Tragic Details That Plagued The Cast Of Beverly Hills, 90210

Back in the early '90s, "Beverly Hills, 90210" completely dominated our screens, becoming a cash cow for the network Fox and turning its young cast into superstar heartthrobs loved by teens the world over. After its debut in 1990, the show continued to reign supreme for several years thanks to its risqué storylines — but it was just as famous for its behind-the-scenes drama. Actors like Luke Perry, Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, and Tori Spelling were the latest wave in Hollywood's next generation of stars — and to say they didn't always handle their newfound fame well might be an understatement. 

Many of the show's cast members have gone on to reveal what life was really like starring in the series, and it wasn't always as glamorous as it may have seemed to outsiders. From cast fights to low ratings and firings mid-contract, "Beverly Hills, 90210" was its very own dramatic bubble. The impact starring on the show had on the cast members wasn't easily forgotten — and for good reason. 

Let's take a look at the tragic details that plagued the cast of one of the biggest shows in '90s history. 

It's easy to assume, considering how gargantuan the show became, that "Beverly Hills, 90210" was a hit straight out of the gate; however, the show was somewhat of a pulled-together mess. Writer Darren Star had never written a pilot before creating the series, and actor Jason Priestley, who played fan-favorite Brandon, wasn't cast until the very last minute. While getting the show off the ground was one thing, issues weren't resolved when filming wrapped, either. According to The New York Times, the show's debut was precarious. 

"We were always on tenterhooks, wondering if we were going to stay on the air because the ratings weren't good for the first episodes," Star explained. The series was far from the top, ranking at No. 118 as it was up against the beloved comedy series "Cheers." Things began to turn around after a Fox executive gave Star the go-ahead to write episodes that involved sex, something he was a little apprehensive of at first because it was a show that depicted the life of high school students. 

At the end of Season 1, Brenda (Shannen Doherty) and Dylan (Luke Perry) had sex, and the show took off. "We filmed all of our risqué summer episodes at the beach and aired those at the time when the other shows were in reruns," Jennie Garth, who played Kelly Taylor, told The New York Times. "So we caught a huge teen audience, kids that were home from school. And then it just went crazy."

Fans of the show will remember Jennie Garth as blonde beauty Kelly Taylor, who befriends Shannen Doherty's Brenda when she sweeps into town. Though she was one of the main stars on the show from the beginning, Garth wasn't exactly overjoyed with her character. Admittedly, when Kelly is introduced in the pilot episode, she cruelly shuns a girl looking for a seat in science class, talks about her ex, besotted rich boy Steve, in a less-than-flattering light, and brags about a recent nose job to her vapid pals. In terms of depth, Kelly is on par with a puddle, so perhaps it's understandable that a young Garth wouldn't feel immediately enamored with her charge. 

When Rolling Stone mentioned the pilot to her in 1992, Garth aptly replied, "Would you burn that for me? I hated my character. She was just one dimensional." However, at the time the interview took place, Garth admitted that the show had since evolved. By that point in the series, the show had covered serious topics such as tax evasion, theft, parental abuse, and much more. 

Garth later admitted in an interview with Us Weekly that during her tenure on the drama, she didn't watch the episodes. "I was just doing my part," the actor said. "I didn't see or know what they were filming other than what Kelly was doing."

Tori Spelling's life has included many ups and downs, but in the early '90s, she was a star on her dad Aaron Spelling's show, "Beverly Hills, 90210." Though she auditioned for the part of Andrea, Spelling wound up being offered Donna. She told EW, "I went in under a different name, then I got the part of Donna — which I'm sure had something to do with my dad." Regardless of how she made it onto the show, Spelling soon became a beloved member of the series and a member of the tight-knit crew. Her co-star, Luke Perry, who played Dylan, was so protective of her that he wound up getting into a fistfight with Spelling's boyfriend at the time, Nick Savalas. 

The shocking moment was revealed in a 2024 book by Margaret Wappler titled, "A Good Bad Boy: Luke Perry and How A Generation Grew Up." According to Wappler, Perry squared up to Savalas at a holiday party the Spellings were throwing in their $150-million-dollar mansion, telling Savalas, "I love her, and you should not be in her life" (via Daily Mail). Other guests were present as a physical altercation ensued. Perry was so adamant the pair should split that he later staged an intervention to encourage Spelling to ditch Savalas for good. 

