BEVERLY HILLS 90210 CELEBRATES FIRST SEASON

High school is a magical time for most of us especially if you were born with the zip code 90210 in the heart of Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills 90210 the TV series that made high school sexy and dangerous is now available on DVD with all 22 episodes from the first season with behind-the-scenes features and interviews with the cast. Writer Darren Star talks about the inspiration for the Walsh twins Brandon and Brenda played by Jason Priestley and Shannen Doherty who move from Minnesota to attend West Beverly High.

A then fresh faced 21 year-old Jason Priestley became an instant heartthrob for teens playing the somewhat naïve boy next door.

“It was the only thing I could write about with any authority was high school. I couldn’t write about anything with much perspective but I could write about high school and I had the experience also of having a close sibling and going to high school and sharing friends and not getting along and getting along and all that sort of stuff. I just in a sense reimagined my family if they had moved to Beverly Hills and in a sense what that would be like.”

Luke Perry was 25 when he introduced the role of Dylan McKay who’s name became synonymous with the rich bad boy.

“I think who Brandon is was very well put together by Brandon himself in one of the episodes. He said I know who I am. Brandon Walsh is just a regular guy from Minnesota.”

Both Jason and Luke did Beverly Hills 90210 for 10 seasons and have gone onto more sophisticated projects hoping to shed their teen images. Jason toyed with gay characters, murderers and when he’s not acting he’s racing cars. Luke Perry enjoyed some current success with Windfall and made his stage debut on the West End in London with the adaptation of When Harry Met Sally. rn

“Due to the fact that Dylan lives where he lives, the lifestyle that he does. It really multiplies those problems simply because no one thinks you have any problems when you’re that rich or you’re that popular or you’re that cool.”