Let's venture down memory lane...

Much like with My So-Called Life, I have vivid and specific memories of Beverly Hills, 90210. And, with the CW's new version launching in the fall, I figured what better time to re-watch it. However, I am only going to do the seasons that I watched during their initial run. Before watching each episode, I will reminisce. After each episode, I will re-examine. Let the games begin!

A brief history 0f 90210, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Beverly Hills, 90210 was a popular prime time television drama series that aired from 1990–2000 on the FOX network. The show followed the lives of a group of teenagers living in the upscale, star-studded community of Beverly Hills and attending the fictitious West Beverly Hills High School. The show was created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling and Spelling Television. The "90210" in the title refers to one of the suburb's postal ZIP codes.

Originally the central characters were twins Brandon (Jason Priestley) and Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty), who moved with their parents, Jim and Cindy, from Minneapolis to Beverly Hills. However, during the show's run, the focus shifted as characters came and went. The show addressed many topical issues like date rape, alcoholism, domestic violence, gay rights, drug abuse, teenage suicide, AIDS, and teenage pregnancy.

90210 gained popularity during the summer of 1991, when FOX aired a special "summer season" of the show while most other series were in reruns. The series became one of FOX's top shows when it began that fall. The cast members, particularly Jason Priestley and Luke Perry, became teen idols. The series would also make actresses Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, and Tori Spelling household names.

When 90210 began, the show was heavily issue-oriented, with Brenda and Brandon facing a different teen issue nearly every week. As the show progressed, it became more character-driven, with the characters entering into various love triangles while dealing with general high school issues. As the show moved into the college years, episodes became largely plot-driven and much more soap operatic.

Due to the various cast changes and changes behind the scenes, ratings for the tenth season declined to an average of 10 million viewers per episode. The lower ratings, along with the high costs associated with a show in its later seasons, led FOX to cancel the series in January 2000. The final episode aired in May 2000. However, even with all the cast changes, the series finale of the show attracted a large number of viewers.

Trivia!
No single character appeared in all 296 episodes of the show.
The filming location for West Beverly High was Torrance High School, also seen in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Dylan McKay was intended to appear for only one or two episodes. Aaron Spelling paid his salary during the first two years until Luke Perry won the network over.
The main characters were juniors in high school during both the first and second season. FOX specifically asked that they be kept in high school as long as possible.