In 1996, Spelling admitted to Entertainment Weekly that Savalas was consistently verbally abusive towards her. "[Savalas told me] 10 times a day how ugly I was. I cried all the time." 

Shannen Doherty and Tori Spelling's feud was well documented over the years, but its origins can be traced back to their tumultuous time starring on "Beverly Hills, 90210." According to showrunner Charles Rosin, Doherty's behavior in Season 4 of the series made it clear that she was unhappy. "She was habitually late," he told The New York Times. "And finally, one day, she showed up late, and the cast ... got very angry, and they called Mr. Spelling, and he did not renew her contract."

Whether tardiness was the real reason Shannen Doherty was fired from "Beverly Hills, 90210" is a little bit of a grey area. Spelling's versions of events is slightly different. In a Lifetime special, "Tori Spelling: Celebrity Lie Detector," the actor said that she had a big part to play in getting Doherty's exit. After one particular incident got out of hand, Spelling admitted that she was the one who called her dad to set things in motion. "I felt like I was a part of something, a movement, that cost someone their livelihood," Spelling said as she cried (via Us Weekly). "Was she a horrible person? No. She was one of the best friends I ever had."

Despite still holding guilt over her part in the situation, Spelling was quick to admit that at the time it felt like the right move for the workplace. 

Becoming famous overnight isn't easy for any young star, and Jennie Garth knows that better than anyone. In her 2014 memoir, "Deep Thoughts From A Hollywood Blonde," Garth revealed that she started suffering from anxiety when she was just 19 years old. When she was at work, Garth felt a sense of comfort from the buzz of the set, but when she left the protective bubble, she struggled with being recognized. She explained, "And so simple tasks, like going to the grocery store, or the mall, or to get gas, became overwhelming exercises in having to be 'on' when my natural inclination was to shut down and not interact with anyone" (via E News).

Garth went on to explain that her issues had a profound impact on her daily life. She stopped doing the things she had previously enjoyed, such as going to the movies or going shopping. The condition became so debilitating that she came close to not being able to leave the house at all. It wouldn't be the last time Garth battled with mental health issues, either. 

During the breakdown of her marriage to "Twilight" star Peter Facinelli in 2012, Garth told People, "I spent a couple of years lying in bed being depressed. It was that 'I can't breathe' pain" (via Daily Mail).

Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green's relationship and subsequent divorce may have made headlines in more recent years, but long before that, Green was in another high-profile relationship. In the '90s, the actor dated fellow teen icon, "Saved By the Bell" star Tiffani Amber Thiessen. Green was a prominent cast member on "Beverly Hills, 90210" from the beginning, but Thiessen was cast as Valerie in Season 5. Her character was a replacement for Doherty's Brenda after her Season 4 exit. While some boyfriends would be thrilled at the prospect of working with their significant other, Green was reportedly furious. 

When talking exclusively to Teen Drama Whore, producer Larry Mollin revealed that the producers searched exhaustively for the right actor to replace Doherty in a new role and were excited to have found Thiessen. Initially, they thought Green would love having his girlfriend on set, but they soon discovered the opposite was true. "[He] was so upset!" He explained. "Oh my god, he felt betrayed! We were totally shocked and had no idea. But then, of course, we realized why: because other people would be kissing and feeling up his girlfriend! That's what the guys do." 

Mollin went on to say that while the other actors, like Luke Perry and Jason Priestley. were nice guys, they were young actors in the industry at a time before "sexual harassment became really a watch word in the industry." 

When you get a young cast together on a hit show, tensions are bound to rise. It's no secret that Shannen Doherty had a hard time on the set towards the end of her time on "Beverly Hills, 90210." Talking on her podcast, "Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty," just a few months before her untimely death in 2024, Doherty told her former co-star Jason Priestley that she blamed herself for her firing, which was largely down to her personal circumstances. "Towards my last season, I was in a really horrible marriage, and there were things transpiring in that marriage that made it very hard for me to consistently be on time for work," she explained (via Standard). 

While Priestley expressed sadness that he didn't know what was going on at the time, he's not the only cast member who has spoken publicly about Doherty's behavior. During an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" in 2019, Jennie Garth told Cohen that she and Doherty even "took it outside" during one row. "The guys held us back," said Garth (via Mirror). "So, we never actually [did anything]."

