The Unauthorized Beverly Hills 90210 Story (2015 Lifetime)
Cast: Dan Castellaneta, Samantha Munro, Abby Ross
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
An international pop culture phenomenon, “Beverly Hills, 90210,” ruled the ’90s television landscape and reigned as the top teen show for nearly a decade. Jason Priestley, Luke Perry, Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, and Tori Spelling became household names. “The Unauthorized Beverly Hills, 90210 Story” reveals the roller coaster ride behind the show’s first four seasons, highlighting the drama between cast members and producers both on and off-set as they journeyed together from near-cancelation to unparalleled fame and success.
Thoughts
The movie begins in 1992 in Indianapolis; a security guard smuggles Jason Priestly and Luke Perry (RIP) through a school to get away from rabid teenage fans.
Cut to two years earlier, Aaron Spelling is smoking a pipe. He wants to reboot Charlie Angels, but the executives ask him to produce a High School drama about Beverly Hills High School 90210, written by Darrin Star. (Sex and the City.) Aaron Spelling is raising tow teenagers. His daughter Tori, who inexplicably has a Canadian accent here, tells her dad the audience of the ’90s are “younger and cooler.” He realizes that he should produce a TV show.
A construction worker, Like Perry, is an aspiring actor. Jennie Garth is offered a role in a high school musical TV show but passes to wait for a better offer. Gabrielle’s agent age shames her for being almost 30 and not having boobs. Jason Priestley is up for a role in Thelma and Lousie.
Tori Spelling especially picks the whole cast by suggesting actors to her dad. Luke Perry auditions and is a diva. He is not selected for the role of Steve Sanders Tori auditions under a fake name and lands the part. (The casting directors know that she is Aaron Spelling’s daughter.)
At the table read. Jennie and Jason appear to have past. Most of the cast is in their 20’s and 30’s. Brian Austin Green and Tori Spelling make fun of them for being “old.” Shannen Doherty creates drama by demanding to sit next to Jason instead of Jennie.
Once on set, the cast realizes that they are filming on a porn studio lot. Everything is run down because the show is the first of its kind on the FOX Network. A montage of shooting the pilot happens. Gabrielle applies for a hostess position after she sees the pilot; it is that bad. Must have looked like this movie.
Darren Star and Aaron Spelling bring Luke Perry in for another read and create a “bad boy” role of Dillion. They do reshoots, and the pilot works. The show gets picked up for a sixteen-episode run. The ratings are not there. The Golf War interrupts the TV schedule, and FOX reruns the show over the summer.
Shannen Doherty is a DIVA on set. She is number one on the call sheet. Shannen is hooking up with her co-star Luke Perry, and their sex scenes are too hot for TV. Everyone in the cast is hooking up in their trailers, in wardrobe, on set, everywhere.
Tori Spelling wants her character to be silly and starts directing herself. Shannen and Luke’s relationship sour as well as her relationship with Jennie. (They play BFFs but they hare each other.)
The ratings pick up, and the studio gets a makeover. The cast all have new cars and are living the life. Scandal hits the series who they depict the protagonist losing her virginity. The networks executives demand that they write the character to have remorse and break up the characters. Shannen and Luke clash with writers over the change.
Golden Globe nominations come in, and 90210 is nominated for best TV Series as well as Jason Priestley. (Really?) Network executives are thrilled with the ratings and do an elaborate high five.
Now all the fangirls chase Luke Perry and Jason Priestley around. The grab burgers and beers at a fancy dinner and meet President Regan.
Shannen Doherty is late to set, and the fighting with Jennie escalates, the brawl in the parking lot. Press picks up on it and drags her. Fans start an “I Hate Brenda Newsletter.” She is just a total bitch on set. Then she wrecks a car in a construction zone. Ian Ziering takes the blame for her.
The cast parties at a night club and bonds. Even Shannen and Jennie make temporary amends. Shannen can’t help but fight and assaults a guy in the club who calls them losers. The press go WILD when she is arrested. Shannen is kept on the show because the bad press is good for ratings. Shannen continues to miss work and the cast turns on her. Tori Spelling tries to set her friend straight. Shannen threatens Tori Spelling to “watch her back.”
Shannen Doherty is fired and escorted off the set, she is replaced by Tiffani-Amber Thiessen. Jennie Garth is number one on the call sheet and appears to have won the fight.
The movie gives some lame recaps of what the actors are up to now. It is rude that the movie doesn’t mention Gabrielle Carteris is SAG-AFTRA President or at least at the time of filming was Vice President. That is a huge accomplishment.
Side Note
Minority Report: Security Guard
Canadian accents were SUPER strong in this movie. None of the actors have the charisma of the original cast.
Very narrow scope of the show, pretty much just focused on Shannen Doherty’s time with the show.
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Overall rating
🔪 (1 Knife)
🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 (5 glasses of wine required.)
*Photo Credit: © 2015 Lifetime
