After 10 seasons on the small screen, fans of Fox’s primetime soap “Beverly Hills, 90210” (1990-2000) can relive the magic without guilt. After all, the date is 9/02/10.
“Chuck” executive producer Josh Schwartz tweeted a fan-made video of a “Gossip Girl” opening to “Beverly Hills, 90210’s” iconic 1990s theme. Star Jennie Garth, who was a regular for the entire 10-season run said via Twitter, “Love to the original cast and crew. And the new kids too.”
 Logo from Season 1 |
The original hourlong drama introduced us to a slew of stars (and two-time Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank) both past and future, and a decade after the show ended its run, several castmembers went on to other projects. But would they be able to sustain success in their post-“90210” careers?
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The biggest surprise — and possible discovery — was Swank’s 16-episode arc as Steve Sanders’ (Ian Ziering) girlfriend Carly Reynolds in the ninth season. A year after she left the show, she would go on to win her first Academy Award for “Boys Don’t Cry.”
Jason Priestley, who led the series for eight seasons as the straight-laced Brandon Walsh (and also directed several episodes), went on to star in other TV projects, including the short-lived “Love Monkey,” “Tru Calling” and ABC Family telepic “I Want to Marry Ryan Banks.”
As of late, Priestley has been known more as a director, helming episodes of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” web series “The Lake” and one for present-day CW update “90210.”
Luke Perry, who was introduced in the second episode as bad boy Dylan McKay, appeared in “Windfall,” “John From Cincinnati,” Showtime’s post-apocalyptic series “Jeremiah” and “FCU: Fact Checkers Unit” in his notable post-“90210” roles.
 “Beverly Hills, 90210” cast |
After starring in the defunct WB Network’s “What I Like About You” opposite Amanda Bynes, Garth reprised her role as Kelly Taylor on the CW update. (She is also married to “Nurse Jackie” and “Twilight” star Peter Facinelli.) Like her counterpart, Shannen Doherty — who exited the series early in its run because of on-set drama — returned as Brandon’s sister Brenda on “90210,” but not before a long stint on “Charmed.”
Tori Spelling, who grew up in the industry, became a reality show enterprise, appearing in and producing “Tori & Dean: Inn Love,” the upcoming “Tori & Dean: Storibook Weddings” and “So noTORIous.” But who could forget the family drama surrounding her and mother Candy Spelling after the death of “Beverly Hills, 90210” producer and father Aaron Spelling?
Gabrielle Carteris left the series in 1995 for her own talk show, “Gabrielle,” which failed to catch on, lasting for only one season. (She was also the oldest cast member at 29 when the series debuted.)
Brian Austin Green, who we saw literally grow up on the show, recently landed a gig on ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.” “Southland’s” Michael Cudlitz appeared in an 11-episode guest arc. Rebecca Gayheart starred in a few episodes, while James Pickens Jr., who currently costars with Gayheart’s husband Eric Dane on “Grey’s Anatomy,” also appeared in 10 episodes of the teen soap.
Vanessa Marcil and Daniel Cosgrove are now daytime soap stars. Tiffani Thiessen, formerly of “Saved by the Bell” fame, is a series regular on USA’s “White Collar.” “Parenthood” star Peter Krause even had a recurring role in 1992.
Want more? Jessica Alba appeared in two episodes and “Hawaii Five-0” star Daniel Dae Kim also had a short stint in the popular TV ZIP code. Jamie Walters, who played Ray, went on to “The Heights,” which launched the popular song “How Do You Talk to an Angel?.” Dean Cain (a.k.a. Clark Kent) and future “Sex and the City” star Jason Lewis were among the list of notables.
In addition to serving as a launching pad for acting and writer-producers, “Beverly Hills, 90210’s” success also reinvigorated the teen soap, as shows like “Dawson’s Creek,” “The O.C.” and “The Vampire Diaries” found ratings success.
 “90210” |
Darren Star, series creator of the original “90210,” brought the concept back to the CW, which premiered in 2008.
John Eisendrath, who worked on the initial “90210” for a few seasons, left the teen soap genre to write and exec produce “Alias” before taking on the Jimmy Smits starrer and upcoming legal drama “Outlaw.”
Chip Johanssen, who had only one writing credit (“Married With Children”) before jumping on to “Beverly Hills, 90210,” ditched the teenage melodrama format in favor of sci-fi: cult hits “Dark Angel” and “Moonlight” followed, and after “Dexter” showrunner Clyde Phillips left the Showtime drama after Season 4, Johanssen joined as an exec producer.
Director Jack Bender may be known primarily for his work on “Lost,” but he led the charge on three episodes from 1992-95; and Laurie McCarthy went on to write and exec produce projects including “Felicity,” “CSI: Miami,” “Windfall” and the recently axed “Ghost Whisperer.”
Now, good luck getting that catchy theme song out of your head. Maybe it’ll be gone by 9/03/10.
