Before Nancy Drew got a contemporary TV show of her own on The CW, Archie Andrews and his friends got a dark Netflix drama, and the teenage residents of a town called Tree Hill started growing up, there was a successful teen show called Beverly Hills, 90210. While we would consider a series that lasts for a decade to be a massive accomplishment and not many get to that point, 90210 aired from 1990 until 2000, 90210 showed many people that a juicy teen drama was always going to attract viewers.
Leading to other reboots, such as the 2009 one starring Shenae Grimes-Beech and the recent revival BH90210 which only got one season, the brand has always been a strong and recognizable one. The original series made its young stars famous and a lot went on behind the scenes.
Keep reading to find out some of the interesting drama that took place while the actors were filming Beverly Hills, 90210.
20 By Season 9, Jason Priestley Had Quit Without A Proper Goodbye
Abc News says that Jason Priestley, who played Brandon Walsh, quit the show without a proper goodbye. Fans will recall that he wasn't in the last batch of episodes.
He said that he got his stuff together and there wasn't a goodbye celebration, he just was gone. He was quoted saying, "I felt like I'd wasted nine years of my life".
19 The Decision To Have Brenda And Dylan Sleep Together Was An Unpopular One With The Show's Affiliates
According to Abc News, the creator of Beverly Hills, 90210 felt pressured by affiliates who didn't like popular couple Brenda and Dylan sleeping together. More specifically, they didn't like that Brenda was fine with it.
Darren Star said to The New York Times, "So the first episode of the second season Brenda broke up with Dylan because their relationship had gotten too mature".
18 Shannen Doherty Was Always Late And The Actors Would Phone Aaron Spelling About It
According to Abc News, Shannen Doherty, who played Brenda Walsh, was always late. We might have heard that she and the other actors weren't the best of friends, but something surprising also happened on set: the actors would phone Aaron Spelling about it. We wonder what he said during those phone conversations?
17 Aaron Spelling Didn't Want Anyone To Wear Sunglasses Or Change Their Hair
Mental Floss says that Aaron Spelling didn't want anyone to wear sunglasses or change their hair.
The sunglasses thing is definitely surprising as the characters are living in Beverly Hills, California, but we totally get the hair thing. Remember when Felicity changed her hair?! That was a pretty big deal.
16 Gabrielle Carteris, Who Played 16-Year-Old Andrea, Was 29 When She Was Cast
The characters are in high school when Beverly Hills, 90210 begins, which is why it's surprising to learn that Gabrielle Carteris, who played 16-year-old Andrea Zuckerman, was 29, according to Mental Floss.
She pretended that she was younger and she was pretty silent about the fact that she was older.
15 Tori Spelling Auditioned For The Show With A Fake Name
Abc News says that Tori Spelling auditioned for the show with a fake name.
That is surprising to hear, right? Since her dad was the producer behind the show, we would have thought that he made sure that his daughter was cast in the production, but that's not what happened.
14 Luke Perry Was A Guest Star At First And Aaron Spelling Fought For Him To Be A Regular
Mental Floss says that Luke Perry was a guest star at first. This is so surprising to learn because Dylan McKay is such a big part of the show and of teen drama history.
Aaron Spelling fought for him to be a regular, which is so awesome and touching to hear about.
13 Tori Spelling Made The Call That Shannen Doherty Should Be Kicked Off The Series
We probably know that Shannen Doherty didn't last on the show, especially since her character was off to London as of season five. But we didn't know what actually went down to make her leave.
Fame 10 says that Tori Spelling made the call that she would be kicked off the series. We would never have guessed that it was her.
12 Shannen Doherty And Jason Priestly Actually Dated IRL... But Were Brother And Sister On The Show
Fame 10 says that many of the actors dated, and two of the most surprising ones were Shannen Doherty and Jason Priestley, who were brother and sister on Beverly Hills, 90210.
This isn't something that we would have guessed, and of all of the real life couples, they're not talked about very much.
11 Tiffani Thiessen Was Hired In Season 5 While Dating Brian Austin Green
Mental Floss says that Tiffani Thiessen, who fans will remember played Valerie Malone, was hired in season five while she was dating Brian Austin Green, who played David Silver. The website says that this was "awkward" because she and Luke Perry's character were romantically involved. Yup, that sounds like it could get pretty tricky.
10 Shannen Doherty Ruined Ian Ziering's Car Once By Driving It Into A Ditch
According to Fame 10, Shannen Doherty actually ruined Ian Ziering's car once by driving into a ditch, which is a pretty wild thing.
We wonder how she explained that one to him? That's not exactly something that you want to tell your co-star... As it turns out, Ziering took the blame and said that he was the one who did it.
9 Ian Ziering Thought The Show Was Superficial At First
Steve Sanders is a loveable guy and he's an important part of the show. But Ian Ziering didn't think that the show had much meaning at first, which might be a surprising thing for us to find out.
Mental Floss quoted Ziering as saying, "When I read the script for 90210, I thought, ‘Boy, this is very superficial' ".
8 Shannen Doherty And Jennie Garth Almost Got Into A Physical Fight Once
E Online says that Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth, who played Kelly Taylor, almost got into a physical fight once. This is surprising, because while we might have heard that Doherty wasn't close with the cast, an actual physical fight is pretty intense. And they seemed to love each other so much on the show...
7 Hilary Swank Was Supposed To Be On 90210 For Two Whole Years But Got Kicked Off As Viewers Wanted Steve To Be Single
According to Nicki Swift, Hilary Swank was supposed to be on the show for two whole seasons. She was kicked off 13 episodes into her role.
Why did that happen? Stuff.co.nz explains that viewers wanted Steve Sanders to be single and the producers said "it's not working". That must have been an incredibly awkward meeting.
6 Scott's Death Happened Because Douglas Emerson Went To Junior College
Entertainment Weekly says that Scott Scanlon's death happened because Douglas Emerson, the actor who played this role, went to junior college.
It's always surprising to hear about creative decisions being made because an actor was totally finished with the show, rather than it seeming like the best story to tell.
5 Jennie Garth Suffered From Anxiety During Her Time On 90210
She Knows says that Jennie Garth suffered from anxiety during her time on Beverly Hills, 90210.
This is so sad to hear and she wrote about this difficult time in her memoir, Deep Thoughts From a Hollywood Blonde, which was published in 2014. She said that it was tough to go anywhere.
4 There's A Rumor That The Show Could Have Been Set In Potomac, Maryland
Entertainment Weekly says that Potomac 20854 was one "working title". There's a rumor that the show could have been set in Potomac, Maryland. This was because Darren Star was from there.
We're so glad that the show was set in California, because Beverly Hills seems like the best possible setting.
3 Donna Didn't Sleep With David For Several Seasons Because Aaron Spelling Wasn't Comfortable With It
Nicki Swift says that Donna Martin didn't sleep with David Silver for several seasons because Aaron Spelling wasn't comfortable with it.
This is surprising as fans would have assumed that this was a decision that the writers had made, but it turns out that there was a specific explanation behind it.
2 Brandon And Emily Valentine Dated IRL
Boredom Therapy says that Brandon and Emily Valentine dated IRL. Yup, Jason Priestley and Christine Elise were in a serious relationship when the cameras weren't rolling. Fans will recall that their on-screen romance was pretty wild.
1 The OG Title Was: Class Of Beverly Hills
Nicki Swift says that the OG title for Beverly Hills, 90210 was Class Of Beverly Hills.
It's cool to learn what a popular TV show could have been called, but chances are, we love the title that Darren Star decided on. It's such an iconic show and the zip code is part of that.