Tori Spelling, who appeared alongside Garth on the show, told the host that Doherty pulled Garth's skirt up when they were teasing each other, which Garth didn't take kindly to. Garth previously revealed that the young actors were often pitted against each other, which caused tension between them. 

Shannen Doherty's friendship with former "90210" costar Luke Perry lasted for decades, right up until Perry's death in 2019 at the age of 52. Their bond, like many forged in Hollywood, started when they appeared on the show together as love interests. The relationship between Doherty's Brenda and Perry's Dylan became one of the defining storylines of the series — and of the '90s. Despite teens across the States falling head over heels for the romance, there were ample complaints that ended up having a big impact on the show's direction. 

As highlighted, the penultimate episode of Season 1 ended with good girl Brenda losing her virginity to Dylan in a hotel room after the spring dance and, at the time, this was eyebrow-raising viewing for a show aimed at teenagers. It might be fairly normal these days thanks to the likes of "Gossip Girl," but back then, it wasn't. Writer Darren Star told The New York Times that it wasn't the scene itself that caused an issue, "but because Brenda was happy about it, and it didn't have any dire consequences." He continued, saying, "The affiliates were scandalized. ... I was strongly advised to write a show that would address the consequences of that sexual experience," he explained. "So, [in] the first episode of the second season, Brenda broke up with Dylan because their relationship had gotten too mature." 

When we think of the best episodes the series had to offer, it's usually the first few seasons that spring to mind. So many of the core, fan-favorite actors left towards the end of the show. With Luke Perry, Shannen Doherty, and Jason Priestley gone, the series began to feel a little different. Different actors were hired to try and bulk up the cast, including future Oscar winner Hilary Swank coming on board as single mother, Carly Reynolds. However, despite landing what she understood to be a solid two-year contract, "Beverly Hills, 90210" producers axed her after just 16 episodes. 

Though it may have been jarring for Swank at the time, it turned out to be the best thing for her career. She told Total Film, "It is weird. There's a lot of luck involved in a career, so I'm thankful I got fired off of '90210' because three months later, 'I got Boys Don't Cry'" (via Express). Swank went on to say that trusting fate was important, as was figuring out the business as she went along. 

In the end, few may remember her time as Carly in the series, but many hail her performance in the 1999 film as one of the benchmarks of her career.  

Ian Ziering was initially introduced to viewers as Steve, Kelly's long-suffering ex-boyfriend. His character developed over time, and during one episode, Steve was accused of sexual assault. The heavy storyline was introduced in Season 4, and while Ziering was up for the challenge, it ended up causing quite the ruckus off-screen. During a chat with HuffPost Live in 2015, Ziering explained that producers ended up cutting out a lot of his scenes that included material he thought should have been aired.  

"That was like the first time I really got some great words to say, and I work-shopped them, and I studied," Ziering revealed (via ABC News). "I brought game, and it never even made it through the edit." As a result of the axing, Ziering was furious and ended up taking out his frustration on the dressing rooms. "I tore the dressing rooms apart," he said. "We all work so hard for our characters and to not even get a heads up." The star added that he was "dealt a bad hand" and some of his co-stars, including Jason Priestley, supported him. 

It might be this camaraderie that prompted Ziering and the rest of the cast to remain good friends after the show wrapped. 

The cast of "90210" have gone on to have interesting careers. While some were taken too soon, others, like Jason Priestley, took a step out of the spotlight to focus on other projects — though there was a time when it was touch and go for the young star. Priestley was arguably one of the biggest stars of the series, as doe-eyed Brendon Walsh. Staying on track in a world that catered to Hollywood's young, hot elite was difficult for him. 

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Priestley said, "You really have to believe in yourself. I think a lot of stuff that starts with the drugs [and] the booze comes from self-doubt. It starts to creep in. 'Oh, I'm a fluke.' You start to silence that with the booze and the drugs." Priestley said that he was able to avoid becoming a cautionary tale by having a strong belief in himself, even though he felt largely abandoned by his family and his agents. 

"Looking back on it, I'm horrified that everyone left me out there completely on my own. ... Nobody was there for me," he said. "I did it all on my own."