Beverly Hills, 90210 premiered on October 4, 1990, making today its 36th anniversary. The teen drama brought Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, Luke Perry and their castmates to West Beverly High before following the group into college and adult life.
The Walsh twins and their new friends
Jason Priestley plays Brandon Walsh, and Shannen Doherty plays Brenda Walsh. The twins move from Minnesota to Beverly Hills with their parents. Their arrival introduces viewers to a school where they must find friends and adjust to a different way of life. Jennie Garth plays Kelly Taylor, Tori Spelling plays Donna Martin and Luke Perry plays Dylan McKay, three of the students who become part of that circle.
Ian Ziering plays Steve Sanders, Brian Austin Green plays David Silver and Gabrielle Carteris plays Andrea Zuckermann.
Another early student is Scott Scanlon, played by Douglas Emerson. The original cast is therefore larger than the eight familiar faces in the group’s promotional photographs. The series also includes Brandon and Brenda’s parents, Jim and Cindy Walsh, whose home becomes a gathering place for the teenagers. The story later takes the group to college and introduces new characters as some of the original students leave.
The show’s first season drew low ratings. New episodes during summer 1991 helped it find a larger audience.
West Beverly: scenes from the original series
3 screenshotsThe early episodes give the actors different problems to play
In the first season’s “The Green Room,” Andrea asks Brandon to write about being a transfer student at West Beverly High. Their work on the piece connects Andrea’s school interests with Brandon’s move from Minnesota.
“Every Dream Has Its Price Tag” puts Brenda under pressure while shopping on Rodeo Drive with Kelly and Tiffany. The outing gives the new arrival a different kind of test: keeping up with classmates whose spending and expectations are not the same as hers.
Why Luke Perry became Dylan McKay
Perry’s place in the cast was not just a matter of filling another student’s role. In a 2015 interview, creator Darren Star recalled that he and producer Aaron Spelling liked Perry when he read for Dylan. Star said Spelling paid out of his own pocket to hire Perry as a series regular because he understood that the show needed that kind of character.
“And of course, Luke was fantastic,” Star said.
Darren Star and Aaron Spelling had different jobs
Darren Star created the series; Aaron Spelling produced it. Before moving into television, Star studied writing at UCLA, worked as an assistant at a public-relations company and found work as a screenwriter. Beverly Hills, 90210 became part of that move from writing films to creating a television series and working with an ensemble over time.
Star went on to create Melrose Place, Sex and the City and Younger. In the same 2015 interview, he explained that he had wanted to try new projects rather than remain on 90210 for its entire ten-year run. That is a career decision by the creator, separate from the departures and new arrivals among the actors.
Spelling had already built a long television-producing career. His other shows included Charlie’s Angels, Dynasty, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. In a 1999 interview, he discussed producing 90210 alongside those earlier shows, as well as the practical work of reading scripts and following what happened on screen.
Jason Priestley’s work after Brandon Walsh
Priestley later played Matt Shade in Private Eyes and also worked on that series as an executive producer and director. In Wild Cards, he plays George, a con man whose daughter is also involved in cons. His comedy work includes Call Me Fitz, another series on which he acted, produced and directed. Those jobs give him credits behind the camera as well as leading and supporting screen roles.
On April 27, 2026, The CW announced Private Eyes West Coast, a working title for a spinoff that brings Priestley back as Shade. The announcement describes a ten-episode first season, with Priestley executive producing and directing two episodes. It also credits him with directing work on My Life with the Walter Boys. The announcement is a separate career update, not a new season of Beverly Hills, 90210.
Where to revisit the original series
The original Beverly Hills, 90210 is streaming on Paramount+ in the United States. The current listing carries the remastered series across ten seasons. Availability elsewhere can differ. Our Beverly Hills, 90210 page brings together the original cast and viewing information for the series that began in 1990.
