Chances are, if you have a favorite show from the ’80s or ’90s, it has gotten a revival or it’s going to soon. Fans of Beverly Hills, 90210 can watch the reboot BH90210 this month, but nothing compares to watching the original show that audiences loved.
Since this popular show was on the air for a decade from 1990 to 2000, it makes sense that not every episode was a complete winner. Many are still compelling to this day… and others can be considered boring. Here are the five best and the five worst episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210.
Best: “Slumber Party” (Season 1, 13)
In high school, sleepovers are a big deal, and that’s why the season one episode “Slumber Party” is one of the best ones. Brenda (Shannen Doherty) wants to get closer to her classmates and has them stay over at her house, and it’s not as fun as it should be. Instead of junk food and makeovers, Amanda (Michele Abrams) wants everyone to share their first times.
This is a stand-out 90210 episode because Kelly (Jennie Garth) starts displaying how vulnerable she actually is beneath the shiny hair and nice clothes. She tells the story of losing her virginity to Ross Webber, a jerk who treated her badly. Brenda and the rest of the girls start realizing that just because you live in fancy Beverly Hills, that doesn’t mean that you have a perfect life.
Worst: “Home Again” (Season 1, Episode 22)
Although the first season is great, the season finale isn’t. It feels like a completely unnecessary episode because Brandon (Jason Priestley) and Brenda’s dad Jim (James Eckhouse) might have to move back to Minnesota. But since the family’s move is what kickstarts the show, it doesn’t seem like this would actually happen.
Whenever a TV show acts like important characters are going to move away, it’s an attempt at tension and drama, but in this case, every fan knew that they wouldn’t actually go back to Minnesota. After all, how would the show continue? The whole setting is Beverly Hills.
Best: “Girls on the Side” (Season 5, Episode 28)
Kelly used to model, and she contemplates going back to that lifestyle in this season five episode. This is one of the best episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210 since Kelly struggles with living a more meaningful life than her perfect good looks would suggest.
She’s deeper than she appears at first and is so much more than just the “poor, spoiled little rich girl” that she often behaves like in earlier seasons. In the latter seasons of the show, Kelly works on being a better person, and this feels like the beginning of that character arc.
Worst: “The Dreams of Dylan McKay” (Season 5, Episode 10)
Do Dylan McKay (Luke Perry) fans even remember this episode? While the fifth season is enjoyable enough since the gang is in college, this episode isn’t very well-crafted. Dylan is in a coma as a result of doing heroin, getting into his car, and ending up over a cliff.
While Luke Perry was always solid when portraying this character, this is a strange episode because he’s basically just having random nightmares. It’s clear that the show wouldn’t really kill off such a beloved character, at least not in the fifth season. The stakes didn’t feel quite as high as they should have.
Best: “Perfect Mom” (Season 1, Episode 7)
Every teenage girl thinks that their parents are uncool and everyone else must have a much easier time living in their household. Their best friend must have the best life ever because there are no rules, right? The season one episode “Perfect Mom” makes it clear that, no, the grass isn’t greener on the other side, and you never know what someone else is dealing with.
Brenda becomes close friends with Kelly and thinks that Kelly’s mom, Jackie (Ann Gillespie), couldn’t possibly be any more fabulous. As the audience discovers that Jackie is an addict and Kelly has been struggling with this, it’s heartbreaking. This is one of the most well-done episodes and also highlights the differences between Kelly and Brenda’s families: while Kelly has a seemingly privileged existence, she doesn’t have the comfort and love that the Walsh family does.
Worst: “Perfectly Perfect” (Season 3, Episode 10)
When an episode of a teen drama feels like an after school special, you know it’s a bad episode. That was the case with this third season episode of Beverly Hills, 90210.
Kelly is taking diet pills and all she wants is to be thinner. While this is an important storyline and still a very relevant one today, the melodrama is hard to ignore. It’s just not treated the way that it should be.
Best: “Something in the Air” (Season 3, Episode 28)
Fans of 90210 know the line “Donna Martin graduates” super well, and this is the episode. Thanks to Donna (Tori Spelling) having a bit too much fun at a school dance, she’s kicked out of school and is told that she isn’t able to go to graduation.
This is one of the best episodes of the show since all of the characters show up for their friend Donna and rally around her. It’s fun to watch everyone getting involved in the cause, and even though everyone knows that going to your graduation ceremony isn’t even that enjoyable, it does feel like a really big deal when you’re a high school senior. This episode features the best parts of Beverly Hills, 90210: friends caring about one another and thinking about an important issue.
Worst: “Otherwise Engaged” (Season 4, Episode 9)
Why would Brenda get engaged in season four when she and her friends are only just starting their grown-up lives? Sure, Beverly Hills, 90210 is a fast-paced drama and a lot of crazy stuff happens, but this just made no sense.
Brenda and Stuart (David Gail) have a lot of issues surrounding their wedding, like the fact that the Walshes aren’t into this idea and he has a prenup. This feels kind of ridiculous since she’s so young, and besides, some fans would never let go of the idea of her and Dylan.
Best: “Back in the High Life Again” (Season 3, Episode 19)
Fans know that the Brenda/Dylan/Kelly love triangle is a major part of Beverly Hills, 90210, and looking back, this season three episode is one of the best ones. This is when it finally becomes clear to Brenda that her best friend and her boyfriend have been falling in love behind her back.
Of course, no teen romance is ever that simple, and Brenda cheated on Dylan with Rick (Dean Cain) in Paris, so there is a lot going on here. This episode has all of the drama that any 90210 fan is always counting on, and the love triangle really heats up.
Worst: “Graduation Day: Part 1 and 2” (Season 7, 31 and 32)
This two-part season seven finale, both directed by Jason Priestley, sums up what is wrong with some of the later episodes of this show. While the early seasons are pure fun to watch, from season 7 on, the show seems to be confused with just how much of a soap opera it wants to become.
In these two episodes, everyone finishes college, Kelly is mad at her dad for not being there for her growing up, there’s a lot of drama surrounding Valerie (Tiffani Theissen) who is quite the unlikeable character, and David (Brian Austin Green) and Donna finally sleep together. Donna’s storyline is the only compelling one here since fans had been waiting for this moment. Otherwise, it’s a messy episode in a messy season.
