It would be impressive if a long-running TV show only put out excellent episodes, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. Even the biggest fans of teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210 admit that sometimes the series went off in a random direction or the characters didn’t act like themselves.
There are always going to be some episodes that don’t please fans and that don’t measure up to the rest of the show’s output. In the case of 90210, there are a few badly-rated episodes that fans didn’t like very much. These are the 10 worst episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210, according to their ratings on IMDb.
Toil And Trouble (5.7)
The season 8 episode “Toil And Trouble” got a 5.7 rating out of 10, so it’s clear that this wasn’t a fan favorite. Sure, it’s a Halloween episode, as we can tell from the title, which should make it a lot of fun. But unfortunately, it falls flat and the main storylines are a bit lame.
Kelly (Jennie Garth) and Brandon (Jason Priestley) are spicing up their relationship, and Valerie (Tiffani Theissen) is in a love triangle with Noah (Vincent Young) and Cooper (Christopher Orr). While watching Kelly and Brandon’s relationship evolve and grow is always fun for fans who love them together, this wasn’t enough of a plot to keep us interested. The low rating definitely makes sense.
Slipping Away (5.7)
The lowest-rated Beverly Hills, 90210 episodes are from the later seasons, as fans generally seem to agree that the early seasons have some fun, dramatic outings. This season nine episode also got a 5.7 rating out of 10 and the storylines are pretty forgettable.
Dylan (Luke Perry) and Kelly go to Mexico, and Gina (Vanessa Marcil) is upset with her mom, Bobbi (Karen Austin), for taking her money from her trust. Gina is one of those characters who was added to the show later on, and she never feels part of the main group. And at this point, the whole Dylan and Kelly thing feels done already.
Ever Heard The One About The Exploding Father? (5.7.)
It’s safe to say that season 10 of Beverly Hills, 90210 is not its best, so it’s only logical that an episode from the final season ended up getting such a low rating.
Dylan’s dad, Jack (Josh Taylor), has been in the witness protection program, and he comes back to say he’ll get out of it so he can be with his son. It’s an awkward suggestion since Dylan has felt so abandoned by his father and has honestly been doing just fine without him all this time. This episode felt like too little, too late, and it’s just not very compelling.
Doc Martin (5.7)
Donna (Tori Spelling) and Gina are sisters, and while this family secret is a huge plot point, it’s old news by this season 10 episode. When their dad passes away, they both have to come to terms with the heart attack that ended his life.
This episode feels like a means to an end, the end being Gina saying goodbye to California. Otherwise, it’s dull, and it deserved the 5.7 out of 10 rating.
Comic Relief (5.7)
In the season 8 episode “Comic Relief,” it feels like the show is grasping at straws, trying to create juicy drama when not much is going on. That’s especially true of one plotline: David and Valerie fake a relationship because they want Donna and Noah to be envious of them and want to date them instead. It falls flat, just like this episode.
Kelly also takes a modeling job, which is boring to watch since at this point, it feels like she has gone back and forth between missing her modeling days and feeling like it’s not healthy for her self-esteem. It’s tough to know how she really feels.
All That Jazz (5.7)
The final Beverly Hills, 90210 episode with a 5.7 out of 10 rating is season seven’s “All That Jazz.” The plot is pretty silly: Valerie and Kelly are super sick, and Brandon takes care of them. Oh, and David is attempting to seduce Donna in New Orleans.
This is a jerk move on David’s part since this gets Donna in trouble at school since she can’t give a presentation on time. It also feels like waiting for Donna and David to sleep together has been the focus of this show for too long and like it shouldn’t be considered a major plot point.
The Leprechaun (5.6)
The title alone of this episode isn’t super great, and the storyline is so insulting and has aged so poorly that it’s a bit surprising that the rating isn’t much lower. In season 9, Steve is working at a newspaper, and in order to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, he wants a little person to act as a leprechaun.
His partner, Janet (Lindsay Price), doesn’t want this to happen… and neither do we. How did this even air?!
The Real McCoy (5.5)
This season five episode got a rating of 5.5, and it’s another case of a storyline that sounds absolutely laughable. It’s possible that fans will never forget what Dylan experiences because, well, it’s just that ridiculous.
Dylan goes through a form of “past life” hypnosis called “hypnotic regression.” He’s transported back to a Western universe as a character named Billy McCoy. He wants to change, and Kelly is there too, although she’s a wealthy person. What is even happening here? It’s surprising that this was a season five episode and not part of the final season, which was lackluster.
Local Hero (5.5)
Another season 9 episode, “Local Hero” gets an IMDb rating of 5.5 out of 10. It definitely feels like the show was running out of story ideas: everyone thinks that Steve stopped a mugger from hurting a woman who is expecting a baby, but it was actually Kelly and Dylan. And Steve wants to cover a sex addiction meeting for the newspaper so he acts like he deals with that, too.
This feels like a very Steve-centric episode, and since he’s always been part of the friend group but has never really been as compelling as the other characters, it makes sense that it got such a low ranking.
Ashes To Ashes (4.7)
The worst-rated episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 on IMDb is “Ashes To Ashes.” Coming in at 4.7 out of 10, this season two episode is pretty problematic.
The main storyline is that a family whose last name is Ashes start living in the same neighborhood as Brandon and Brenda and their parents. Since the Ashes are black, there is some racial tension in the wealthy Beverly Hills area, and it’s awkward to watch this episode. It’s also awkward that Brandon and Brenda’s parents are using an alarm system for their house and freaking out about people getting robbed in the neighborhood. This episode not only has such a low rating but it doesn’t seem like it could be aired today.
