programming bonanza for Spelling’s holding company to spin off
two direct successors, 90210 (2008-13) and the ill-fated BH90210
(2019) – aside: there’s only so much cash in any cow - to last only one
season, not to mention the infinitely more profitable, Melrose Place
(1992-99) – a 20-something transplant for basically the same premise, and
one-season-wonder, Models Inc. (1994-95) – an ill-fated misstep for
star, Linda Gray. Aside: you wonder why they bothered. In his prime, the Texas-born,
Aaron Spelling was the producer of some of TV’s most legendary, and undeniably,
larger-than-life escapist popular entertainments. A Triptik through Spelling’s
fantasy realm is like a date with an old friend…on steroids – or rather,
friends with designer clothes, drugs and that otherwise, uber-chichi lifestyle,
with infinite amounts of disposable cash, to make the likes of even Robin Leach
blush. Once experienced, for the most part, Spelling’s fantasies have remained
engrained in our popular consciousness, beloved for their over-the-top
absurdity and glamorous finesse. Indeed, Aaron Spelling had that magic touch.
Like many, he began his career as an actor. Mercifully, he did not remain one,
but took his experiences to heart, implicitly to understand what made a hit
series click with an audience.
His partnership with comedian, Danny Thomas (Thomas-Spelling
Productions) resulted in the development of 24 properties, the most enduring of
these early efforts, The Mod Squad (1968-73). Spelling then formed a new
partnership with Leonard Goldberg in which he developed his most legendary spate
of popular programming to include the classic ‘giggle TV’ crime-solver, Charlie's
Angels (1976-81), Fantasy Island (1977-84), The Love Boat
(1977-86), and, Dynasty (1980-89). Bulldozing Bing Crosby’s rather
palatial digs in 1988 to make way for his even more ostentatious 56,500 sq. ft.
mansion – the largest ‘single family’ dwelling in all of Los Angeles – Spelling’s
golden touch continued to shape the latter half of the 20th century’s
television programming until his diagnosis of oral cancer in 2001. Spelling
then retreated from the fray, living another 5 years before succumbing to a
stroke on June 23, 2006. By then, it was revealed the old-time mogul was also
suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. After his entombment, Spelling was posthumously
recognized for his lifetime contributions at the 58th Emmy Awards in
a tribute hosted by former Spelling alumni, Joan Collins, Stephen Collins,
Heather Locklear, Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith. The final
episode of Spelling’s last surviving series, 7th Heaven
(1996-2007) was dedicated to him.
In the intervening decades, life has not been
altogether kind to the cast of 90210. Jason Priestley, who was to battle his
inner demons through a painful bout of alcoholism, leading to a near-fatal car
wreck, has seemingly recovered to weather these post-Beverly Hills’ storm
clouds with the most graciousness and self-reflection. Shannen Doherty, given a
reprise by Spelling to co-star in another of his hit shows, Charmed
(1998-2006) saw a return to her old habits, effectively to get her broomed off
that franchise after only 3 seasons. In more recent years, Doherty has battled
an extremely aggressive breast cancer to have spread to her lymph nodes.
Ironically, one of the fictional Brenda Walsh’s greatest fears was to die of
the breast cancer that took the life of her fictional beloved aunt on the show.
Brenda even had a benign lump removed from her breast as part of Season 1’s
more progressive story lines. Co-star, Luke Perry went on to appear in HBO’s
acclaimed prison drama, Oz (1997-2003) as well as to star in several
well-regarded movies. His shocking loss, age 52, from a series of massive
ischemic strokes, utterly unraveled his fellow costars on Riverdale
(2017-present), in which the one-time heartthrob played the weathered
patriarch, Fred Andrews. Both Jenny Garth and Ian Ziering continue to find
steady work on film and television; Garth, still looking svelte, largely in
cameos or reoccurring character walk-ons, and Ziering, popularizing the rather
bizarre sci-fi/action hybrid franchise, Sharknado (2013-18). Finally, Brian
Austin Green has gone on to have an extremely diverse career, as a rap artist,
actor and producer.
CBS/Paramount has boxed together Beverly Hills
90210 – and its direct reboots, 90210, and the short-lived BH90210
for a truly titanic 74 disc offering that is basically a glamorous repackaging
of discs already available individually. No video upgrade has been performed. So,
if you already own the series, there’s really no point to double-dip for it
here. Worse, the studio continues to be at the mercy of ASCAP for rights to
certain pop tunes that made the franchise so gosh-darn hot and of-the-moment.
The original soundtrack has been greatly altered with some episodes in Season
2 also foreshortened from their original broadcast length. This has been a
source of consternation for fans ever since the first minting of Beverly
Hills 90210 to home video, and CBS/Paramount’s decision to remain with
these shortcomings, rather than address them for fans of the series, has resulted
in yet another lost opportunity for this iconic franchise, butchered to conform
to contemporary restrictions. Video quality here is about what you would expect
for a show finished on tape.
Aside: Beverly Hills 90210 was shot on 35mm and
then edited and transferred to tape for broadcast. In the days of analog TV
this really made little difference. But in the age of digital, what it
effectively translates to is an inability to upgrade the content to anything
beyond a basic 480p signal. The image throughout exhibits all the shortcomings
of a taped show: wan colors and smearing, edge-effects, black crush, anemic
contrast, and a general absence of fine details. These anomalies are more
readily apparent on the earlier seasons 1 through 3 and steadily improve to ‘forgivable’
standards thereafter, with both of the reboots exhibiting superior quality,
thanks to new and improved data transmission technologies unavailable when the
first series went live. But here’s the thing: at a considerable cost,
CBS/Paramount might have deigned to go back to original 35mm negatives and
reassemble them in their native resolution, which would have yielded a superior
image in all regards. Certainly, for a series as wildly popular as 90210,
and, as part of the evergreen legacy of one of television’s greatest producers,
this ought to have been a desirable endeavor. Alas, no – as executive logic has
merely decided on a hefty repackage of existing video masters, with all their
limitations intact. The mono Dolby Digital audio on the original series, later
to movie to 2.0 stereo, is pretty par for the course. Mercifully, this is
primarily a dialogue-driven franchise, and dialogue sounds generally solid and
clean. Paramount has at least shelled out for some new content. In addition to
all of brief featurettes that accompanied the single season releases, we get a
new and fairly comprehensive retrospective, with an in-depth interview from show
creator, Darren Star, as well as the 10-year Cast Reunion special, and, a few
junkets from Entertainment Tonight! Bottom line: Beverly Hills
90210 was, for many, a watershed moment in television broadcasting; the
first time, the world of the prime-time soap opera, Spelling helped to cultivate
in the eighties, was updated for the teen market. I’ve not gone into a critique
of either of the show’s reboots, as, having seen both, I find them rather inconsequential
to the legacy of the original franchise. This one ought to have been given
consideration on Blu-ray instead of just another bundling together of archival
assets for fattened DVD box set. Judge and buy accordingly.
FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)
Seasons 1-4 – 4.5
Seasons 5-7 – 3.5
Season 8-10 – 2
Reboots - 2
VIDEO/AUDIO
Season 1-3 – 2.5
Seasons 4-10 – 3.5
Reboots – 3.5
EXTRAS
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