Beverly Hills, 90210

I admit I haven't watched this show for years, so am going on memory here. I watched every episode of Seasons 1-5. When the quality took a nosedive after Season 4 (but Andrea was still around) I started watched it less and less. From what I gathered the plotlines just got more and more ridiculous. The new main actors were all plain like vanilla, like Vincent Young, Jamie Walters, Lindsay Price, Vanessa Marcil, etc. None of the new replacements excited me at all. (Daniel Cosgrove was not bad).

But, in terms of pure gold, the Brenda years, love or hate the actress, Seasons 1-4, were the best. Season 5 clocked in some golden moments too although I hated what happened to Andrea's character, going from brainy nerd to reluctant mother. After that I wouldn't watch anything as a repeat or catch up on what I missed.

When the show first premiered it, surprisingly, had a lot of depth. It dealt with the problems that most teenagers go through as they are going through high school (sex, drugs, racism, death and AIDS). The only thing that was different about it was the fact that it was set in upscale Beverly Hills. However, when the scene shifted to college, it became more of a soap opera along the lines of its distant cousin Melrose Place. I would rather look at the episodes from the first two seasons when the stories were all done in one episode than look at the garbage it eventually became.

I came to the BH 90210 universe pretty late. I didn't start watching until the third or forth season, but became immediately hooked. Luckily I was able to catch the prior seasons during reruns a year or two later. I've always felt that the Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley) character was the heart, soul, and moral center of the series. He had his demons of course, but don't we all. The other majors characters were well cast, and really made you think about the years when we were in high school. But there's one thing that's bothering me, especially since I looked up the IMDb page when the show was finally being released on DVD. I've seen almost every episode of this series. I admit I didn't watch it as much after Jason Priestley left the show. But for the life of me I can't remember a character called Keith, who supposedly according to IMDb was in 291 episodes. Does anyone know who this guy is, or is this a typo by IMDb?

This series aimed at teenagers and young adults was a major hit during the 90's. Leading the pack was the turmoil-ridden saga of rich kids at West Beverly Hills High School who all faced the common problems of love, pregnancies, drugs and family crises subjects that are somewhat more common to youth and young adults. The best stories centered on the Walsh family, newly arrived in town, in particular fraternal twins Brandon (Jason Priestly) and Brenda (Shannen Doherty). The gang then included friends Kelly (Jennie Garth), Steve (Ian Ziering), Andrea (Gabrielle Carteris), Donna (Tori Spelling), David (Brian Austin Green) and moody Dylan (Luke Perry). Later other characters came on like Tiffani-Amber Thiessen while others had left. In the final season of the show most of the original cast had left the cast saw many changes during the ten year run. Most of the stars became major celebrities due to the success of the show.

This is one of the best shows you will ever see !! I remember the first episode, all of the characters being sophomores in high school, just starting to gain some identity . To me, each character is a fantastic representation of the different situation a teenager faces in life. You've got the girls Kelly , Brenda, Donna (the good girl) , and Andrea (pronounced ON-dreea), and the guys Brandon (won my vote for best looking!) Steve, nerdy David, and soon to follow cool hand Luke - Dylan . The gang is as close as a bunch of high-schoolers are going to get, but let me tell you why to watch . This show crosses everything - drugs, sex , abuse, you name it . The characters bring the topics into their own hands and show how it affects their friends, family and lives. It has actually taught me a few lessons as well . One being that you never know your friends, and don't be surprised by their actions . This show proves that you never really know anyone . 90210 doesn't hold anything back, it shows emotion, and best of all rescues

My favorite episode, well let's just say I don't have just one, because I happened to enjoy all of them, but I will narrow it down if you're looking into checking it out . One episode that you must see is the episode where Dylan's dad dies, I myself was sympathetic to the character . The next best episode was of the 97-98 season, when the gang takes a trip to Hawaii, love is in the air, and everyone for that moment is just happy, but until the end where Kelly is shot .

If you are looking for a reason to quit doing drugs and drinking, check out the episode where David is addicted to speed , or when Kelly's co-dependency leads to her addiction with cocaine. Watch the chain of episodes where Dylan is over his head in drinking . If you are looking for abuse intervention, tune into the episode where Brandon mentors a physically abused boy, or when Donna overcomes her battering boyfriend (ray). If you are looking for some good-old fun episodes , check out the early college ones, when everybody is either pledging a fraternity or a sorority .

I strongly recommend this show to anyone who is interested in a reality based show, that is not focused on just the snobs of Beverly Hills, and is always teaching a different lesson .